Latest news with #activeTransport
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Massive planned protest across Brisbane's Story Bridge during peak hour derailed after court blocks demonstration
A planned protest which would have shut down all six lanes of Brisbane's Story Bridge during peak hour has been blocked by a court, after police claimed there were major safety concerns and the risk of massive public disruption. The demonstration, scheduled for 8am Friday, was organised by active transport advocates pushing for one vehicle lane to be dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians. But police asked Brisbane Magistrates Court to stop the process due to the risk of safety concerns if the protest were to go ahead. The court sided with the police, finding the demonstration could delay emergency services, interfere with public transport, and compromise safety. While protesters won't be allowed to occupy the bridge at the intended time, organisers say they remain committed to pressuring Brisbane City Council to prioritise active transport access amid ongoing footpath closures. The footpaths on the Story Bridge have been shut since March after inspections uncovered structural issues, including concrete degradation and rusted reinforcements. The council has pledged to reopen the paths once urgent safety works are completed, ahead of a broader restoration project expected to take up to 15 years. An independent committee recently warned that, without a full restoration, the 85-year-old bridge could be unable to carry traffic within two decades. The long-term fix is forecast to be beyond council's financial capacity, prompting discussions around federal funding, tolls, or special levies to foot the bill. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said earlier this week that local infrastructure remains the responsibility of local governments, pushing back on suggestions the Commonwealth should shoulder the restoration costs. However, the federal government has contributed $2.25 million toward a joint business case exploring long-term options for the bridge. Despite the legal setback, protest organiser Kathryn Good said her group would continue advocating for safer and more accessible transport options across the bridge.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- BBC News
Campaign to try alternative travel in Guernsey and Jersey
Islanders in Guernsey and Jersey are being urged to try alternative modes of transport, as part of a week-long Journeys Week - previously known as Alternative Transport Week is running this week and encourages people to leave their cars at home and use the bus, cycle or walk to work or part of the initiative by the Better Journeys Project new signs have been installed around St Peter Port and St Helier, to show how long it takes to walk or cycle from key locations into the town centre. The project first launched in 2021 and this year marks the first time the two islands have come together under one banner to promote sustainable travel. The project said signs were located along popular commuter routes and outside residential added that the focus is on "long-term behaviour change" and the positive impacts of "better travel habits".Rollo de Sausmarez, director of the Better Journeys project in Guernsey, said he hoped the signs prompted "more islanders to leave the car at home and take a better journey".Kate Huntington, Jersey director, added; "Whether it's a 10-minute bike ride or a 15-minute walk, these signs are a simple but effective way to show people that active travel is an option, not just during Better Journeys Week, but throughout the year." Schools have been encouraging parents to take their children to school actively. Vicki Charlesworth, the head teacher of Les Landes School in Jersey started the cycling crocodile scheme in 2021, which allows children a chance to travel to school actively but said students enjoy walking and cycling to school and that it helped set them up for a "successful day of learning". While Claire Giles the head teacher at St Martin's Primary School in Guernsey, said they had supported the project since it first started and that students "wanted to actively travel to school".She said the school was the first in the bailiwick to have a "school street" which sees the road running past its main entrance shut for half an hour before and after Giles said "95% of children come to school actively already" and that she has noticed a difference in students "physical and mental health".
