Kangaroo Point - Rubbish Bins adjacent to bikeway
This is a good example of very poor planning with regards to safety in and around the bike path at Kangaroo Point where there is a mix of pedestrian and cycle traffic where the bikeway passes through the middle of the picnic/ barbecue area. As can be seen in the picture right, Council has placed the additional rubbish 'wheelie bins' adjacent to the bikeway in such a position that people using these bin facilities have to cross back and forth across the bikeway from the barbecue area. There are even concrete paths made from the barbecues directly to these bins. No thought seems to have gone into their positioning or the placement of the concrete paths leading to them. It is a recipe for an accident. The problem is made worse by the fact that there is no posted speed limit on the bikeway where it passes through this busy picnic area. The only reason it seems for their placement there is that they are chained to the lamp posts. They could just as easily be chained to the existing fixed bins on the barbecue side shown in the picture.
The openings in the 1 metre high brick wall to the car park open directly onto this bikeway which pedestrians must cross to get to the barbecues. There was absolutely no warning to pedestrians that they were about to step out onto a bikeway and similarly there is no warning to let cyclists know. It would be almost impossible to see a small child before they stepped out through this wall. This poor design and lack of consideration for safety was brought to the attention of Council late in 2006. In around March 2007 the Council put down some pavement markings near the entrances to warn pedestrians. They also made the car bays directly in front of these openings as 'No Parking' zones, this also had the obvious advantage of providing for direct ambulance/stretcher access to the barbecue area from the car park. These changes were very much 'after the fact' and somewhat token and did serve to highlight the need for proper forethought on what are not unknown issues or mysterious science. Such lack of planning and thought really does render much of this 'off road' infrastructure unsuitable for serious or commuter cycling.
No warning when entering from car park
No Parking bay designated and pavement warnings installed
Token pedestrian warnings installed on BBQ side
