Brisbane City Council has issued a warning to the public ahead of a “dangerous and disruptive” protest that is set to shut down traffic on the city’s Story Bridge during peak hour on Friday morning.
It says Space for Cycling Brisbane activists plan to proceed with an illegal protest at 8am on Friday despite concerns raised by Queensland Police and Council.
“It’s outrageous that the Greens, including their Lord Mayoral candidate, Jonathan Sriranganathan, are supporting this disruptive and irresponsible action,” said Civic Cabinet Chair for Infrastructure, Councillor Andrew Wines.
“They plan to hold Brisbane commuters to ransom and cause chaos, just like Extinction Rebellion did a few years ago.”
Cr Wines said the protestors are attempting to force the closure of a lane of Story Bridge to traffic, to allow it to be used by cyclists and pedestrians while work is underway to repair the bridge footpaths.
“However, the chaos this protest will cause will just prove the point that it’s simply not practical to close traffic lanes on the Story Bridge for the benefit of cyclists,” he said.
Cr Wines said expert analysis by Council found two lanes would need to be closed to allow for cyclists and pedestrians to safely cross the bridge.
“This would cause daily traffic chaos not just on Story Bridge but on the Riverside Expressway, the Inner City Bypass, Wynnum Road, Gympie Road and Stanley and Vulture streets as well as other roads across the network.”
“We’re working to ensure the footpaths are reopened within months,” he said.
Meanwhile, a detour is in place for cyclists and pedestrians using the new Kangaroo Point Bridge.
“There’s also frequent CityCat and KittyKat services available that link Kangaroo Point to the city and Howard Smith Wharves,” said Cr Wines.
