Council rejects community petition for protected bike lanes on O'Connell Tce, Bowen Hills
Speech to Council Chambers, delivered by Councillor Seal Chong Wah on Tuesday 10th March 2026
Responding to:
PETITION – REQUESTING COUNCIL INSTALL PROTECTED
BIKE LANES ON O’CONNELL TERRACE BETWEEN BROOKES
STREET AND BOWEN BRIDGE ROAD, BOWEN HILLS
I rise to speak on this petition - requesting council install protected bike lanes on O’Connell Terrace between Brookes Street and Bowen Bridge Road, Bowen Hills. This petition had 355 signatures.
Cyclists have been waiting 16 months for this response, and these community groups are raising crucial safety hazards for you unpaid. This delay is unacceptable.
Carolyn Lister, was a 50-year-old woman and nurse. In 2020, Carolyn was riding along O’Connell Terrace when she came to a stop between a truck and another vehicle at the intersection with Bowen Bridge Road. Carolyn was hit by the truck as it moved forward after receiving a green light. She died a short time later. My heart goes out to the family and friends of Carolyn.
Carolyn’s tragic death, and dozens of near misses, are why the cycling community is requesting that council install protected bike lanes on existing street space on O’Connell Terrace between Brookes Street and Bowen Bridge Road, Bowen Hills.
I will explain how this could be done without major bridge works.
- East and West of Lanham Street, Council could remove parking to make space for either one bi-directional protected bikeway, or a protected unidirectional bikeway on each side of the street
- The Lanham Street intersection and railbridge could be re-designed with new line markings and traffic light cycles to safely connect cyclists to each segment of bikeway, without crossing traffic
Instead of this obvious solution, this LNP administration is not prepared to make any alterations but prioritising vehicles on the road. This LNP Administration chooses the most expensive option, which is widening roads and bridges, and then waiting decades for funding. Instead of choosing to create safe, cheaper infrastructure that would allow more people to feel comfortable getting on their bike and riding.
Personally, I have nearly been killed multiple times while riding my bike, because of the LNP administration's decisions, like this one.
To be clear, this LNP Administration has been in power for 22 years and has created a dangerous city!
The Greens have been calling out for years to invest in active transport that aims to heavily prioritise walking, cycling, and e-mobility over private vehicles.
We must build safe separated bike lanes, upgrade existing infrastructure, create "green bridges," and continue to support 50c public transport fares, extending and creating new bus routes that are frequent and reliable.
All this would connect local hubs, schools, and transit stops to reduce car dependency and improve safety on our streets. This is the answer to reducing traffic congestion and fatal accidents on our roads. We just need political will here to make it happen!
Again, I look to all of you on the other side of this chamber! This LNP Administration, you have the power to reimagine this city, making our streets safer for people, creating a genuine sustainable city that actually tackles the 10th worst traffic congestion in the world!
Our community should be able to move around this city with ease and safety, not getting stuck in hour long traffic jams.
Even if you just care about the budget bottom-line, then you should invest in protected bikeways. 2016-17 modelling conducted by the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads states that on average, every $1 invested in bicycle infrastructure returns $5 in economic benefits, driven by better health and less injuries, reduced congestion, and lower transport costs.
It’s a no brainer, and our community is calling for safe protected separated bike infrastructure.
If you look at this holistically, this important bike infrastructure connection would support the whole cycling network, including the North Brisbane Bikeway, the RBWH, and travelers to the whole Newstead/Teneriffe/New Farm peninsula.
So get to it! And make it happen! Now!
Let’s build a genuinely sustainable city!
