FAQs
- Provide active transport users with a more direct route
- Improve safety with enhanced visibility of active transport users
- Reduce vehicle speeds and hooning
- Along South Street, the shared pathway is to be built separately from the road by the kerb and grassed boundary area, separating pathway users from traffic.
- At Swallow Street and Lorikeet Drive, raised priority crossings are to be constructed to reduce vehicle speeds and hooning, provide cyclists and pedestrians with a more direct route and improve the safety and visibility of active transport users.
- The entrances to the pathway between Congreve Crescent and South Street are designed to prevent vehicles from accessing the pathway and surrounding environmentally sensitive areas.
- The shared pathway will be approximately 1.3km long and 2.5-3m wide, providing space for users to pass one another.
- Two blue gum (Eucalyptus tereticornis) trees
- Two wattle (Acacia pycnantha) trees
What is the West Thornlands Active Pathway Link project?
The West Thornlands Active Pathway Link is a $1.15 million project jointly funded by Council and the Queensland Government.
It involves constructing a shared pathway from Congreve Crescent, north of the Kinross Estate, to the eastern outskirts of the Weippin Street Conservation Area along South Street toward Wellington Street. The works will also include constructing raised priority crossings along South Street at Swallow Street and Lorikeet Drive. The crossings aim to:
The shared pathway is to be built on an Energex easement away from Kinross Estate properties and approval has been granted to Council to proceed with construction.
Why is the West Thornlands Active Pathway Link project being delivered?
The project forms part of Council's vision to improve our city's active transport network.
Its delivery will make it easier for the community to enjoy active transport in Thornlands. The project will create a new connection in west Thornlands and provide a valuable link to Wellington Street, connecting the local community to key destinations, including places of employment, schools and recreation.
What are the design and safety features of the project?
The project’s design was developed in line with the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) standards and guidelines, with all stages of the process undergoing technical reviews and approval by Council and TMR.
The final design ensures pedestrians and cyclists are provided with a safe and accessible facility which considers the following safety features:
How is the project being funded?
The West Thornlands Active Pathway Link is jointly funded by Council and the Queensland Government. It is also proudly supported by the Queensland Government’s Cycle Network Local Government Grants Program.
In 2021, the Queensland Government announced a 50 per cent funding contribution toward the project, with Council contributing the remaining 50 per cent.
How much will it cost to deliver the West Thornlands Active Pathway Link?
The total cost of constructing the new shared pathway is approximately $1.15 million.
What is the purpose of building ‘raised priority crossings’ along South Street?
The installation of raised priority crossings along South Street at Swallow Street and Lorikeet Drive will reduce vehicle speeds and hooning activity. Raised priority crossings will also provide active transport users with a more direct route while improving safety with enhanced visibility.
Where can I view the project map?
The project map outlining the location of the shared pathway route is available on the project page.
When will the project works begin?
The project construction phase is scheduled to commence in December 2022 and expected to conclude end of March 2023, subject to weather conditions.
Will properties be impacted during the construction phase?
No, properties should not be impacted during the delivery of the project.
Will any trees be impacted during the construction phase?
The project team has made every effort to avoid impacting nearby vegetation, including trees. While certain trees in areas that intersect with the construction of the shared pathway will need to be removed, their ecological value will be offset.
How many trees are being removed and what are the tree species?
The trees planned to be removed include the following:
No other trees are expected to be impacted during construction of the pathway.
Does Council have a plan to offset trees to be removed?
Yes. Guided by Council’s Environment and Education Unit, the project team will offset the trees removed to ensure an equivalent environmental value of the area is maintained.
Will any wildlife be impacted during or after the construction phase?
No, wildlife is not expected to be affected.
Council has nonetheless developed mitigation strategies to avoid any disturbances to koalas and flying-foxes and will engage a wildlife spotter familiar with flying-fox and koala behaviour to be on-site at all times during the construction timeframe. Should there be any disturbances to wildlife, works will be stopped until the animals are settled.
I have a question about the project. Who can I contact?
To speak to a Council officer, please phone Council on 07 3829 8999.
Project Planning
- Principle 1: Connect major existing and future origin and destination points, such as residential areas, major shopping and commercial facilities, employment nodes, educational institutions, and high-frequency passenger transport.
- Principle 2: Focus on commuter, utility and education-related trips, with a supplementary focus on recreational cycling where routes may increase tourism demand.
- Principle 3: Ensure the coverage of the network is proportionate to surrounding demand and urban density, with the network density aiming for one kilometre between principal routes in the inner areas of the region’s major centre.
