Speech by Councillor Seal Chong Wah, to full Brisbane City Council Council Meeting, Thurs 25th Jun 2026
This is a budget for a bygone era.
One before research demonstrated that bikes genuinely reduce congestion and even save governments money [1].
One before research showed that pedestrians only have a 10% chance of survival when they’re hit by cars travelling 50km/hr! But a 60% chance of survival when that car is travelling 40km/hr [2].
One before research showed over and over again that active transport is the most sustainable form of transport.
In Program 2: Sustainable City, we’re seeing the LNP funnel hundreds of millions of dollars into car-centric transport planning, instead of cheaper and more sustainable transport options.
It’s important to note that this Administration has bundled active transport projects in with major car-centric road projects, and left out all detailed budget breakdowns.
This lack of transparency and secrecy makes clear that this LNP Council has no intention to be accountable to residents.
In Strategy 2.1.3, “Build the Transport Network”, we’ve heard that Council will fund two Local Area Traffic Management devices, or LATMs.
That’s right - just 2. In one of Australia’s fastest growing cities.
LATMs are how we make streets safe for people walking and riding.
Children, families, the elderly and people living with disabilities depend on LATMs to get around.
And it goes further than just getting around…
Pedestrian-friendly streets have been linked to boosting the local economy, reducing carbon emissions, enormous public health benefits, and friendlier, safer and more social neighbourhoods [3].
In my Ward, I could list at least a dozen locations needing LATMs!
In fact, with my own Suburban Enhancement Fund - just 0.001% of Council’s Annual budget - I intend to fund two LATMs in this financial year alone!
The Lord Mayor no longer even hides his opposition to safe, walkable streets.
In this very chamber he has said that LATMs like pedestrian crossings and traffic calming are downgrades.
This is a position that is costing lives.
It is clear that this LNP Council Administration does not serve everyday residents. Just their political donors and the big end of town!
In Strategy 2.1.4, this LNP Council has proudly spruiked their budget centrepiece, Operation Smooth.
It will fund road resurfacing, including at Winship St in Red Hill.
It would be more accurate to call this Operation stop and start.
Because no matter how smooth a road gets, that is exactly how residents will spend their commute. Stuck in cars or overcrowded buses on congested roads!
Brisbane was found to have the 10th worst traffic congestion in the world, in 2024 [4].
In my Ward, the average peak hour speed on Musgrave and Waterworks Rd is 25km/hr. On Coronation Dr it’s an excruciating 20km/hr!! [5]
The Australian Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development have forecasted that the avoidable social costs of congestion in Brisbane will reach $5.9 billion per annum by 2030 [6].
The Lord Mayor is marketing this as a cost-of-living budget.
Yet he refuses to adequately fund the most accessible and effective forms of transport, like walking and riding.
The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads published research showing that every $1 invested in cycling infrastructure returns almost $5 to Queenslanders! [I recommend checking out this great research]
In health benefits, reduced traffic congestion and savings on road maintenance.
But the LNP is not budgeting for everyday Brisbane residents who are struggling to pay for petrol, groceries and housing.
If they were, they would give up on their mission to keep residents stuck in private cars, dependent on soaring fuel prices, on congested roads.
Let’s turn to bike infrastructure in Strategy 2.1.3 “Build the Transport Network”.
Council will continue the Sylvan Rd Bikeway project, which I know thousands of bike-riders are looking forward to seeing progress on.
We know from history that the LNP will drop projects even after designing it, widely promoting it and securing funding from other levels of government.
So we won’t be celebrating until construction starts.
Council has also announced a plan to build a new bikeway on Shafston Avenue. This is a very welcome announcement for the eastern suburbs and we hope that this project also makes it through to construction.
These two bikeways are small steps in the right direction, but nowhere close to the amount of investment this Council should be making in active transport.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner signed us up to the 2032 Olympics, with promises of “legacy infrastructure”.
Now we’re 6 years out and Council’s only in the design phase of only two bikeway projects.
For the 2024 Olympics, Paris spent over $400 million to build 180km of cycling lanes.
For the 2028 Olympics, Los Angeles has committed to a car-free games.
In Brisbane, we were promised 5 green bridges and a citywide metro system. Instead, this Council has only delivered 2 bridges and a limited metro system riddled with project delays.
I note that the Toowong to West End green bridge is undergoing a business case, funded by the federal government.
But I was very alarmed to hear the Lord Mayor watering down his promise on yet another major active transport project! Saying that it “may or may not” get prioritised by his Council.
We need a radical transformation of how this Council prioritises infrastructure spending!
Instead of endless road widening projects, we need streets for people!
Streets that prioritise the safety of kids walking to school, the mums and dads riding their toddlers to kindy, and the grandparents that can’t cross the road on their own anymore.
It’s time for this Administration to step out of the stone ages and make riding and walking safe and accessible for everyone.