At least the Storey Bridge is.
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.
So, to this point, I have mentioned to my Saturday Morning shop riders that they could write to their local Councillor, the Transport Committee, and the Infrastructure Committee, even the Lord Mayor (https://ofpm.brisbane.qld.gov.au/site/wss/form/contact-lord-mayor) directly to get these – and possibly even more questions answered.
For the committees, I have listed their contact details below:
Transport Committee
| Chair | Councillor Ryan Murphy | chandler.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Deputy Chair | Councillor Danita Parry | marchant.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Shadow Chair | Councillor Lucy Collier | morningside.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Members | Councillor Greg Adermann | pullenvale.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Councillor Julia Dixon | hamilton.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au | |
| Councillor Emily Kim | calamvale.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
Infrastructure Committee
| Chair | Councillor Andrew Wines | enoggera.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Deputy Chair | Councillor Steve Toomey | thegap.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Shadow Chair | Councillor Charles Strunk | forestlake.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Members | Councillor Steve Huang | macgregor.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
| Councillor Kim Marx | runcorn.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au | |
| Councillor Nicole Johnston | tennyson.ward@bcc.qld.gov.au |
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.