Floating Walkway being removed

[ZepinAtor]

There seems to be a wide spread desire for "flat" facilities in many of the posts here. I dont understand this, as the earth is not flat, and Brisbane is far from flat.

Correct you are. Brisbane is not flat.

So after riding to Samford, Kobble Creek, Dayboro, Mt Mee, Cabulture & back home (150km & 2000 +m of ascent) the last thing I want is a hilly bike path or alternate route (due to the missing bike path).

It's occasionally nice to float along without having to put pressure on the pedals or even have to change gears for that matter. The Kedron Brooke bike path, Boondal wetlands, Redcliffe loop is another very "flat" ride destination. From home for me it's 100km with only 250m of ascent. Couldn't get much flatter than that which is why I jump on the SS roadie & spin along at 30km/hr with the headphones on in my own little world. Can't see a problem with that & I'd say neither do the other 3 thousand riders per week who use it.

[beauyboy]

Thats the point everybody should be riding a bike not just the sterotype but everybody! That is why facilities such as the then Floating Walkway are needed.

Donald

[master6]

Thats the point everybody should be riding a bike not just the sterotype but everybody! That is why facilities such as the then Floating Walkway are needed.

Donald

Ok Donald, maybe, just a little bit maybe, a facility is needed here. Only maybe! Can you understand the anger of ratepayers when they see their money squandered by engineers and other fools who dream up unworkable projects just to show us how clever they are? The ongoing maintenance bill has been large and repetitive, and would have gone on forever, but for the good that came from this flood. Not much Good I know, and I am not forgetting the immense suffering that it brought.

It reminds me of the BCC decision to install pontoons up and down the river. At great expense, a pontoon was installed at the Fig Tree Pocket boat ramp. Some few months later, when the "experts " were advised by ordinary river using citizens that the pontoon was in fact a menace to users of the beach and boat ramp, it was removed, again at some expense.

Building a bike/walk way over water is vastly more expensive per km than simply paving a pathway through a park reserve. Can we trust these ego handicapped engineers and others to give us something that is sensible, workable, and reliable? Once bitten twice shy!

Do you know what the BCC intention is on this matter?

As an aside, can you further enlighten me about the "stereotype" (cyclist I presume)?

[master6]

we need to remember as well that the floating walkway was an ego trip by Mr Soorley wanting to thumb his nose at the Brisbane riverside landholders. we (well not me I live in MBRC) ended up with this hideously expensive to maintain let alone build behemoth because quite rightly riverside landholders wanted to maintain their riverside land that they had paid for. no amount of compensation was enough so Soorley went ahead anyway landing BCC with a design nightmare (had to be able to let the riverside landholders access the river with their boats from home jettys) and a maintenance bill that would probably install bikepaths annually across the shire well into the future.

as much as I liked the occasional ride on it, personally if its not replaced I will not shed a tear. surely there are less costly, sensible and still as safe alternatives if only BCC would put their ego aside and think outside the square.

Yes , I recall. Typical Soorley action. I am not without some sympathy for those who miss it, however I do have a limit to the amount of my rates being wasted on extravagance.

[nitramluap]

we need to remember as well that the floating walkway was an ego trip by Mr Soorley wanting to thumb his nose at the Brisbane riverside landholders. we (well not me I live in MBRC) ended up with this hideously expensive to maintain let alone build behemoth because quite rightly riverside landholders wanted to maintain their riverside land that they had paid for. no amount of compensation was enough so Soorley went ahead anyway landing BCC with a design nightmare (had to be able to let the riverside landholders access the river with their boats from home jettys) and a maintenance bill that would probably install bikepaths annually across the shire well into the future.

as much as I liked the occasional ride on it, personally if its not replaced I will not shed a tear. surely there are less costly, sensible and still as safe alternatives if only BCC would put their ego aside and think outside the square.

I agree, in part:
Nobody is suggesting that it be replaced with a similar floating design
Everyone here agrees that the floating structure was excessive and a maintenance black hole
...but the link it provided was vital.

There is no reason why a replacement can't be similar to the bikeway/walkway at Teneriffe with property owners having access to it if they wish. If they want a private pontoon, they will need to cross the bikeway to access it on the river side of the bikeway - and they can pay for it.

I personally detest people permanently parking their private property on public land/water - be that a boat, car or otherwise. The number of private boats & badly built pontoons that ended up blocking our neighbourhood's stormwater drainage (and raising the flood level by an extra metre) was astounding...

Similarly, those folks with beachfront homes on the coast who claim part of the beach as 'private property' really anger me. The privatisation of public space is not healthy (large shopping centres fall into this category too - inside out 'shopping streets', privately owned & run and ultimately unpleasant places where nobody wins...)

...I'm getting off topic - been reading too much Kunstler. Where's my wine?

[beauyboy]

The sterotype cyclists is quite simple, 18 to 50 years of age and male.

Donald

[beauyboy]

It should be pointed out that the Floating walkway reconstuction was not included the Council Budget but the State Budget.

A bit confusing

Donald

[ldrcycles]

I only rode on the floating path twice (not being a resident of brisbane) but i absolutely loved it, it felt fantastic to ride on, and it was such an experience i thought it would be motivation in itself to get people riding. Yes the cost was ridiculous but if they just designed it properly (which they now have the opportunity to do) it should be fine.

I agree entirely with making cycle commuting routes as flat as possible, if we want to get people out of cars, the alternative has to be easy, not steeper than Alpe d'Huez.
There's a bike/foot path alongside the David Low Way on the Sunshine Coast which follows the contours of the land (ie it's ridiculously steep up and down) which is damn near unused as a result.

The best bike infrastructure for most situations IMO is clearly designated and respected cycle lanes, of course that requires better education of drivers.