It’s a sad time in Queensland. It harks back to the bad old days of the Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen government denying Queenslanders the right to protest.
Brisbane bicycle users planned a May 30, 2025 protest to demonstrate to the Brisbane City Council that action needed to be taken to open the pedestrian and bike pathways across the Story Bridge. The planned protest would have closed the Bradfield Highway (the road that runs across the Bridge) for an hour one Friday.
Police argued that it would not be safe enough and that they didn’t have enough resources to ensure protestor safety and, so, they took it to court, who upheld the Police’s action.
At the time, I questioned this. Is it not the Police’s job to ensure that safety for it’s citizens? If they are sufficiently under resourced, should that be the more alarming question for Senior Queensland Police than a few people riding their bikes on a bridge?
Once again, the Police argued that they have insufficient resources to Police the protest “for the safety of the attendees” and, by doing so, Dan Purdie, the Minister for Police said “”If protesters defy the decision of the court, it will not only put people at risk, it will also take hundreds of police away from responding to crime… ”
First of all, “Hundreds”?
Second of all, given the geographical location of the Story Bridge, it would be incredibly easy to stop traffic from approaching the bridge. A couple of cars at each end. A few “Road Closed” signs which dont even have to be from the Queensland Police. There are plenty of Road/Traffic Management companies Council or the State Government could use to effect road closures which wouldn’t even need to come out of Police numbers.
No, Queensland’s chief magistrate Janelle Brassington has, instead, bowed to the wishes of the current regime, hell bent on not providing the service that is meant to protect them, and to quash a fundamental part of a democracy.
The next words out of their mouths is likely going to be a shopping list of their trauma, or how yours can’t be worse than theirs.
Almost like they have a Trauma Monopoly. Or they are the best of the best of Trauma victims.
Dont try to call them out on it, either. Oh you just didn’t. You will lose that person’s friendship for life. (But you’re probably better off without them anyway.)
What should you say instead? Something along the lines of, “Oh, you poor darling. I know. I have too, so I know how you’re feeling. Would you like a hug?” then sit down, shut up and listen. Hug them some more, then listen some more.
If a person in sharing that they’ve had any trauma at all, then they’re not coping with life right now and need you support, not your competition.
Well, it all happened then didn’t happen in relatively quick succession.
There was a protest organised, the correct paperwork filed, and a peaceful group was mobilised. The notice went out on Facebook that there was going to be a group of active transport users blocking the traffic on all 6 lanes of the Story Bridge with their bikes, prams, or just trainers.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) filed in the Courts for an injunction to stop the protest from happening sighting “Safety Concerns”.
QPS stated that they could not guarantee the safety of the protestors, and that the impacts to motorists would be too significant for Brisbane to cope with.
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
[Remarks on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress, 13 March 1962]” ― John F. Kennedy
Sadly, the Magistrate hearing the motion decided to agree with the QPS Prosecutor, sending us back into the Bad Old Days of Sir Joh Bjekle-Petersen (Sir Joh)
For those who wan the TLDR version, Sir Joh was the king of the Jerrymander and, back in the 1970’s and 1980’s ruled with an iron fist. He declared that no one in Queensland was allowed to protest and made them illegal. This didn’t stop people from doing so but, those who did met the end of the Queensland Police Force’s (QPF, as it was know back then) Billy clubs and unceremoniously loaded into the back of paddy wagons.
It was a common sight to see on the news, my mother’s cousin Lloyd, being loaded
QPF also had a “Special Branch”, whose main (and reportedly, sole) function was to keep an eye on those who engaged in political descent. I’d bet that Lloyd had a Special Branch file a metre thick!
Sadly the modern-day QPS has re-instituted the Special Branch but given it a less menacing name: Obsessed Person’s Unit. Different name but, in theory, a different purpose. I hope so. For my sake.
The Queensland Police Service is meant to protect the people engaging in lawful activities, not present roadblocks when it’s politically convenient or otherwise. Stating, in their brief, that they couldn’t guarantee the safety of the protesters is a junk argument. Roadblocks at the access roads would have been sufficient. And it’s their job.
Not only only is it their job, it’s written on their shirtsleeves: Protect and Serve. And that means everybody, not just the politically opportune ones.
By my inclusion the JFK quote, I am not inciting a call to arms. Not over a bike lane or pedestrian access, no matter the danger or inconvenience. I am suggesting that, should this become a precedent for all protests the government finds inconvenient, then there will be problems from those who seek the change we should have.
