The protest was prompted after 20-year-old Shelley Cheng was hit by a car while she was cycling near the intersection just two weeks ago. Ms Cheng told the group of cyclists before the protest that she was “lucky to still be alive”. “I think that current discussions around bicycles and cars pit cyclists and motorists against each other ... trying to figure out who was in the wrong, who wasn’t following road rules,” she said as cyclists chimed their bicycle bells in support. Cyclists stage the "die-in" protest during Brisbane's peak hour traffic. “The blame should be diverted to Brisbane City Council for failing to address the poor infrastructure that causes bikes and cars to come into conflict with each other.”

Councillor for The Gabba Jonathan Sri, who led the protest, noted Brisbane City Council had committed to funding to improve bike safety along Stanley Street, with the final design of the Woolloongabba bikeway revealed in March, he said more needed to be done. “What they are doing right now is prioritising vehicle traffic flow ahead of bike and pedestrian safety,” he said. “What we would like to see is simply that the council opens up to a conversation about reducing speed limits and making a bit of room on the road for safe, separated bike lanes. The protest held up traffic for about 10 minutes. Credit:Amy Mitchell-Whittington “We have signed petitions, we have sent lots of submissions and letters to the lord mayor … we are forced to take this action because the city council is not listening to us.”

Bicycle Queensland chief executive Anne Savage said she had begged organisers to call off the “die-in” protest, warning it would put road users and protesters at risk. “Before risking our own lives and the lives of others, we must ask ourselves whether we have exhausted every other option available to us. I do not believe they have done that," Ms Savage said in a statement. "Nor do I believe the action will be effective in helping to achieve our primary goal, which is to bring about safer bikeways. It will simply damage our credibility and raise questions about our professional judgment and competency as constructive agents for change. “There can be no doubt the protest will achieve the superficial goal of generating media coverage, although at quite a significant cost – alienating us even further from authorities and the general community, many of whom already have low regard for cyclists. “Those outside the cycling community who see and hear about the protest could be forgiven for taking the view that the protest is hysterical sensationalism, inconsistent with community expectations of how advocacy groups should express discontent.''