Thanks to everyone who joined us and Brisbane North BUG on a fun ride along the North Brisbane Bikeway and the missing link through Eagle Junction to Toombul. For some of us it was quite emotional remembering how it felt only a few years ago riding with the cement trucks on MacDonald Rd, and through the “death bend” on Dickson St near Wooloowin Station. Today we were reminded of how far we’ve come with a fantastic separated cycleway thanks to the Queensland Government as far as Price St, Wooloowin.

Now we just need Brisbane City Council to finish the final piece. Today was a reminder of how little is actually left to be done to create a bike route suitable for people of all ages and abilities: just the final section of Dickson St and Bonney Ave, a safe crossing over Junction Rd, and some traffic calming (via a low-speed roundabout) to get the bike route across Park Ave so it can continue along existing quiet streets – Sydney and Jackson.

Hopefully the residents who came out today to watch us ride past realised that there really is nothing to fear from people cycling past their house. Perhaps they’ll join us next time.

To the person who yelled out “when was the last time you rode this way??” the answer for many of us was ‘yesterday’, or ‘last weekend’. (No, you probably didn’t notice; unlike cars, bikes are almost silent and take up very little space in the few seconds we roll past.) For others, the answer is “not as recently as we’d like”; without a safe crossing at Junction Rd, and a protected lane along Dickson St, the connection just doesn’t feel suitable for families with kids, senior riders, and people who aren’t comfortable cycling on the road.

Imagine being an elected Councillor or Member of Parliament and making it your mission to promote, sponsor, and even initiate opposition to safe cycling routes. Councillor David McLachlan, Tim Nicholls MP, and Trevor Evans MP should be embarrassed.

The need for a safe cycling route connecting Brisbane’s northern suburbs to the CBD has been recognised for more than 10 years now. We can’t afford to lose another decade to stalling tactics. Let’s get it done!