Calling all bike-loving West Enders! It’s time to reclaim the streets!
We dream of a city where everyone, young or old, feels safe riding a bike in Brisbane.
To campaign for safe, separated bike lanes, West End residents will be creating their own temporary pop-up bike lane along part of Hardgrave Rd on the morning of Friday, 8 September to coincide with West End State School’s ‘Bling Your Bike Day’.
From 7:30am to 9am, we will temporarily reclaim under-used road space on Hardgrave Road using witches hats, traffic markers and whatever else we can find to create a barrier-separated bike lane leading down Hardgrave Road towards West End State School.
But more importantly, from 8:15 to 8:45am, we will be creating a chain of ‘human bollards’, with dozens of people standing along Hardgrave Rd linking arms to mark out the bike lane. (The human barrier will be on the inside of the witches hats and other safety markers)
And we need your help! Please come along to be part of the human bike lane barrier, and bring along anything you have at home that can be placed in between the witches hats to help demarcate the bike lane e.g. large pot plants, old stuffed animals, colourful sculptures etc.
Adults are strongly encouraged to decorate your bikes as well. Break out the streamers and colourful costumes. This will be a good chance to get in the mood for Kurilpa Derby the following month.
If you can’t stay the whole time until 9am, you’re welcome to drop off a few pot plants to contribute to the bike lane, and we’ll store them for you to pick up later.
If any musicians or performing artists feel like being part of the day, we might also set up a little Friday morning jam session near the corner of Vulture and Hardgrave (post up in the comments if you’re interested in this)
We also need your help if you live or work along Hardgrave Road… for this one morning, we respectfully ask that you please avoid parking on the west side of Hardgrave Road between Skinner St and Scott St. This street parking will be available again after 9am.
Streets are safer and less stressful for everyone when there is clear separation between pedestrians, bikes and cars. Bikes lanes don’t have to cost millions of dollars to deliver. With a bit of creative thinking we can all help transform our city for the better.