Brisbane City Council has opened community feedback on two designs to fix the “weak link” on Sylvan Road and parts of Land Street in Toowong, as separated bike lanes are planned to make the 1.2-kilometre stretch safer for cyclists and scooter riders.
A long-troublesome stretch of Brisbane’s cycling network is back on the agenda, with Brisbane City Council asking residents to weigh in on how to fix the “weak link” on Sylvan Road in Toowong.
The council has released community consultation for a planned upgrade along Sylvan Road and part of Land Street. aimed at constructing separated bike lanes through a corridor that has for years been described by riders as unsafe.. It is part of a key missing connection between the off-road Bicentennial bikeway and Western Freeway bikeways.
Chris Cox, from the Brisbane West BUG group, said the route has stood out as a place riders felt uneasy. “[It] was number one in Brisbane as the place people least felt comfortable,” he said.
Cox said the group had been watching the council work through the corridor’s issues and develop options. “They’ve really put the time and effort into understanding the corridor … they’ve come up with two really good designs, which I think would work pretty well.”
Right now. there is no separation between cyclists and motor vehicles along the 1.2-kilometre strip. with conflict concentrated at intersections and riders reporting regular problems with cars parked illegally.. Under the consultation, Brisbane City Council is considering two different layout concepts.
Under the first plan, riders travelling in both directions would share one side of the road for the entire way. The second option would have riders travel in the same direction as traffic between Milton Road and Croydon Street.
“There’s pros and cons to both,” Cox said. “It’ll just be interesting to see which way the community swings [and] which option they go with.”
For Cox, the issue is personal and routine. He has commuted by bike for more than 15 years and said he used Sylvan Road while travelling from Jindalee to the city. “It’s always just been the weak link,” he added. “[I] think the solutions there will make things a lot better.”
Council’s infrastructure chair Ryan Murphy said the upgrade is intended to boost active transport usage.. In a statement. Murphy said: “Over 1000 cyclists and scooter-riders already make the journey on road through these intersections every day. but we know several times more would ride if the whole link was on a safe and dedicated corridor. which is what this project will deliver.”
Murphy also framed the project as the final stretch of a longer bikeway. “This project will deliver the last 1.5 kilometres of a 19-kilometre dedicated bikeway, linking Brisbane’s CBD all the way to the Centenary suburbs.”
The push for separated lanes along Sylvan Road has been running for years. Active travel advocates previously campaigned for the change, and a petition with 700 signatures was presented to council a decade ago.
The pattern in the reporting is clear: the corridor has been flagged for safety concerns for years, and the council’s consultation now offers two design directions aimed at turning a 1.2-kilometre, intersection-heavy, unsplit road into a dedicated connection between key bikeways.
Public consultation has opened this Monday and will close on June 7. The final concept design is expected by mid-2026.
Brisbane City Council has also confirmed intersection upgrades at Milton Road, Croydon Street and Morley Street, with construction expected to begin in mid-2026.
Brisbane City Council Sylvan Road Toowong separated bike lanes Brisbane West BUG active transport Bicentennial bikeway Western Freeway bikeways community consultation