Southbank-Gardens Point Goodwill Bridge

The Goodwill Bridge is a shared path for pedestrians and cyclists. The deck is divided down the middle to provide for directional separation of both the pedestrian and cycle traffic. There is also a 15kph speed limit.

Reading through the architect's (Cox) description of the bridge it would seem that it is optimised for this mixed traffic, however if one observes the traffic flow and interactions there in reality it looks to be far from optimal. There has already been a serious accident involving a pedestrian and a cyclist not long after the bridge was opened in 2001.

One of the reasons for the traffic chaos on this bridge seems to stem from the design of the shade canopy. This elevated structure provided a shaded area which is only about half the width of the deck and this shaded area moves across the deck as the sun moves across the sky. It is not surprising then to find that pedestrians simply choose to walk in the shaded area regardless of where it is and regardless of any keep far left signs or regard for the directional division. This of course makes for total chaos and a dangerous situation as cyclists either overtake on their left or have to move way over to the opposite side of the deck to complete the movement. It seems like a total oversight or lack of forethought on the part of the designers at Cox. Notably the proposed Tank Street Bridge also involves the same designers and is looking frighteningly similar in this respect.