Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Sir Samuel Griffith Drive, the easier ride down Cootha,(less hard braking, but just as fast) is to be closed!
Would you believe, it will be turned into a car park? " They" say only 10% of vehicles use it. Does this include
bicycles? Not to panic. It will be reopened in a few years time.
Do I have that long?

Looks like there is a public comment period that will run until July 17
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/traffic- ... e_parking/
it specifically notes Sir Samuel Griffith Drive will be closed to through traffic & cyclists.

There are email & mail adresses for comments (objections?).

it's for all the damn tradies to park while working on the tunnel. Why can't they do what everyone else has to do when a road is closed and go find somewhere else? foo them

am tempted to respond

It's just for the lower section of Sir SG Drive, the part that runs parallel to Scenic Drive, accessible on the left when you're descending from the Summit Cafe side. I rarely ever seen cars/cyclists using that section and the surface is a lot rougher than Scenic Drive section. In all these years I've only ever used it once and that was when I had a slow leaking puncture on the descent and wanted to get back onto Simpsons Rd asap.

jasonc wrote:am tempted to respond

Me too.
That is quite a bummer.
The road being closed is the more gentle descent.
The alternative and steeper descent has that rather unpleasant T intersection that must be negotiated after heavy braking.

Surely it would be more sensible to close the alternative road for parking purposes.
It has massively spacious edges for parking and has been used for that purpose by generations of Brisbanites

elantra wrote:

jasonc wrote:am tempted to respond

Me too.
That is quite a bummer.
The road being closed is the more gentle descent.
The alternative and steeper descent has that rather unpleasant T intersection that must be negotiated after heavy braking.

Surely it would be more sensible to close the alternative road for parking purposes.
It has massively spacious edges for parking and has been used for that purpose by generations of Brisbanites

i wish all those tradies would go and "park" themselves elsewhere.

respond! send the link to all your mates.
i can appreciate that closures need to be made for construction projects, but if there's a better alternative, why not make a noise about it??

Personally I don't know what the fuss is about. Its easy to come down the alternative way, and you have to give way to traffic both ways anyway. Just because you are all suffering on rim brakes doesn't mean that you can't pull up at a known stop sign...

I prefer coming down the way that is going to be closed, but don't really care either way.

s3312345 wrote:It's just for the lower section of Sir SG Drive, the part that runs parallel to Scenic Drive, accessible on the left when you're descending from the Summit Cafe side. I rarely ever seen cars/cyclists using that section and the surface is a lot rougher than Scenic Drive section. In all these years I've only ever used it once and that was when I had a slow leaking puncture on the descent and wanted to get back onto Simpsons Rd asap.

Has it been a while since you rode it? It has been resurfaced; now a smooth swoopy, 60+ descent.

Crittski wrote:Personally I don't know what the fuss is about. Its easy to come down the alternative way, and you have to give way to traffic both ways anyway. Just because you are all suffering on rim brakes doesn't mean that you can't pull up at a known stop sign...

I prefer coming down the way that is going to be closed, but don't really care either way.

they are closing it so tradies can park there. tradies - the vehicles that give cyclist the most trouble on the road of the all (closely followed by soccer mums)

if we can make them travel 5 extra minutes? isn't it worth it?

I've not ridden down lower Sir Samuel Griffith Dr (I descend via Scenic Dr, where the road is separated). I don't see what the big deal is - Sir Samuel Griffith Dr is the one-way descent, yes?

jasonc wrote:

Crittski wrote:Personally I don't know what the fuss is about. Its easy to come down the alternative way, and you have to give way to traffic both ways anyway. Just because you are all suffering on rim brakes doesn't mean that you can't pull up at a known stop sign...

I prefer coming down the way that is going to be closed, but don't really care either way.

they are closing it so tradies can park there. tradies - the vehicles that give cyclist the most trouble on the road of the all (closely followed by soccer mums)

if we can make them travel 5 extra minutes? isn't it worth it?

genralisation doesn't help anyone. i'm a tradie. if you keep picking at a scab, it'll never heal.

I manage to ride unbothered by tradies or soccer mums. I just get on with it. These guys need somewhere close to their work to park their vehicles, the same as I do at the hospital I work at every day. I just don't see what the problem is with what is proposed.

munga wrote:genralisation doesn't help anyone. i'm a tradie. if you keep picking at a scab, it'll never heal.

fair enough

Crittski wrote:I manage to ride unbothered by tradies or soccer mums. I just get on with it. These guys need somewhere close to their work to park their vehicles, the same as I do at the hospital I work at every day. I just don't see what the problem is with what is proposed.

most of the time I ride un-bothered by both, but when I am, it seems to be those groups more than others.

why should they get the privilege of parking close to work closing a public road to do so?
this is my problem. they are closing a public road just to park cars on. Is the council being compensated? Or is that covered by "hey we'll build a footpath for you"

The parking issue should have been considered in the planning stages and not 2 years after they started the project.
My concern is the increase in traffic going up the hill to the planned parking area...it's narrow enough already with a crappy verge there is nowhere to go if there is a constant stream of utes and cars heading up as well.
And then there the left turn to negotiate....some of the traffic heading left have no patience waiting for a cyclist to clear that turn off.

Easier to inconvenience cyclists and othe recreational users of the area than incur the backlash of the local residents, who pay big dollars towards the councils coffers....

Whether I come down the front way or the oneway section at the back won't worry me....there's stop signs to be observed at both intersections!

I noticed signs up there this morning announcing this change, so it looks like the opportunity to comment is just a token effort by the council or the contractors