Toowong - Miskin St - crossing
Shortly before the entrance to the Western Freeway Bikeway the bike path from Sylvan Road at Toowong crosses Miskin St near the Brisbane City Council Bus Depot. This crossing has several issues.
Contents |
Issues
Queuing traffic
The section of Miskin Street where this crossing occurs is designated 'Keep Clear' on the road pavement in front of the bus depot. Despite this marking, it is common for buses to exit the depot and to queue in this 'Keep Clear' zone while waiting to enter the Milton Road roundabout. This blocks the path for cyclists legally crossing Miskin St on the bikeway and often forces cyclists to ride around the front of the stopped bus wondering whether they have been seen by the bus driver or not. There is little refuge mid crossing for outbound cyclists and so they must generally wait for a gap in traffic travelling both ways on Miskin St. Most traffic exiting the roundabout onto Miskin St do so illegally by not indicating and often at high speed. It is a dangerous siutation and clearly a blatant disregard for the Traffic Act.
The problem was brought to the attention of the BCC on 20 Jul 06 and a written explanation was sought. As of 31 Aug 06 no written response had been received and BCC had expressed reluctance to provide a response in writing. A written response was finally recieved from BCC. It was explained that BCC was concerned about safety and that bus drivers would be reminded to follow the rules. It was also noted that the 'Keep Clear' markings were re-painted, so they are quite obvious to motorists. Shortly after receiving that response it was noted that buses were still queueing across the bikeway crossing (21 Oct 06) and this was again brought to Council's attention.
Buses are not the only problem. Cars coming downhill on Miskin St, to enter the roundabout also queue. Either the road markings and signs are not obvious for them or they disregard them.
Around midnight of Nov 8 the Council scraped up the entire 'Keep Clear' pavement marking over the bike crossing so that buses and cars queuing over this crossing are no longer breaking the law. There was no idication that this was done in consultation with Bicycle Queensland or BCC's Active Transport Unit. It would seem that the decision to remove the markings has only served to make the crossing that much more dangerous for cyclists, at least until it is reinstated or improved.
While sucessive enquires to both BCC and Main Roads failed to ascertain who was making these changes, it was noted that at the beginning of Jan 2007 the area was finally re-instated with new surfacing and new 'Keep Clear' markings. Nothing appears to have been moved significantly and it is expected that car and bus traffic will continue the practice of queueing across this bike crossing point.
Exiting traffic
Crossing Miskin St in the outbound direction requires the rider to look hard right, to see if cars are coming. Cars come through the roundabout or turn right from Milton Rd at considerable speed, and although there are signs on the road and poles warning of bikes, it does not seem that these are seen or heeded by the cars.
Possible solutions
One solution to both the queuing and exiting traffic problems might be to put a raised, coloured pad at the crossing.
See also
- The nearby crossing at the end of Sylvan Rd
- The nearby proposed Toowong roundabout crossing
