That's what's being reported quite widely, anyway. But it turns out the truth may be even worse. Zooming in on a section of northern Brisbane in the map showing only the three types of separated bikeway, we see this:

Map showing from Bridgeman Downs to Bracken Ridge, with 5 sections of path highlighted blue

The two northern-most segments are just clear, standard shared paths:

Image showing a moderately wide concrete pathway with no separation on it

The next one down is not even that. It's your standard footpath:

Image showing a footpath between the road and a playground

And the fourth one is somehow even worse. It's...fictional. It doesn't exist. Not really. It's a concrete path that doesn't connect to anything at either end, and is entirely overrun by grass and mud and swamp. This shows one end:

A concrete path that can be seen to suddenly end and turn to grass.

And here's the other:

A concrete path entirely overrun by mud and plants, so that past the first metre of the photo it cannot be seen at all.

That's the first four paths that I checked, and all four of them are not actually bikeways. They're not the only ones. The fifth one I checked is the last one on that map, and it is a bikeway, judging by the one sign of it I could find on Google Maps, though I don't think it goes anywhere remotely useful. But the sixth I checked is on the Kedron Brook, further west around Keperra. And it was also a simple shared path.

Regardless, comfortably over 90% of the "bike paths" in Brisbane are actually footpaths or shared paths. And thus it would be illegal for ebikes to go at more than a slow jogging pace on them, if this bill is passed unamended.

If you ride an ebike, know someone who does, or just like the idea that people should be allowed to ride responsibly, I'd encourage you to make a submission to the inquiry describing your personal experience and saying you don't approve of the bill. You can find out more information about the bill and how to format a submission here: https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-Committees/Committees/Committee-Details?cid=272&id=8575 or by checking out Space4cyclingbne, Brisbane CBD BUG, or Brisbane West BUG on Facebook, or Bicycle Queensland (on their website or on FB).

Or email the committee directly here: SDIWC@parliament.qld.gov.au

Two maps of Brisbane, side-by-side. The left shows a large number of paths highlighted in blue, the right shows only a very small number highlighted blue. Overlayed between them is a table that says "Bicycle Path: 6.52%; Cycle Track: 0.47%; Separated Pathway: 2.82%; Shared Pathway: 90.18%"
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[–] 2 points 7 months ago

What I don’t get about the shared paths is why they put the bikes and pedestrians on the same side. As a pedestrian you don’t see the bikes coming and as a cyclist you’re always coming up behind the pedestrians you’re about to pass.

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