Queensland State Budget - bicycle facilities

[mich rolling]

From the Qld budget papers for 2008-9

Qld Main Roads (responsible for Toowong Bicycle Bridge) - zilch
Qld Health (through preventative lifestyle change programs for cycling and walking) - zilch
Qld Sustainability, climate change and innovation (through reduced car dependence) - zilch
Qld Infrastructure and planning-

Qld Transport - $33.7 million (still looking for list of specific projects)
$33.7 million towards the construction of cycle links to enhance the cycle network in South East Queensland. This is made up of $10.3 million towards the construction of stated owned cycle links and $23.4 million in grants to be provided to local authorities

(2007-8 notes and achievements): Committed an additional $13.1 million towards 61 cycle infrastructure projects to be delivered in partnership with local governments to support active transport options across south east Queensland. Iconic projects include the development of the King George
Square Cycle Centre, a world class end-of-trip facility and the 2.9 kilometre Brassall Bikeway connecting the suburbs of Brassall and North Ipswich to the newly developed Riverlink and Ipswich City.)

[mich rolling]

From the Service Delivery budget paper:

Sport and Recreation - providing $5 million to Queensland councils to provide new and improved community recreation and sport facilities (such as walking and cycling paths) and locally based sport and recreation programs and services;

Transport - note that end-of-trip and travel-modification prgrams are ADDITIONAL to construction of (unspecified) cycle links)
- $33.7 million towards the construction of cycle links to enhance the cycle network in South East Queensland. This is made up of $10.3 million towards the construction of stated owned cycle links and $23.4 million in grants to be provided to local authorities
- The Government provides an additional $40 million over four years to address increased levels of congestion. These funds will provide programs to alter travel behaviour, promote strategies to spread peak hour demand and provide end of trip facilities to promote walking and cycling

While the Tank Street bicycle/pedestrian bridge in Brisbane the Toowong bridge is not mentioned even though no money was allocated to that project in 2007-8

[beauyboy]

I want to know where the $2 million for the end of trip facilities in the CBD are coming from.

Donald

[brakepad]

mmmmmm.....sounds like a similar budget that was passed in South Australia, didn't see too much done for cyclists.

Do you think it might mean that if they upgrade the cycling facilities they would lose money from motorists changing to cycling?. No more stamp duty on cars, licensing, fines etc etc.

[mich rolling]

Nah! Politics 101.

Motorists are hurting through congestion and see spending on anything except a wider road as theft of 'their' rights to their tax dollars at work.

Governments under thses conditions tend to do things by stealth mode - play up a privately funded TOLL road which costs the state nothing and downplay slow direct expenditures on commuter buses, rail, cycling and walking.

Unfortunately sometimes even the governments forget that they had orginally planned to spend the money in the back pocket on bikepaths rather than on something flashy.