Trouble in our good suburb
Bikies terrorising the streets of Newstead, congregating outside multi-million dollar apartment blocks and assaulting residents?
Surely not? Alas it’s true as witnessed by your correspondent on the evening of April 5 with dozens of motorcyclists gathering in Festival Place outside the Luminaire and Lucent apartment buildings revving engines, blocking vehicular traffic, shattering the Saturday evening peace and generally causing chaos.
A resident of a nearby apartment building who was so bold as to ask what was going on was punched in the face for his trouble by a biker who then roared off.
It’s the second such gathering that has occurred. If it happens again residents won’t be slow in dialling 000 and demanding a robust police response.
Life in the slow lane
Cr Vicki Howard has apologised to residents for the traffic chaos caused by recent Skyring Terrace weekend road closures, saying more could have been done while attributing the decisions to “independent traffic engineers, who investigate and approve or reject road closure applications.”
The engineers are ultimately employed by the council and no amount of Pontius Pilate-like hand washing changes that. If they are incapable of appreciating that Saturday is the busiest day of the week, they should seek alternate careers.
“Council is aware that Skyring Terrace can be affected by congestion and is finalising planning to widen the corridor between Breakfast Creek Road and Wyandra Street, to provide four general traffic lanes, turning lanes and high-quality active transport facilities.
“Approved adjoining developments are being conditioned to dedicate land required for this upgrade as road reserve, and, where possible, to construct the required road upgrades,” residents were also told.
That’s interesting because last year a website promoting property development trumpeted the news that “the rapid residential densification in the Newstead area has prompted Council to plan an overhaul of Skyring Terrace. The proposed changes include widening and adding additional lanes in both directions from Breakfast Creek Road to Wyandra Street to four general traffic lanes, turning lanes and high-quality active transport facilities,” the website claimed.
More than a little intrigued, I wrote to City Hall asking the council if this was true.
The response? “We have no current plans to use the preserved space along Skyring Terrace to create additional traffic lanes,” a spokesperson said. Funny, that.
New Powerhouse AD
All eyes will be on the Brisbane Powerhouse early next year with the arrival of its new chief executive and artistic director Louise Bezzina who recently resigned as artistic director of the Brisbane Festival where she has held sway since 2019.
Minister for Arts John-Paul Langbroek said Ms Bezzina’s new role at Brisbane Powerhouse reaffirmed her commitment to the arts. “Her leadership has delivered bold and inclusive programming, enriching Queensland’s arts landscape and engaging new audiences over the past six years,” he said.
We look forward to a new era of transparency and community collaboration at the Powerhouse with the departure of former CEO Kate Gould.
Flu too close to the sun
Taking health advice from journalists is truly the last recourse of the desperate but having just endured more than a week of 24/7 coughing and spluttering, may I respectfully suggest that if you haven’t had a flu shot you do so as soon as possible.
I knocked briefly on Heaven’s door but receiving no response grabbed another handful of cold and flu tablet and a fresh box of tissues and will now live to whinge and whine another day.
Top marks for the park
Full marks to whoever organises the crews responsible for keeping the grassed areas of New Farm Park is such first rate condition.
The recent rains have enervated the park and the freshly mown lawns are a joy to behold.
