Brisbane West Trail proposal

BRISBANE WEST TRAIL PROPOSAL
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Roadwatch, 3378-2398 24 May 2002	I received the copy of your interesting proposal for a recreational trail. Your proposal has considerable merit and I will submit it to the next meeting of our transport committee. We are currently undertaking a review of our traffic and transport policies with emphasis on the increasing community shift towards the environment. Thank you for providing us with your proposal.
Resident, Kenmore, 17 may 2002	Received flyer in mail today about Brisbane West Trail. If this negates the proposed road between Marland and Twilight Streets in Kenmore we are certainly for it. Would it be bicycle, horse or both? Response: I can't be precise about what would be permitted on such a Trail (eg bicycles, horses etc). This would need to be determined in a proper evaluation of the Trail option which is all that I am currently suggesting. Some people have suggested that there can be conflicts between pedestrian use and these other uses, so perhaps horse use (for example) might need to be confined to more remote parts of the trail. Regarding the 'road' issue, I suggest that if you can you have a look at the web-site for the Trail. The Trail certainly is an alternative and better use for the old Kenmore Sub-arterial Road Reserve, but I suspect that the 'road' proposal had negated itself anyway (ie passed its 'use-by' date for reasons suggested on the above web-site) eg: .......... (details) .... Furthermore the planning of transport / traffic facilities in Brisbane generally is such a shambles that no one can say with any certainty at present that any particular element of transport infrastructure is actually going to improve the situation. Thus the whole subject is 'up for grabs' and in developing a modern transport / traffic solution, alternative uses for public assets such as the old Kenmore Subarterial Road Reserve would have to be considered.
Penny Behan, President Kenmore District Community Centre Association Inc, 3878 2189 / 0412 644 105 5 February 2002	"Thank you very much for writing to the Kenmore and District Community Centre Association Inc regarding your proposal for a Brisbane West Trail. As you would know all good ideas start with a concept and only succeed if someone drives them to fruition. Personally, I wish you every success in your endeavours and congratulate you for raising a unique concept for our community. The KDCCA management committee have been mindful of our objects under our constitution when asked to comment on items in the community. The objects of the association are: ... [outlined] .... Having pointed out the objects I feel it is difficult to pass a strong comment on the support from the KDCCA until further facts are developed and demonstrated with your proposal. KDCCA do feel strongly the community largely lacks resources and services locally. We are also mindful of Councillor de Wit's advice regarding the lack of funding per capita from the rate payers in our area. Over the years the State Government has sold public land in the area and we are not aware these funds have been invested back into our area for the community's benefit. Your proposal is attractive from that viewpoint and possibility of investing revenue raised through rates from the bushland levy, for our local community's benefit and the environment We trust you have been in consultation with local environment groups seeking their advice such as REPA, THECCA, and various local creek catchment groups that are very active in the community On face value these environment corridors loosely already exist and your proposal may protect them from future potential destruction. I am aware these groups have been trying to document species of flora and fauna in our area and sightings of same. This may be of benefit to your proposal. We would advise you contact ROADWATCH who have been active in looking at road planning for years and may be helpful in supporting your proposal. Roadwatch can be contacted on 33782398. A community meeting to discuss the trail in more detail and to canvass the community's support for your proposal would be beneficial in demonstrating the need and interest in the trail. Similar meetings have been held supporting more community resources, safety on our roads, planning developments etc. Our group is hoping to have another community gathering" In the next few months were we invite community groups and the local residents to come together to share ideas, interact and increase awareness of what is happening in our community. We would welcome you having a display at this event if you are interested".
Brisbane City Council Environment and Parks Branch 5 February 2002	"Thank you for your letter ... concerning your proposal for a recreational trail in Brisbane's western suburbs. You may be interested to know that Council is currently investigating new programs that are aimed at improving pedestrian movement along 'greenways', similar to what you have proposed. These proposals are, however complex, time consuming to implement. especially where significant private holdings exist on the proposed route. In implementing these programs Council will need to decide on priority areas that may result in an initial focus being afforded to waterways where a significantly higher proportion of parkland exists along a potential route. It would therefore be premature for Council to support your proposal at this time". Note: a subsequent conversation with the Council officer concerned established that: Council had not realized that the preliminary concept outlined was not a proposal for which support was being sought - and that all that was being sought from the Council was advice about how to prepare a proposal [for which an appointment is to be arranged]; the Council is extremely busy on a major study likely to result in the setting of policies and priorities for such arrangements; the preliminary Brisbane West Trail concept suggested (a) was similar to the sort of scheme which would be dealt with by that policy / priority investigation; and (b) had mentioned many of the issues that required attention.
