Brisbane airport

[Lukeyboy]

That part of the bikeway is to eventually form part of the dedicated Moreton Bay Cycleway - Bribie Island to Victoria Point. It will eventually link into the Gateway section rather than going via busy surface roads. If they don't acquire the funding Lomandra Drive/Viola Place/Tradecoast was another route being considered.

[sumgy]

Yes I would agree that any cyclists who work at the Airport precinct would love it.
How many there actually are would be interesting to know as this is a MASSIVE amount spent versus what is being spent elsewhere in the Northside so that commuters can safely get to their workplaces.

[spirro]

versus what is being spent elsewhere in the Northside so that commuters can safely get to their workplaces.

I have to agree. The options for northsiders to commute safely are appalling. Bugger all bike paths/lanes.

[sumgy]

versus what is being spent elsewhere in the Northside so that commuters can safely get to their workplaces.

I have to agree. The options for northsiders to commute safely are appalling. Bugger all bike paths/lanes.

Yep, we are lucky to get some paint on the road.

[Lukeyboy]

I reckon it all depends on where you want to go via what corridor eg Sandgate Road, Gympie Road, Webster Road, Maundrel Terrace, Old Northern etc, your knowledge of the area and fitness. Its not the best but it certainly isn't the worst.

[sumgy]

I reckon it all depends on where you want to go via what corridor eg Sandgate Road, Gympie Road, Webster Road, Maundrel Terrace, Old Northern etc, your knowledge of the area and fitness. Its not the best but it certainly isn't the worst.

Well I will give you some thoughts on all of these.
Sandgate Road from Toombul inbound - narrow death trap
Gympie Road - Not on my life
Webster Road - maybe, but probably not
Maundrell Terrace - perhaps (if I was desperate)
Old Northern and then Kelvin Grove Road - Best of a bad bunch
Wardell Street - Nope

Now the big point here is that I think I am pretty good on the bike and traffic (not the greatest, but by no means the worst), so if I wont do it then what hope have you got of enticing people onto their bikes who are new?
And why is it that this multi-million $ bikeway goes ahead when we are screaming for commuter infrastructure on the Northside.
I live less than 20km from the CBD and have the sum total of maybe 5km of painted line masquerading as bike infrastructure.
I say masquerading as despite the signs saying that it is a bikelane it is also legally used for parking.

Brisbane is seriously dragging their feet on this.
People involved in Bicycle Advocacy in Sydney and Melbourne are gobsmacked when I show them maps of how poorly serviced cyclists are up here.

[DTdotcom]

Move to the Southside?

[Lukeyboy]

Sorry mate but as I said before it all depends on the corridor, the riders knowledge of the area and the riders fitness. There are plenty of ways to get around but like driving the rider has to know about them.

As someone that lives a couple km from 3 of those corridors this is my opinion on how to get to the city. I live in Aspley and work at Alderly and I have 7 different routes that I can take to get to and from work. Some involve pure speed and others involve a casual ride through quite backstreets and shared pathways.

Sandgate Road from Toombul inbound - narrow death trap

Sandgate Road to Toombul, Kedron Brook Bikeway citybound via Jackson/Adamson Road/Hudson Road/Bridge Street/McDonald Road/Under the Ferny Grove railway line/railway depot/under the Bridges for the Clem 7 and Airport link/Bowen Bridge Road to the innercity bikeway to Roma Street (eventually the innercity bikeway would extend straight through between the railway depot under the bridges, under Bowen Bridge Road and onto the innercity bikeway).
Sandgate Road to Toombul, Kedron Brook Bikeway citybound via Park ave/Dickson Street/Bridge Street/McDonald Road/Under the Ferny Grove railway line/railway depot/under the Bridges for the Clem 7 and Airport link/Bowen Bridge Road to the innercity bikeway to Roma Street (eventually the innercity bikeway would extend straight through between the railway depot under the bridges, under Bowen Bridge Road and onto the innercity bikeway).
Sandgate Road to Toombul, Kedron Brook Bikeway citybound via Grange/Kedron Brook Road/Nobel Street/either Bowen Bridge Road or Aberleigh Road to the innercity bikeway and on to Roma Street.

Gympie Road - Not on my life

Nothing wrong with it in peak hour. I used to do peak hour commute times of sub 15 minutes Chermside-RBWH (http://www.strava.com/segments/4278021" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) with a bag full of stuff for the day. If speed is your preference nothing beats Gympie Road. You can really motor along. Plenty of shoulder space Chermside-Kedron. It gets a bit tight around the Airport Link section but take up more space then hop into the bikelane on the other side. You could also short cut through Lutyche by using the old thru road and then using the lights for the bus jump at the Albion road intersection to leap frog the traffic (bikes can use the bus lane there but not the busway section). If you don't like the Kedron-RBWH section then turn off onto the KBBW and use the Grange corridor to the city. If your not confident then use the assigned path to the city (Via Kittyhawke Drive) through the backstreets that will feed you into the Kedron Brook Bikeway at Shaw Park, Mercer Park, from 5th? 6th? ave or at Gympie Road. Plenty of safe options out there.

