There has been a 12-month trial of dedicated bike lanes on Annerley Road. Credit:Robert Shakespeare The decision to permanently separate bike and motor traffic was made after a 12-month trial at the accident hotspot, which resulted in 90 per cent of about 630 respondents to a council survey of cyclists, pedestrians, residents and business owners coming out in support of the infrastructure. Bicycle Queensland development officer Andrew Demack said the announcement was good news for cyclists and would encourage more people to turn to pedal power. But Mr Demack said there remained at least one major black spot in Brisbane's cycling infrastructure. "Bicycle Queensland and a lot of other cycling groups have certainly got a focus on the CBD and would love to work through the issues around separated bikeways through the CBD," he said.

"It's really complicated and it's difficult but really, the council and the state government over the last 15 to 20 years have done all the easy bits and now we're into the hard stuff. "The CBD is difficult, but we believe separated bikeways through the CBD is one of the things Bicycle Queensland and other cycling groups are targeting over the next few years." Cr Schrinner said such an approach in the CBD was "something that council is keen to pursue". "It'll have to be a targeted approach, because we have a big road network and we can't do it on every road," he said. "There are reasons why you can't do it on every road, but certainly where there's a need, where there's an identified safety risk, that's certainly an option we're now looking at in a number of locations."

Regarding the Woolloongabba Bikeway, Cr Schrinner said it would become a "cycling superhighway for the south side of Brisbane" that would deliver the highest possible level of safety 24 hours a day. "This is all about safety; it's about delivering an improved situation both for cyclists and for motorists," he said. The project would include two "floating" bus stops, which would have the cycling lane on the inside of the bus stop, closer to the kerb. The work on Annerley Road and Stanley Street bike infrastructure would begin early next year and take about a year to complete, with most work being undertaken at night. In addition to the bike lanes, car access to Clarence and Crown streets to and from Annerley Road would be closed.

"It will be a small inconvenience for a big improvement in safety," he said. Local Greens councillor Jonathan Sri said the decision was the result of a long-running community campaign. "This is a fantastic decision, but Brisbane is still way behind other cities around the world when it comes to cycling infrastructure," he said. "…One of the best ways to make motorists' and cyclists' lives safer, get more cars off the road and reduce congestion is to separate cars from bikes with barrier separated bike lanes." Stay informed. Like the Brisbane Times Facebook page