I can only but hope that this issue will be resolved promptly and that either one of the sides of the bridge is reopened while repairs are made to the other, the assessment isn’t as bad as we hoped, or some other compromise is reached in a hurry.
For those of you paying attention, I have some information from a source within the trucking industry locally regarding the bridge impact about 40 minutes West of Club Middo.
I wondered why everyone was quick to jump onboard, blaming the truck driver but there were (and still are) many questions to be answered. I did make comment that it could well have been an issue with the Pilot not making calls over the UHF CB.
Well, it turns out that these calls were made by both the Pilot AND the Police escort but these calls went unanswered and unacknowledged.
Once again, my source was quick to point out that this was not the drivers first “run” with this type of load, on this route. In fact, he had been taking these loads out (and coming home empty) in the immediate days prior to the incident.
Further speculation won’t be entered into on this site, but what I can say is that the Insurance bill may not cover everything. For this, you’ve got the cost of the wind generator mast being disassembled, then the tow/removal of both the remainder of the load and the truck and the damage to the bridge, which has been extensive*.
My source also told me that The Queensland Government charge people $175,000 PER HOUR for any Highway closure. This truck was there roughly 36 hours. Even my tiny calculator can work out that’s a bill of $6.3MILLION ALONE! And I don’t know if this includes closure or partial closure of the traffic crossing over the bridge is included in that figure. If so, the bill will compound exponentially because, after the impact, it took Queensland Transport and Main Roads a good couple of days to asses the structure of the bridge and open one lane of the bridge. It took them a lot longer to open the Southbound direction of the bridge to traffic!
Wowsers!
Now, I highlighted the damage to the bridge. Let me be clear on this point, it has been widely reported that this bridge was nearing the end of it’s life, anyway. A new bridge was in the Feasibility Study phase of replacement, and now the Ipswich City Council is asking the Queensland State Government to now faast-track the replacement and, with this as an opportunity, it may well be the push the State Government needs. But I doubt it.
Anyway, I will keep updating this as and when interesting news comes about.
Turns out there is an e-petition now circulating regarding the active transport access across the Story Bridge for cycling. I’m not sure when it went live, but it’s up as of 16:20hrs, 20/05/2025. I don tknow how long it’s up for, so get on it, folks!
For those who live in the Brisbane Metroplex, you will have heard of the Truck carrying a windfarm part that got stuck under the Bridge on the Warrego Highway, outside Ipswich, about 40 minutes West of Club Middo.
AS you may or may not be aware is that I’ve driven a lot of kilometres over a lot of years. Ever since I got my license, all those years ago, and before that, Dad and the family, or just Dad and I, used to do a lot of kilometres before that, too. We used to love running with the trucks on the varying CB radios we’ve had throughout the years.
Even though I’m a caravan driver, I still love running with the trucks on the radio, and will talk with them for ages when they’ll talk back. So I’ve heard my fair share of Pilots and loads. I’ve also had plenty of “conversations” on Facebook groups and forums on the interwebs. Most of those were impolite slagfests.
Everyone is quick to jump on the driver, but things – as always – may be more complicated than they first appear. The only question that comes to my mind is this:
What the absolute hell was the pilot doing? Or the Police?
— Peter “Middo” Middleton
Fact: A highway Pilot/Escort must, by law, remain in contact with the load AT ALL TIMES.
Why the hell didn’t the Pilot radio back to the load and say “We are exiting on the Mt Crosby exit and immediately returning to the highway via the same on-ramp to avoid the bridge.”
I admit, the UHF radio traffic is pretty high in the area, you’ve got other commercial traffic with the truck going into and out of the area –
A point that must be made here that commercial operators are using UHF CB radio under the Group Licence issued for the 477MHz band by the ACMA. This also includes road construction crews.
It used to be the case that business use for UHF CB radio was prohibited although this appears not to be the case. However, the case remains that anyone is permitted to use whatever channel (at a frequency outlined in the Radiocommunications Act 1992) and the Group Licence issued by the ACMA. No one, but the ACMA have the authority to deny, berate, belittle, or bemoan any individual the rigths to use the frequencies as they please, under certain restrictions.
(On a side note, it’s with great lament that this still isn’t the case. I will do a whole rant on UHF radio soon.)
Ok, a the radio call was or was not made & missed or was or wasn’t made at all. Again, radio comms are great, if the message gets through. It hasn’t.
So old mate barrels into a bridge that was barely standing anyway…… Everyone watches on with hilarity and blames the truck driver.