Webster Road - maybe, but probably not

Webster Road is actually the road I favor the least but that being said there are still a few options to use backstreets if needed such as Clifton Street between Kitchner Road/Stafford road and which eventually links into the Kedron Brook Bikeway.

Maundrell Terrace - perhaps (if I was desperate)

I now commute along it for work. Nothing wrong with it. The roads are very wide. Wide enough to install a bike lane pretty much along the length of it from Aspley-Stafford Road (excluding the few pinch points). Northbound can be a bit of a pain with that hill but Trouts Road + bikeway is a very quiet route from Stafford Road to the Aspley Hypermarket. http://www.strava.com/activities/104775668" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Alderley to the city is another story as you can mix things up a bunch. Cut along the KBBW. Along Murrell Street/Wilston Road/bikeway to the city, to Herston Road and then on to the city or even http://www.strava.com/routes/56246" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I won't go on but there are alternative routes out there. It's laziness more than anything. You have a bike. Get out there and find some nice quiet ways to get around. That's the whole enjoyment of owning a bike. You get to make the route. You can make it fast and scary or you could make it quiet and casual. Find something that you are comfortable with and go from there and until such a time that a V1 from the Northside goes to through to the city. And that's only if it happens to be a convenience to you depending on where they build it. People who live in McDowall might find it usless if it links the City to Sandgate road.

[sumgy]

Lukeyboy
Your willingness to "rat run" and take your chances on major roads has nothing to do with whether there is suitable bike infrastructure or not.
They are 2 completely separate discussion.
I can get to the CBD from Nundah or my place at Albany Creek too.
Does not mean that there is adequate infrastructure to make this safe for cyclists.

[Lukeyboy]

I'd hardly call riding on the road as taking your chance and there is plenty of infrastructure out there for the social/casual type riders (there doesn't have to be dedicated bike stuff everywhere). As I said earlier alot of it tends to be down to laziness because they might have to ride slower or ride up and over that hill or put in a few extra km. Basically the same mentality as those that drive a few km to the gym for exercise.

[sumgy]

I'd hardly call riding on the road as taking your chance and there is plenty of infrastructure out there for the social/casual type riders (there doesn't have to be dedicated bike stuff everywhere). As I said earlier alot of it tends to be down to laziness because they might have to ride slower or put in a few extra km.

Luke, I am sorry, but other than a couple of lines and bike symbols painted on the road there is no useable commuter bike infrastructure on the Northside.
If you are happy with that situation then great.
To call people lazy because they seek a safe commuting corridor from the Northside when they currently have none is certainly a strange thought process.
A huge shift in thinking is needed if people are happy to put up with what are sub standard facilities.

[Lukeyboy]

So shared pathways don't count? Or BAZ along very ultra quiet streets don't count? There are quite alot of them around. But people are indeed too lazy to find routes that suit them and want the best of everything or they won't use it at all. There are some areas that can be improved on but the vast majority of the northside is pretty good.

[sumgy]

So shared pathways don't count? Or BAZ along very ultra quiet streets don't count? There are quite alot of them around. But people are indeed too lazy to find routes that suit them and want the best of everything or they won't use it at all. There are areas that can be improved on but the vast majority of the northside is pretty good.

By your thinking every footpath is bicycle infrastructure.
I am not sure what shared pathways we have to the CBD other than the Enogerra bikeway that ends nowhere. Quiet backstreets are good but these won't get anywhere from Everton Park or further out either.

Sorry, but your idea of quite good is very different from what many people think.

[spirro]

But people are indeed too lazy to find routes that suit them and want the best of everything or they won't use it at all.

But this in itself is dangerous for an inexperienced cyclist. Expecting them to get out in the traffic to find a route that suits them when their experience is limited.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lukeyboy]

If you're that inexperienced and not confident on riding on the road/in baz/in traffic then yes. Footpaths can count as a type of bicycle infrastructure for those until they can access shared pathways and what not. Quite frankly this is where some people need to really harden up when it comes to riding bikes. Yes, some areas do indeed lack infrastructure but its still not the end of the world. The thing I like about the northside is that the road network is very simple. Traffic is all associated to major corridors leaving ultra quiet side streets which is where a lot of baz are or the quiet roads linking to shared pathways/bikeways are. If the rider feels unsafe then ride along the footpath until they get to an area where they feel safe. Shared pathways don't have to go all the way to the city. You just have to look around at how they apply across the northside. They go diagonal and east-west linking into and between other corridors. This is where people get lazy and start demanding more cycling infrastructure because its not dead straight to the cbd. And just because its a BAZ doesn't mean you have to follow the whole route. You can branch off it and make your own.

