Bardon - Jubilee Tce - Creek crossing dangerous drop

From Bikeqld

This is a relatively new section (about 2007 vintage) of the BCC Bikeway Network which favours the routes of creeks and stormwater ways. At the beginning of this shared pathway which is accessed from Jubilee Terrace near Fletcher Parade in Bardon there is a box culvert bridge crossing Ithaca Creek. This bridge is on a sharp bend in the path and features a 1.3 m drop down onto concrete and rocks in the creek bed. There is no protection in the way of rails or barriers of any sort and the edges are not delineated in any way. The area is totally devoid of ambient lighting making it a potentially hazardous pitfall for pedestrians or young inexperienced cyclists.

There are other such hazards on other parts of the BCC Bikeway Network which present similar risks. BCC has been made aware of these in the past but seem indifferent to the apparent risk they pose. While the Austroads Part 14 design manual does stipulate that these risks should be mitigated, it would seem that the BCC does rely on the fact that the manual is only a guideline and not a Code.

The matter has been raised (26 May 08) with the Department of Infrastructure and Planning to see if any Building Codes have been breached with this construction.

The construction challenge might be one of providing some sort of safe barrier or edge delineations that don't pose a debris trap problem during times of heavy rainfall and creek flow.