Goodwill Bridge
The Goodwill Bridge is a cyclist- and pedestrian-only bridge joining South Bank to Queensland University of Technology. Although widely criticised during construction for its escalating cost (and perceived limited benefit) the bridge is now generally considered successful, and has opened the way for a series of further cycle/pedestrian bridges in inner Brisbane, including the Tank Street Bridge, Kangaroo Point Bridge and others. More than 53,000 people use the Goodwill Bridge each week [1].
Layout
The bridge deck is 6.4 metres wide and laid out as a shared path, with a dividing line down the middle and cyclists and pedestrians sharing a lane in each direction. Many pedestrians on the bridge stop to look at the view, which tends to draw them to the sides of the bridge, although the bridge is partly shaded so there is also a tendency to walk in the shaded sections (which vary with the position of the sun).
To accommodate river traffic the bridge has a significant rise towards the centre, allowing cyclists to easily build up to considerable speeds towards the edges. The bridge is signed as a 10 km/h area and has a row of large metal poles at each end that serve to limit speed as well as restricting larger vehicles from accessing the bridge. During the day the large numbers of pedestrians on the bridge (often blocking sections of the path and/or moving unpredictably) are also an effective limit on safe speeds.
See also
- South Bank Corporation's page on the bridge [2]
- Wikipedia's page on the bridge [3]
- Abrahams, H. (2002). Has the Goodwill Bridge induced walking and cycling trips for commuting to Brisbane's Central Business District?. Graduate diploma thesis, University of New England [4]
