Call for dedicated scooter lanes in Brisbane

The Queensland Labor government has poured cold water on a state MP’s call for dedicated 50cc scooter lanes on Brisbane’s main roads.

So-called maverick MP, Aidan McLindon, who quit the Liberal National Party earlier this year to form the fledgling Queensland Party, called for a rethink of “rarely used” T2 transit lanes, saying many cars stuck in traffic contained only one person and transport planners had to “start thinking outside the square”.

“You just look at the gridlock every morning and afternoon,” Mr McLindon told brisbanetimes.com.au. “We’ve got the bicycle lanes, but it would actually help to have a dedicated separate moped lane that’s undercover.”

Mr McLindon believes the changes could prompt more people to take up the environmentally friendly, cost-effective option.
He said possible roads for moped lanes included parts of the M1 near the city, the Riverside Expressway and Coronation Drive.

However, Transport Minister Rachel Nolan has dismissed the idea.

“Construction of dedicated moped lanes alongside major arterial road networks is common practice in a number of Asian cities where mopeds and motorcycles form a very high proportion of traffic, as high as 60 per cent in some cities,” she said in a formal response to the proposal.

“In Brisbane, mopeds form a very small proportion of traffic at the moment – much less than one per cent. Whilst this figure is rising, it is still too low to warrant the provision of dedicated infrastructure.”

50cc scoters, like their bigger brethren and motorcycles, can use transit lanes in Queensland.

People with an open car licence in Queensland, like their counterparts in WA, SA and NT, are able to ride 50cc scooters without a motorcycle licence. The scooters are speed limited to 50km/h.