This transport contract, alone, is worth $MILLIONS to haul these windfarm pieces to wherever the heck they’re going.
Why were they using retail-available, every-donkey’s-got-one (especially in that area), off the shelf radios to rely on when hauling these types of load,. especially the requirement for a pilot to be in touch with the load?
Shouldn’t they have had privately assigned frequency 2 way radios, even handhelds, and even given to the police, for communications?
I – someone not in the trucking industry – can name three such radio providers here in Brisbane.
Olbis Commincations at Rocklea (and an outlet in Garbutt, Townsville) have been in the game for a very long time and started in the Brisbane Suburb of Oxley (where I grew up) before I was born.
Now that I live on the Northside, I equally recommend Commex Communications at Windsor. They have doen a MASTERFUL job of fitting and tuning my both my car mounted UHFs so that I get performance that exceeds *my* expectations.
Then, as I drive to my favourite cafe in Stafford to buy my beans, I pass Trans Communications and, I’m told they have a mighty reputation but, so far, I’ve not used them. Doesn’t mean I wont in the future.
I don’t know if TransComm do, but I know for a fact that both Olbis and Commex even hire the radios for special events.
And, if pilots and truck drivers complain that they don’t want to deal with and extra radio, tell them to bite themselves. I deal with 2 all the time, so as their precious truckie arses dont have to hear some polite conversations that may offend them.
So, there is much, much more to unpack and while blaming the poor bloody truck driver, or the weather, is a little (ok, a lot) myopic. I, for one, will be watching.
And, with this vital link out of order, it’s difficult, if not impossible to safely link the CBD to Fortitude Valley, a distance measuring under a kilometre. (5/8th of a mile). Unless you’re super brave, which I am not, you are stuck either walking your bike (pointless), or braving the insane drivers in streets that you couldn’t imagine a cyclist using.
However, Brisbane City Council has been very quiet about the state of the bridge and the repairs needed to be completed, other than to say that they are considering putting a toll on the bridge to fund these mystery repairs. Why won’t they give us details? Why aren’t they being open and completely honest? What is BCC hiding?
We, the Brisbane Community, want details and we want to know why pedestrian access on one side or the other is not option while repairs are carried out on the other.
List of BCC Councillors on the Infrastructure Committee and their email addresses.
The sad part is that I have had experience with Cr Andrew Wines as he is my local Councillor. He is, to put it bluntly, useless. I wrote to him with concerns about traffic surrounding a local shopping centre that includes Coles, a cinema, eateries, a gym (I never go to), and specialist suites (Doctor, Dentist, Podiatry, Psychologist, and others). There have been many traffic accidents caused by people turning into or out of this shopping centres upper carpark around a traffic island and across double painted white lines.
I suggested that those really small concrete “islands” (not as high, or wider as curbing) to stop this. His office told me that this was a matter for my local Police District. My local Police District told me that this was a council issue.
Some months later, this kind of curbing was installed outside a school and kindergarten to encourage parents to not turn right illegally – exactly what I’d complained about with regards to a higher volume of traffic outside my local shops.
And, yet, I’m the one traipsing down the road with my first aid kit to render aid to injured continually.
My suggestion, with the Infrastructure Committee is to contact the Deputy Chair, Cr Steve Toomey of The Gap Ward, instead. I have met Steve at ParkRuns in the local area a lot of times. (He is a runner, as is Mrs Middo) He often comes over and shakes my hand and says g’day. I have already contacted Steve’s office and have received the company line but an increase of traffic on this issue is warranted.
Cr Nicole Johnston of Tennyson Ward is an Independent Councillor who has had many a dealing with my Parents, her Ward covers the family home in Oxley. Cr Johnston also raised a motion in Council recently to have this vital link re-opened, at least in part. Increased contact with her may drive her forward to keep “rattling the cage”. A noisy person gets the job done, as she has done in many part of the Oxley community.
Well, it’s almost 2022 and it’s time for another yearly update.
And 2021 was really a rinse and repeat of 2020, but without a job for me. It’s getting kind of old, being ion the work, non-work merry-go-round, but that’s life I suppose. I would much rather be doing something useful, something meaningful, and something that pays, than sitting around at home but that seems to be just too hard to manage.
And the definition of insanity is dong the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.
Janita’s running has come along amazingly. Late this year, she ran the Sunshine Coast Half Marathon on what was a disgustingly hot day for running. They should have cancelled it, but greed being greed….. My walking is still going ahead.
HUGE Plans for 2022.
We have big plans for 2022.
