Residents have reported numerous near-hits at the Noble Street slip lane, including a boy walking to school.
A mum said she crossed regularly on a cargo bike with two young children, and it was “very rare for any driver to give way”.
One driver who nearly hit them yelled “stay off the road”.
“We have come close to being hit twice, when drivers turned suddenly without indicating, and I was already most of the way across,” she said.
“Many drivers just appear to drive around the corner while looking ahead to the traffic going down Noble Street, without looking to the sides for any pedestrians or cyclists.”
An official sign went up last year, about 50m before drivers reach the slip lane.Credit: Felicity Caldwell
An official “give way at slip lanes” sign was erected last year by Cross River Rail, in what is said to be the closest position to meet standards while maintaining path access.
But it is about 50 metres ahead of the intersection, and residents worry drivers do not see it.
Active Travel for Annerley volunteer Tim Sergiacomi said people had to assume drivers would not give way.
“Traffic is coming down the road at 60km/h, and you’re like, ‘I have right of way here, but that’s not going to help me if this guy doesn’t stop’,” he said.
In a letter to Active Travel for Annerley in August, councillor Andrew Wines said the council had investigated concepts for an upgrade to the intersection, but Cross River Rail did not want to fund it.
“The Cross River Rail project have advised council that they do not intend to fund council’s preferred design for the intersection or undertake any improvements,” he wrote.
“This project will therefore need to be considered for funding in a future council budget.”
Wines told this masthead that when major state-led projects such as Cross River Rail affected pedestrian access, it was “only right they also invest in the necessary upgrades to improve community safety”.
A Cross River Rail Delivery Authority spokesman said it was happy to work with the council where possible, and contractors building the Dutton Park station had reinstated line markings along Noble Street to align with BCC’s new design.
But the spokesman said the intersection and slip lane did not fall under their scope.
Over the past 12 months, council altered seven slip lanes as part of road projects, including at Belgrave Road and Coonan Street, Indooroopilly for the Moggill Road upgrade, and the Kelvin Grove Road and Musk Avenue intersection.
An official give way on slip lanes sign directly on the corner of Stanley Street and Ipswich Road, Woolloongabba.Credit: Google Street View
The council will consider the use of slip lanes in new projects on a case-by-case basis.
Official signs are at other intersections, including at Stanley Street and Ipswich Road at Woolloongabba.
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In 2018, the council recommended removing three city slip lanes after a review found awareness of the give way rule was “extremely low” and they could be difficult for pedestrians to safely cross.
CARRS-Q researcher Professor Narelle Haworth said slip lanes were particularly an issue when pedestrians were coming from the same direction as cars turning left.
“The car driver is looking to the right because that’s where the cars are that they’re going to have to give way to,” she said.
“If the pedestrian is on their left, they may not see them at all.”
Queensland Walks executive officer Anna Campbell said unprotected slip lanes, common in Brisbane, were one of the biggest risks for injury or death for pedestrians.
“Queensland Walks calls for all slip lanes to be made safe with raised priority crossings, or the removal of slip lanes,” she said.
Campbell called for precinct planning for Olympic Games venues focusing on pedestrian safety on Gregory Terrace, Bowen Bridge Road, the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Victoria Park, Herston, Bowen Hills and Fortitude Valley.
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