Material to support submissions to the government

Barrambin/Victoria Park active transport planning: North BUG’s view

The state government’s plans for the Olympics precincts at Barrambin (Victoria Park) and the Ekka (Exhibition) grounds could make or break active transport connections for large areas of north Brisbane. The plans will have major impacts on the North Brisbane Bikeway, but they also have the potential to open up several much-needed routes.

The Barrambin and Ekka sites sit at a crossroads for people cycling, scooting and walking, with the potential to connect Paddington, Bowen Hills, Herston, Kelvin Grove, Newstead and Fortitude Valley with each other and with the Brisbane CBD. There are also opportunities to connect with the Story Bridge, improving links to the south side of the river, and the Lores Bonney Riverwalk, heading to Hamilton.

The government released its plans at the beginning of August. Submissions and comments are due by 27 September. You can find the details here: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/infrastructure/projects-and-programs/brisbane-2032/draft-victoria-park-precinct-legacy-plan

We have some clear goals for the Barrambin/Ekka active transport legacy. We want to compare them to the objectives set out by the state government, and share some of the concerns and causes for optimism. We will communicate this to the government, and hope the information from us and other cycling and active transport groups helps lots of people make informed submissions.

Active transport goals for the Olympics precincts

Safe, connected and convenient routes are crucial for promoting active transport, be it walking, cycling or scooting.

We want the pathways and roads through and to the Olympic precincts to cater to all the different sorts of bicycle traffic, including families out for slow rides on weekends, and people commuting, exercising and just getting where they need to go.

The different groups need different infrastructure. So, while it will be important to have winding paths for slow, meandering rides through the park around the new Brisbane Stadium, it is also vital that the through traffic be catered for with direct routes. Victoria Park is already traversed by the heavily used North Brisbane Bikeway, but the Barrambin/Ekka precinct should include high-quality separated routes in several other directions too.

Separated paths and thoughtful active transport design will make the precincts safer and more enjoyable for all users, on foot and on bicycles and scooters. And all vulnerable transport users need to be protected from motor vehicles.

There should also be safe, secure places for people to park their bicycles and scooters, at the stadium and other venues, and at other shopping, eating and entertainment destinations in the area. This will help active transport perform its essential role for getting people around before, during and after the Olympics.

The government’s stated goals

The games organisers have ambitious goals for active transport at the Olympics, including at the Barrambin/Ekka precinct.

The Olympic planning agency (Games Independent Infrastructure and Coordination Authority, or ‘GIICA’) says it wants to make the sites accessible through seamless connections and allow people of all abilities to easily access, navigate, and enjoy a safe precinct. The stated objectives include:

• ‘The North Brisbane Bikeway is maintained through Victoria Park, with an alternative separated route option available during major events along Gregory Terrace and Bowen Bridge Road.’
• ‘Connectivity and accessibility is a focus to overcome the site’s hilly topography. Links to surrounding neighbourhoods and public transport will support access and reduce reliance on private vehicles, including new active travel connections.’
• ‘Active transport corridors connect the precinct to key destinations such as QUT, Herston Health, and Roma Street and Fortitude Valley stations.’
• ‘Major city connections are strengthened through planned bridges and upgraded corridors that overcome barriers such as the Inner City Bypass and rail corridor.’
• ‘Ensures that Games-mode infrastructure contributes to legacy outcomes for our city.’
• ‘A clear and easy-to-use network of paths that help people move around the area and connect to nearby places, with safe, priority routes for pedestrians.’
• ‘In addition to the existing land bridge, pedestrian and cycling connections over the Inner City Bypass and rail corridor are being investigated to provide key links to the city centre and Fortitude Valley, improving active travel access where it is currently severed by major road and rail transport infrastructure.’
• ‘Wider, shadier and illuminated pathways along local streets will provide safer and direct routes.’

All of these stated goals sound good, but the information provided in the draft plan is high-level. Success will depend on the details of how the plans are implemented. This picture provided in the GIICA plan shows a possible separated bikeway along Gregory Terrace.

The details

It’s hard to tell from the information in the Victoria Park Precinct plan exactly how the government plans to achieve all its transport objectives. But here are our views on some key aspects for people riding bicycles and scooters through and to the Barrambin and Ekka areas.