Resident, Chapel Hill, Conversation on 6/1/02	The idea of a walking trail is very good. However isn't it essential to keep the road reserve? How else can the traffic problems at the Kenmore roundabout be overcome? [[Comment: A very good question! See The Old Kenmore Sub-arterial Road Reserve]]
Resident Mt Ommaney Conversation on 1/1/02	Experience in the Centenary area suggests that: opposition to the proposal could arise because there are some people who think that public paths near their houses create a security risk which is greater than that from existing parks and streets (ie that they will immediately be much more likely to be robbed); trying to combine walking trails with bicycling or horse riding makes the the concept far more complex. It may be better to start with the idea of a walking trail only.
Resident, Chapel Hill Conversation on 19/12/01	interstate and overseas visitors often like walking - and it would be nice to be able to tell them about about good routes; There are people who seek out long walking trails. However there are also people who would appreciate shorter trails, so an interconnection across the middle of the proposed Trail circuit would be useful
Resident Indooroopilly Conversation on 10/12/01	There is a need to recheck the names of creeks. What has been described as Witton Creek on the Trail proposal might not be correct - because of errors on the base used for the sketch map
Councillor Margaret de Wit Pullenvale Ward Office Brisbane City Council Letter of 30/11/01	Thank you for your letter .... I would like to congratulate you on the work you have done and the thought that has obviously gone into it. With reference to progressing the plan further, I believe that the best way to do this would be to submit a copy to the Manager Environment and Parks for his perusal and to seek a meeting with him or an appropriate officer. Whilst supporting the concept there are a couple of issues which .. cause some concern. The access to private property may not be easy to achieve based on my experience of the concern that residents have when a public pathway is adjacent to their property. I also do not think that it would be feasible to construct a path that could be used by pedestrians, bicycles and horses. I think this would be a conflict which may cause problems. I note that the trail goes through quite a distance of State Government owned land eg what is now an off-leash dog area between Marland and Twilight Streets Kenmore is owned by Main Roads Department as is the road corridor right out to Moggil Road. This proposal would require a lot of time and support from the Council to succeed. I would encourage you to take the matter up with Council's Environment and Parks Branch as mentioned above.
Robert Song Kenmore, Conversation on 29/11/01	horses and bikes should be acceptable only in limited areas of the proposed Trail - not in main residential areas; parks along Cupperla Creek extend to not far from Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where there is cruise terminal connected to the city. The possibility of linking the Trail to this should be considered; detailed mention needs to be made of the numerous facilities at Mt Cootha that would be accessible via the Trail; good spots exist in Mandalay (eg ramp for yachts, and a wet park) which should be considered in relation to the Trail; there is a need for imaginative transport solutions (eg car pooling encouraged by road pricing, or a monorail system such as Singapore used funded by increased rate revenue from much more valuable land in say 5 km radius). Very great savings (eg in buying cars and parts, importing oil) and reduced pollution could be achieved.
Chairman, Moggill Creek Catchment Group PO Box 657, Kenmore 4069 Letter of 28/11/01	(proposal) was discussed at a committee meeting of the Moggill Creek Catchment Group last week. The Committee indicated their approval of the concept of a trail as outlined ... Three concerns .... to pass on ... were: trail bikes should not be allowed to use the trail; horses should be controlled to avoid damage to re-vegetated areas; and care should be taken in construction of the trail to minimize runoff and erosion We wish you success with this venture and look forward to seeing it come to fruition.
Chairman, Pullen Pullen Creek Catchment Management Group Preliminary conversation 29/10/01	this group has similar proposals for 4km of track (half park, half paths) on Pullen Pullen Creek and have contacted BCC about this. This includes lots of board walks. a key issue will involve private land right of way. In the UK this has been extensively explored. Landowners are not protected against claims from even trespassers (eg if they dig man-trap). Persons on right of way would have the same rights as trespassers. there would be strong objections to any proposal which did not allow traffic problems on Moggill Rd be solved.