Firstly, I have a Zero Birthday coming up (50) and the Financial Advisor and I were planning our big trips…. (because hers is only 7 months behind mine). I had talked about Mt Panaroma, Bathurst, to watch the Bathurst 1000 motor race but plans change.
Janita and I were sat around a table in a restaurant with a group of her running mates while we were up at Mooloolaba and they were talking about the Australian Outback Marathon event in July 2022, running around Uluru. She looked at me and I told her the only way she was going to get me out there was if we drove across the Simpson Desert.
So, in mid-July, we – along with at least 1 other vehicle – will be heading west, driving to Noccundra, Cameron Corner, Innaminka, Cordillo Downs, the Bourke and Wills Dig Tree, Hadden Corner, Birdsville (for a rest day), 5 days to cross the Simpson Desert (including a visit to Peopple Corner), Finke, Lambert’s Gravitational Centre of Australia, then to the Uluru resort for a few days, Kings Canyon & the Mereenie area, Alice Springs, and back home via the Plenty Highway to Boulia, Min Min, Middleton, Winton, Longreach, Barcaldine, Blackall, Tambo, Augathella, and, finally, Miles.
3 weeks, 5000 kilometres (3100 miles) and innumerable memories from an amazing trip!
Lots to do between now and then, though.
This is all virus dependent, though. Of course.
Anything else?
Mum and Dad’s health continues to decline, and its coming time to have a chat about the distance they are towing their caravan. Which is sad given Dad’s involvement in starting 4wd Driver Training and his on-going role with that.
But, apart from that, it’s been a very quiet year in Middo-land.
Well, the big news, in case you’ve been living in a nuclear fallout shelter, has of course been COVID-19. You know, that worldwide pandemic that the US&A ignored, killed the economies of most of Europe, and saw Australia, once again, come through looking a bunch of teenagers weer having a pillow fight.
Australia, for the most part, survived quite well. That is except Victoria which was a complete balls up.
And speaking of balls up, how about old mate BlerkyGherkin? Didn’t she get her balls put through the ringing with old Dazza, the Harvey Norman Stock Boy… I’d feel sorry for, if I cared for politics at all.
And then there was work.
Work told me in March that we had a good chance of being just stood down on pay throughout the crisis. And the boss at home told me I hadn’t think about just sitting around eating chips & drinking beer.
So, with the threat of Bunnings being shut, I went out and bought some pretty expensive power tools and a heap of timber to keep me occupied. This point has won me many a “Manliest Panic Buy of the campfire” in all but one contest (The one bloke who beat me actually bought a car to restore, thinking he’d be stood down also. Suffice to say I haven’t been camping with him again since….)
I have done some incredible trips away this year.
In July, I went with another four wheel drive club to Sundown National Park. I haven’t been to SNP since forever, like when I was a kid. This is the place they put Dad’s wobbly boots on him…. (Won’t ever forget that!)
In August, we finally went to the Nindigully Pub for a beer and one of their famous Road Train Burgers. Well, we had 4 people eating and it was waaaaaaaay too much food for us. Bartlett and Alakino got most of what was left over.
Then, in November, the boss and I took some amazing friends on a beautiful trip to K’gari (Fraser Island) with a couple night’s stay in Rainbow Beach. We also met up with Mario and Eleni, some long term friends of mine.
Suffice to say that work was busier than ever during the global pandemic and the commute (from the bedroom to the kitchen, the kitchen to the study) was a bitch. I only really got into trouble on the days when the boss at home got back from her hour long commute in the afternoons and I was still in my pajamas when she got here.
And then work wasn’t so busy. And then they ended mine and another person’s contract.
Well, that’s about a wrap for 2020, but New Year’s Eve will see us married for 15 years and we will celebrate in style. Ryan will open his fine establishment, Proof BBQ & Booze especially for the Boss and I to have a wonderful night with our immediate family and closest, long term friends.
Thanks to the people at Core Electronics (oh, don’t worry, they got their coins….) my package arrived in quick order. It’s all there, too! (Not that I was expecting anything different.
The Pi is out of the box and then I realise I didn’t have a spare Ethernet cable. I mean, I probably do but “That Box” isn’t anywhere I can find. (My wife likes to chuck anything out that isn’t a pair of high heels…)
And, of course, I stick the Micro SD card into it’s adapter and into the side of my laptop, and wouldn’t you know it? It’s not recognised! Yay for me.
So I can’t get the Pi running tonight. It will have to wait until morning, which is frustrating.
