WOOLLOONGABBA BIKEWAY

Plans from the Brisbane City Council’s Public and Active Transport Committee reveal that the $11 million construction of the Woolloongabba Bikeway will involve the permanent removal of parking along key streets. In addition, a slipway onto the South East Freeway could also be moved to make way for the project.

As part of the council’s Better Bikeways for Brisbane program, The Woolloongabba Bikeway aims to provide a safe corridor for cyclists travelling along Annerley Road and Stanley Street in both directions.

The project extends 1.1 kilometres along Stanley Street between Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba and Dock Street, South Brisbane, and 1.4 kilometres along Annerley Road between Stanley Street, Woolloongabba and Gladstone Road, Dutton Park.

Key features of the Woolloongabba Bikeway include:

• Installing a separated cycleway along Stanley Street, from Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba, to Dock Street, South Brisbane.
• Installing an additional 240-metre section of separated bikeway on the western side of Annerley Road, between Stanley Street and Clarence Street.
• Removing the existing signalised pedestrian crossing on Annerley Road (located approximately 150m south of the Annerley Road and Stanley Street intersection) and replacing it with and a new signalised intersection at Annerley Road, Clarence Street and Catherine Street.
• Installing on-road bike lanes on both sides of Annerley Road, from Clarence Street to the intersection of Gladstone Road, Dutton Park.
• Modifying a number of intersections on both Annerley Road and Stanley Street to enhance travel flow efficiency such as removing right turns.
• Closing Merton Road at Stanley Street to improve cyclist safety.
• Installing signals on Trinity Lane at the Stanley Street intersection.
• Closing the on-ramp to the South East Freeway from Stanley Street.
• Reconfiguring some bus stops to reduce conflicts between cyclists and buses including installing three floating bus stops.

A spokeswoman for transport and main roads told the Brisbane Times that the department was working with the council to assess the impacts of changing traffic arrangements as part of the Woolloongabba bikeway project.

“Brisbane City Council’s request to close the left turn from Stanley Street to access the southbound on-ramp of the South East Freeway is currently being assessed and we expect the assessment will be completed by the end of the year,” she said.

The upgrade to the area follows the revelation that 1.7-kilometre stretch of road between Annerley Road and Stanley Street had been the scene of 31 serious accidents, two of which were fatal, between 2010 and 2016.

Councillor Adrian Schrinner, Chair of the Public and Active Transport Committee said the bikeway would be completed at a cost of $11 million with the designs going to public consultation during August and September.

Detailed design is expected to be complete by late 2017 and construction should begin from early 2018.