20130211-09-01

The original road along Telegraph Road from the Gympie Arterial to Norris Road was a very narrow single lane (in each direction) section of road. The safety of cyclists that happened to use this road was very, very minimal. Prior to the upgrade this section of road was very, very poorly maintained and was frequently damaged due to the large amounts of heavy vehicles that used this section of road.


20130211-10
20130705-01

Hello fellow cycling buddy!

As a result of the lack of space, minimal/no shoulders and sections of damaged road surface should a cyclist happen to take avoiding action drivers behind were very quickly to accelerate past (this was prior to Queensland having the 1m/1.5m overtaking law) with no regard for the cyclists safety.


20130211-11

In late 2012 as part of works being conducted on the high voltage powerlines shoulders were installed to allow for turning vehicles that were entering and exiting the work site. This gave some extra space for cyclists to use….


20130211-13

…but this was only for a short section of road for anyone heading east. Anyone heading west had no benefits and had to contend with no road shoulder, traffic passing by at 60-70kph, poor road surface and was infact was made even worse due to gravel from the road shoulder/worksite being dragged onto the road.  Normally most motorists gave cyclists plenty of space but in busier times this was not the norm and cyclists avoided the area despite it being a popular section of road.


20130211-04
20130705-02

During the construction works cycling safety along this section was once again made even worse when barriers were constructed along the side of the road forcing cyclists against the barrier and between traffic. It was so dangerous early on that ‘Cyclists Dismount’ signs started appearing prior to the first of the construction areas. When the construction barriers went up cycling numbers through this area were visually down with most preferring to make their way through west through Bald Hills to Gympie Road or east via Lemke Road.

20140200-02
What Safe Space For Cyclists???

20131100-01
You know its safe for cyclists to use a road when you see a dismount sign…

Since the upgrade was completed the safety for those cycling along this section of road has greatly been improved and we thank the Brisbane City Council and Queensland State Government. Another benefit is that it has really opened up cycling links for those in the area be it recreational users, casual riders, weekend riders, commuters and racers. One thing that we have noticed (Somewhat backed up by the 2014 vs 2015 Strava Heatmap) is that the narrow and highly busy traffic of Lemke Road has seen a large amount of Bracken Ridge cyclists move to traveling along Roghan Road/Norris Road to access Bracken Ridge.

20150926-0021
Bike Lanes

However there are still some serious concerns that we hold for cyclists safety. The biggest problem being these areas are located just outside the scope of works. These problems being the small section of road between Lacey Road and Gympie Road, Norris Road into Fitzgibbon and Norris Road heading northbound. While the project ended just before the Gympie Arterial Road the new section of now funnels cyclists at speed into traffic islands and a narrow bridge while fighting with traffic. A number of drivers will see a cyclist nearing the end of the bikelane along with attempting to get ahead of other motorists and will attempt to get ahead quite dangerously. While this isn’t common during quieter times this has become a common problem during busier times such as afternoon peak hour – a time where traffic usually builds up due to traffic attempting to turn onto the Gympie Arterial Road. The problem with Norris Road heading into Fitzgibbon being the bike lane narrows quite substantially combined with the increased traffic flow due to rat running. Norris Road heading northbound has the problem of no cycling infrastructure.

20150926-0022
The narrowing bikelane
20150926-0030
Missing cycling infrastructure on Norris Road

 

We look forward to seeing the next links being completed to improve the safety of cyclists using this area.


Project Plan


2015-09-26


2015-01-11


 

2013-07-05

2013-02-11


Last Updated: 17 February 2016

Close Menu