There's the Downfall Creek bikeway which links the Virginia Golf Course to Trouts Road at Stafford Heights.
Graham Road/Beckett Road has bike lanes and access to shared pathways or has very very wide shoulders.
Hamilton Road has some bike lanes and access to bikeway/shared pathways around Maundrell Terrace-Old Northern Road.
There's a shared pathway linking Leitchs Road at Brendale over the South Pine River to Leitchs Road/Albany Creek Road at Albany Creek.
There are a couple shared pathways along Albany Creek but they weren't that great ie don't tend to link into anything - yet.
The Cabbage Tree Creek bikeway links Hamilton Road/Old Northern Road via Carseldine Railway station/Sandgate AFL club to the Gateway/Deagon Deviation/Bracken Ridge Road at Bracken Ridge and Kempster Road at Deagon (where the skate bowl is) and also links into the Mueller Road to Depot Road bikeway that runs along the Gateway from Deagon to Boondall. There's also other shared pathways from Zillmere Road and BAZ that links to the Marchant Park bikeway/shared pathway system.
Bracken Ridge has some BAZ through the centre but it means hills.
Sandgate has the Moreton Bay Cycleway/Cabbage Tree Creek bikeway.
Carseldine has access to shared pathways/baz that link into the Cabbage Tree Creek Bikeway.
The Nudgee Green area shared path/bikeway links into Sandgate Road to Boondall Railway station/Moreton Bay Cycleway.
Several bikeways/shared paths run around from Edinburgh Castle Road and links into the Kedron Brook Bikeway at multiple and various points. One even runs to the north to Mags Street with very empty roads that are BAZ that link to Hamilton Road where it then merges into marked bikelanes along Kittyhawke drive. Kittyhawke drive also links into the downfall creek bikeway. Continuing north it links into the Marchant Park bikeway/shared pathway system and eventually onto the BAZ that links into the Cabbage Tree Creek bikeway/shared pathway system.
There are a few shared pathway systems that connect Robinson Road to Copperfield Road and over to Rainbow Lorikeet Park. This will link into the new bike lanes that are associated with the new overpass for Geebung Railway station.
As you said the Enoggera Creek bikeway.
There's the BAZ/shared pathway/bikeway following the Railway line from Toombul to the RBWH.
The innercity bikeway.
Alderley/Grange has very quiet roads thanks to the railway overpasses being for bikes only now. These areas are also BAZ.
The obvious Kedron Brook Bikeway which has links to a lot of areas.
Not to familiar with Ascot etc other than the Gateway/terminal drive/KSD/baz etc.
As part of the development going on at Fitzgibbon there will be dedicated bike lanes and shared pathways that will link into the Cabbage Tree Creek bikeway/shared pathways (currently built roads eg Carselgrove Road/Roghan Road are already marked bike lanes) from Bracken Ridge to Carseldine railway station.
As part of the Kippa Ring Railway line a shared pathway/bikeway is being built directly beside the railway line linking Redcliffe to Petrie with a single bikeway.

Just to name a few.

Edit: Corrected errors as a result of posting from my phone.

[spirro]

Thanks Luke. Appreciate you putting that list together. I was aware of a few of them but definitely didn't know some of the ones you listed.

[Lukeyboy]

No worries. There are other areas I haven't listed and I'm sure there are others that I have missed. The best thing to do is get out there and just explore. Grab a day or two or three... or four and just spend it riding around and investigating. You can even combine that with maps, strava segments and what not. Before you know it you'll have a whole new perspective on how to commute through different areas. You might start linking a route this way and once I get to road X I could either go via route B or via route C to get to the city bikeway. For example citybound I have no issues going along Maundrell Terrace/Appleby Road in morning peak but in the afternoon I might hook along Trouts Road to avoid the pinch up the hill on Appleby Road with the arvo peak traffic or even hook around to Sandgate Road via the bikeway or the bikeway/BAZ to Westfield at Chermside and then the bikeway/shared pathways/BAZ/quiet suburban streets to home. Its little things like that. And that's what I like about the northside. You can just change up the route in so many different ways.

[poohkies]

Ive been in brisbane for since november 1st, i do ride at odd hours, 2:30 am 3Am and home is normally 1.30am 2am, so im lucky that when I ride on these roads there is no traffic, but I'm still learning different routes etc, my first time I road to work in the arvo took me 1hour 45mins as i took bike paths most of the way, slowly over the last to months i've learned which way to ride what roads are say and what arnt at each times.

Sangate road the airport road even the road through breakie creek

[sumgy]

So Luke.
I can get where you are coming from and that there is always a safe way if you look hard enough for it.
I guess my POV is that if we are going to even try to attract more people out of their cars and onto bikes then we have to treat them like sheep and provide them with a safe, well marked route.
At the moment I would suggest that the Northside does not have any of these things.

[poohkies]

Road straight through the valley this morning along breakie creek to nudged road lovely ride at 4am

[spirro]

Just thought I'd share (since I started this thread) that I finally made the trip out to the airport this morning. It actually wasn't that bad. Pretty quiet being a Sunday morning. I did take a couple of wrong turns but lessons learned for next time.

http://app.strava.com/activities/118898528" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[redsonic]

Found this Brisbane Airport Corp map of cycle paths and routes if anyone is interested:

http://www.bne.com.au/sites/all/files/c ... 202014.pdf