- Principle 4: Identify a network that is connected, direct, coherent, and planned with safety in mind.
- Principle 5: Consider all transport and public open space corridors as potential cycling corridors, regardless of whether they are managed by state or local government.
- Principal routes form the spine from which local cycle networks are built. Principal routes connect residential areas to major trip attractors such as public transport nodes, universities, schools, shopping and commercial centres, industrial areas and regional recreational facilities. At the regional scale, they provide key connections between activity centres or towns.
- Future principal routes identify expansion opportunities for the principal cycle network in areas where significant urban growth has been identified but land use planning has not yet been undertaken or finalised. These routes are represented by an arrow in the broad direction of a future route.
- Tourism routes support tourism by identifying cycle routes of regional significance in scenic coastal and hinterland locations such as the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
How did Council finalise the project’s pathway route?
‘Active travel’ is a Council priority in the Redlands Coast Transport Strategy 2020. This project demonstrates how Council is prioritising activities like walking and cycling across the city.
The shared pathway was planned in coordination with the Queensland Government to provide connectivity within our city’s active transport network and forms part of the Queensland Government’s Principal Cycle Network Plan.
Where can I find more information about Council’s Redlands Coast Transport Strategy 2020?
The Redlands Coast Transport Strategy 2020 is available on Council’s website at https://www.redland.qld.gov.au/info/20148/roads_and_marine/239/transport_planning
What is the Queensland Government’s Principal Cycle Network Plan?
The Queensland Government has worked closely with local governments to develop the Principal Cycle Network Plan (PCNP) to guide the delivery of a connected and cohesive cycle network across Queensland.
The PCNP reflects a ‘one network’ approach to cycle network planning and identifies core routes needed to get more people cycling more often. The PCNP is intended to support, guide and inform the planning, design and construction of the transport network.
To view the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland PCNP, visit https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Cycling/Principal-cycle-network/Principal-Cycle-Network-Plans. To view the PCNP for Redland City Council, please refer to page 17 of the document.
How was the Queensland Government’s Principal Cycle Network Plan developed?
The Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Principal Cycle Network Plan was guided by the following planning principles:
The plan identifies principal routes at a strategic network level that will deliver good cycling outcomes, recognising that to achieve this, further planning and design will be required.
A principal route may be identified within a corridor that is currently considered not conducive for cycling, such as a priority freight route or highway. Further planning and design will consider the feasibility of cycling within the corridor and the design of cycle facilities. In some instances, this may result in a separated cycle facility within the corridor and, in others, a cycle facility on an alternative alignment within the vicinity.
What is a principal cycle network?
A principal cycle network is comprised of core routes designed to make it easy to use a bicycle as an everyday form of transport.
The Principal Cycle Network Plan identifies routes primarily for cyclists within urban areas, with a particular focus on the 5 km radius around trip destinations. Most urban areas in the region are within a 5 km radius of a regional activity centre. At these distances, cycling is a viable mode of travel for many trip types.
The plan focusses on journeys to work, school, and social/utility trips. The principal cycle network connects residential areas with employment nodes such as suburban centres, industrial precincts, education facilities and shopping and entertainment destinations.
What type of routes does the Principal Cycle Network Plan identify?
The Principal Cycle Network Plan identifies the following types of principal cycle network routes:
What is the purpose of the Principal Cycle Network Plan?
The purpose of the Principal Cycle Network Plan (PCNP) is to present agreed desire lines for principal cycle routes in the region identified using the planning principles outlined above. The routes shown are indicative and exist to guide further planning that will determine the precise route and design of cycle facilities.
The PCNP draws from existing cycle planning, data on key origins, destinations and cycling demand, as well as knowledge from local government and bicycle groups. The plan provides for a principal cycle network that will connect residential areas to major trip attractors.
The PCNP represents the core routes needed to achieve more cycling, more often, which is the vision of the Queensland Cycle Strategy 2021 - 2027. As the principal cycle network is delivered, Queenslanders will have increasing opportunities to ride to work, school, shopping precincts and other major destinations via safe, direct, and attractive routes.
Increasing levels of cycling will help contribute to Queenslanders’ fitness and health, protect the environment and manage traffic congestion. Encouraging people to replace some car trips with cycling can also extend the life of existing transport assets and reduce the need for road capacity upgrades.
Where can I view the Queensland Government’s Principal Cycle Network Plan?
To view the Queensland Government’s South East Queensland Principal Cycle Network Plan (PCNP), visit https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Travel-and-transport/Cycling/Principal-cycle-network/Principal-Cycle-Network-Plans. To view the PCNP for Redland City Council, please refer to page 17 of the document.