Brisbane commuting route help please

[Wilfred Kazoks]

Hi, I want to try commuting by bike this winter when I am in Brisbane. I
want to ride from Corinda to Central station. Now I've figured Corinda to
Indooroopilly Station and Toowong to Central looks easy along the riverside
track. The tricky part is Indooroopilly to Toowong. I know it is pretty
hilly and I really want to avoid hills and Moggill Rd.

I will have to explore two options. One is to parallel the train line on the
St Lucia side and the other is to head towards the Uni a bit and then head
towards the city. Is it possible to go around the biggest hills either way?

If you do something similar I would appreciate an ideas.

Regards Wilfred

 

[Donga]

Wilfred

Brisbane City Council has maps of bike routes on its website -
including on-road and off-road. Here is the link:

http://tinyurl.com/p83cz

It's hard to figure out the route from the maps, because BCC has made
very little progress towards a comprehensive bike route system,
spending only $5M per year with much of that on doddle paths better
termed pram/dog paths than bikeways.

As you've discovered, the most direct route along Mogill Road is
avoided by most people due to the traffic and the hills. Unfortunately
there are no flat routes, but there are a couple of main routes.

My favourite is to cross the river on the Walter Taylor Bridge and turn
left along the river along Radnor St, then Witton Rd. The Western
Freeway Bikeway crosses this road. Turn right and follow the bikeway
all the way in to Sylvan Rd. Turn R onto Sylvan Rd, L on Land St and
veer onto the path after the Dixon St lights to get onto the
Bicentennial Bikeway along Coronation Drive, follow this into the city.
This is a nice, pleasant route most of the way, bar a few quibbles that
you will quickly notice.

The other way is to go from Indooroopilly Station down Lambert Rd,
Indooroopilly Rd all the way to Toowong. This has a nasty hill coming
up to Gailey Fiveways in both directions, and a bit of traffic to
negotiate, including the Parade de Prado outside St Peters College.

There is a Brisbane-focused email list, Bikeqld, which has many helpful
folk on it:

http://www.bikeqld.org.au/mailman/listinfo/bikeqld

Good luck with your commuting. One piece of advice, riding in Brisbane,
you have to learn to love hills!

Donga

 

[Donga]

I should have mentioned, if you want to take the Lambert Rd route, get
on the East side of the railway before the river and take the Jack
Pesch foot/bike Bridge, rather than the Walter Taylor.

On Walter Taylor, you might want to use the footpath inbound, but the
road outbound.

Reversing my favourite route, it's hard to get onto the outbound lane
of Walter Taylor Bridge legally, unless you want a big hilly loop
that's fine in a car, but sucks on a bike. I shortcut across Coonan St
illegally. It takes some care and I offer no recommendation.

Donga

 

[Absent Husband]

You could keep heading towards Uni (following the St Lucia golf
course), then ride around the UQ ring road and through the back streets
there. Joins up with the Coro Drive bike path at Toowong...... A few
hills, but they are "rolling hills" rather than painful monstrosities


Make sure you try each option out and see which one you like best. Or
alternate regularly to keep it interesting!!

Not sure if you are currently a commuter - but if not, then welcome to
the "club". I guarantee you'll enjoy it!!

Cheers,
Abby

 

[Donga]

I used to take the Uni route for several years but have largely
abandoned it in favour of the Western Freeway bikeway. The Uni is
blighted by traffic, much of it slow-moving twits looking for parking
spaces and prone to sudden swerves without indicating. Then you have
the butt-end of the Bikeway up to Toowong. Give me the Freeway route
any day, and its a K shorter to boot.

Donga

 

[adam85]

I used to take the Uni route for several years but have largely
abandoned it in favour of the Western Freeway bikeway. The Uni is
blighted by traffic, much of it slow-moving twits looking for parking
spaces and prone to sudden swerves without indicating. Then you have
the butt-end of the Bikeway up to Toowong. Give me the Freeway route
any day, and its a K shorter to boot.

Donga

I wouldn't have thought of going via the Western Freeway bikepath, normally I go looking for the hilliest way But you're right that would be the flattest way.

The second best alternative would be to use Lambert Rd, then Indooroopilly Rd up the hill to the Gailey Fiveways, then down Gailey Rd then hookup with the coronation drive bikeway. Only one hill this way, and you get it all over and done with in one go.

The rolling hills past the golf course and through uni is the more pleasant way I reckon, but I guess it's much tougher.

Adam

 

[Donga]

Mmmm, there's actually a long, steady hill on the bikeway. You can
treadle away in a moderate gear or, if you want to hit it hard, you can
really blow out. And as for pleasant, it's very peaceful, green and
quiet, with all the bush around. At peak hour, you get to ride past a
line of cagers in a linear carpark, far enough away not to be bothered
by their noise and stink, so you can feel very superior. It's nice to
ride on an MTB because if the mood takes you, you can dive into Anzac
Park and ride parallel to the bikeway on some dirt - get a good grin on
your face before work!

Donga

 

[Dirty Digger]

But the shortest way is still over Gailey 5-ways. (About 1.5 km shorter than
the freeway route). The hill is short and sharp and over and done with.
Barry



"Donga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>I used to take the Uni route for several years but have largely
> abandoned it in favour of the Western Freeway bikeway. The Uni is
> blighted by traffic, much of it slow-moving twits looking for parking
> spaces and prone to sudden swerves without indicating. Then you have
> the butt-end of the Bikeway up to Toowong. Give me the Freeway route
> any day, and its a K shorter to boot.
>
> Donga
>

 

[Tamyka Bell]

Donga wrote:
>
> I used to take the Uni route for several years but have largely
> abandoned it in favour of the Western Freeway bikeway. The Uni is
> blighted by traffic, much of it slow-moving twits looking for parking
> spaces and prone to sudden swerves without indicating. Then you have
> the butt-end of the Bikeway up to Toowong. Give me the Freeway route
> any day, and its a K shorter to boot.
>
> Donga

I've considered using that route, but it's a bit longer for me. Given
that I go to uni.

Tam *sorry having a vague day*

 

[Donga]

Dirty Digger wrote:
> But the shortest way is still over Gailey 5-ways. (About 1.5 km shorter than
> the freeway route). The hill is short and sharp and over and done with.


Fair point. I must confess I look for longer routes. I can get to work
in 7.9 kms, but usually take the 20 km route or longer.

....and the Gailey hill would surely fail the "no hills" test!

Donga

 

[Tamyka Bell]

Donga wrote:
>
> Dirty Digger wrote:
> > But the shortest way is still over Gailey 5-ways. (About 1.5 km shorter than
> > the freeway route). The hill is short and sharp and over and done with.
>
> Fair point. I must confess I look for longer routes. I can get to work
> in 7.9 kms, but usually take the 20 km route or longer.
>
> ...and the Gailey hill would surely fail the "no hills" test!
>
> Donga

I'd rather go right around the uni than do that one! Unless I'm running.
Ahh, in running there is no such thing as a hill. Because I just walk up
them.

Tam