Gabba Ward councillor, Jonathan Sri posed the question for a community forum: Should We Replace Street Parking with Bike Lanes?

There was a great turn out on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the AHEPA Hall in Boundary St, West End. After short presentations from planning researchers at from The University of Queensland, Space4cyclingBNE, and the RACQ, participants broke up into round table discussions.

It was a good chance for us to hear community concerns – particularly from business owners fearful that changes to local parking arrangements will drive away business, and from people worried that it might compromise delivery of services to elderly people.

You can watch the excellent presentation from Dr Dorina Pojani on “Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained” below:

Speaking on behalf of Space4cylingBNE, Belinda used the example of George St through the inner Sydney suburbs of Redfern and Waterloo as a case study, demonstrating that in some cases it can be possible to create separated cycling lanes on existing streets without removing any on-street parking spaces. She also reminded us of the dangers of embarking on the arms race of trying to plan for a future where everyone drives and can stop exactly where they want at exactly the time they want.

More presentations, and a report on the outcomes from the day are coming soon…