North Brisbane Bikeway

The North Brisbane Bikeway connects the Brisbane CBD with northern and northeastern parts of Brisbane. The reason this is important for the Barrambin/Ekka precincts is that the North Brisbane Bikeway crosses through Bowen Park, and then along Gilchrist Avenue through the stadium area. The plans show that a significant section of the existing bikeway will be relocated along Bowen Bridge Road and Gregory Terrace

Over the past decade, more than $30 million has been spent extending the bikeway north from Herston via Bowen Hills and Windsor. In 2020, a safe, separated bikeway was completed to Wooloowin, and there are plans to extend it to the Kedron Brook Bikeway and on to Chermside and Aspley, and also to connect it via Eagle Junction to existing bikeways that reach all the way to Redcliffe.

The North Brisbane Bikeway is already seeing increasing traffic, even before it connects north of Wooloowin. Rider numbers will grow rapidly as further links are completed. More information about the bikeway can be found here: https://www.cyclingbrisbane.com.au/bikeways/brisbanes-bikeways-rides/inner-north-city-centre.

The stated objective is to have the North Brisbane Bikeway continue on roughly its current alignment through the stadium area, and have an alternative alignment via Bowen Bridge Road and Gregory Terrace for game days. This ‘two routes’ approach makes sense, but we have serious concerns about whether and how it will be implemented.

In particular, the existing paths next to Bowen Bridge Road are barely usable for people walking, and are completely unsuitable for any sort of cycling route (our photo shows the path just north of Bowen Park).

To keep rider numbers growing on the NBB, it is essential that the generous widths of the separated sections from Bowen Hills north to Wooloowin are hardwired into the design of any new / realigned infrastructure through or past Barrambin. We have an opportunity to design to best practice as part of the Olympic legacy.

Any effective diversion for game days will need to have effective separation for people cycling and scooting from both pedestrians and motor vehicles. This will apply during the Olympic events, and afterward. The Olympics will leave a failed legacy if the only viable active transport route to northern and northeastern Brisbane is blocked every time the stadium is in use.

We are also concerned that the Gregory Terrace route shown on GIICA’s map finishes via the existing path between Grammar schools. This path is barely sufficient for the number of people who walk, cycle and scoot there now (see our photo of the narrowest section.On game days it will be hazardous for the thousands of people who will be walking that way from the CBD and Roma Street train station. It may need to be blocked off to avoid the risk of a crowd crush disaster. Needless to say, the Grammar path will be totally unusable for people cycling and scooting.

The North Brisbane Bikeway will also need more capacity across Campbell Street and O’Connell Terrace, and through Bowen Park. Our photograph shows the inadequate crossing on O’Connell Terrace, and the start of the narrow path through Bowen Park.

Other connections

To achieve the goal of having active travel handle a significant portion of the transport task at the Olympics, all the potential connections to and through the Barrambin and Ekka sites will need to be built. This includes links to

• Fortitude Valley and New Farm via King Street
• Newstead and the Lores Bonney Riverwalk via O’Connell Terrace, Mayne Road and Edmonstone Street
• the CBD via Ann Street
• Kedron Brook Road via Alberleigh Road

Bicycle parking

If cycling and scooting are to make up a material proportion of travel to major sites, riders will need secure parking at the venues, including Brisbane Stadium and the aquatic centre. The plans don’t appear to show any provision for secure bicycle parking. It will be difficult to add after the facilities have been designed and built, but will form a valuable legacy if it is included from the start. Bicycle parking is an essential adjunct to the plans for bicycle connections.

Maintaining access before, during and after the Olympics

Given the importance of the Barrambin and Ekka precincts to active travel, it is essential that access not be blocked. People who ride to work will still be working before, during and after the Olympics. So a safe, direct and convenient route for the North Brisbane Bikeway is essential at all times during construction.

We understand that there will be an unusual amount of disruption during the Olympics, all across Brisbane. But it will remain important to maintain as much access as possible during the event.

Once the Olympics are over, the facilities, including Brisbane Stadium, will be used frequently. But people will still need to be able to ride through the area safely and conveniently.

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Please see the @Brisbane North BUG facebook page for more information in the weeks leading up to the submission deadline. And tell us what we’ve missed.

But most importantly, please put in your own submission. Draw on the information here if it helps, but also say how the Olympic plans affect you, and what you think needs to be done to make them a success.

As a reminder, the government’s web page for the Barrambin/Ekka plans, including a link for making a submission, is at:

Victoria Park Precinct Draft Legacy Plan | State Development, Infrastructure and Planning