Dear Neighbours,

Nearly two months in, the data is showing just how successful the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge has become. With over 9,000 people crossing daily, this is a 51% increase in daily usage compared to initial estimates (excluding outliers like New Year’s Eve and Opening Day). After nearly a decade of Greens advocacy, the delivery of the Green Bridge and its success proves what we’ve been saying: investment in pedestrian and active transport infrastructure leads to a healthier, more connected, and more sustainable Brisbane.

While the Green Bridge is a significant win, it’s important to acknowledge that it’s not a silver bullet for the challenges Kangaroo Point faces. The lack of a CityCat stop, timetable coordination issues with cross-river ferries, and the infrequent and unreliable 234 bus are still major points of frustration that residents, including myself, face. However, this bridge is a step in the right direction, and its success underscores the importance of continuing investment in key active transport infrastructure.

We must now focus on projects like the Riverwalk from Dockside to Mowbray Park, the Vulture Street Bikeway, and the West End to Toowong Green Bridge, which will further enhance Brisbane’s pedestrian and active transport network.

At the same time, what’s clear is that investment in a comprehensive public transport network that connects seamlessly with these active transport initiatives is essential. We need the return of the 27 Bus and the 86 Bus, a second ferry terminal in West End, increased frequency for the 196, nighttime and weekend services for the 192, and for the Metro to stop at Dutton Park Place.

As always, I’ll continue advocating for better public transport networks and greener, safer streets for everyone. Here’s to more Greens initiatives making a real difference in our city!

Inside this newsletter you’ll find:

• Bike Parking Station & Skate Park Upgrade for Davies Park
• Hampstead Road Concept Designs
• Kangaroo Point Cross River Ferries
• Highgate Hill Community Orchard  and Garden
• 86 Kurilpa Loop Update
• Kurilpa Commons Under Threat
• Do you want more bike parking?
• Community Notices
• Tree Removals
• Community Events

Bike Parking Station & Skate Park Upgrade for Davies Park

I’m excited to let you know that two projects for Davies Park will be delivered over the next month. Both were funded through my 2023/24 Suburban Enhancement Fund.

There’s never anywhere good to lock up your bike when arriving at Davies Park from Riverside Drive. So I’m building a bike parking station that fits up to 32 bikes in the unused patch between the ramp and the road. Around the station we’ll be planting native shrubs and a couple of lemon myrtle trees.

I’ve also been working with the Brisbane Skateboarding Association to improve and expand the mini skate park near Montague Road. The changes will improve skating flow and allow more people to use the park at the same time. We’ll also be installing solar lighting so that people can skate in the evenings when it’s a little cooler.

Hampstead Road Concept Designs

We had a great community meeting last Saturday during which I unveiled two Concept Designs for Hampstead Road. You can download the plans and read more about the two options on my website.

I funded these designs through my Suburban Enhancement Fund and am planning to fund the detailed design in the 2025/26 financial year.

Residents are the experts on their own streets. So I know you will have lots of feedback that will help improve the design! Please make sure you do the survey so I can pass on your ideas to the project team.

The survey will remain open until Tuesday 15 April. Please make sure you include all your insights and suggestions for improvements. If you have longer comments that won’t fit in the survey, you can email them through to me at [email protected].

One unexpected positive from this project is that it has put the Hampstead Rd and Dornoch Tce intersection back on Council’s radar. The intersection is dangerous for cars and terrible for pedestrians. While outside the scope of this project, I’m going to use this opportunity to push for upgrades for this intersection.

Kangaroo Point Cross River Ferries

It's been almost two months since the CityHopper was replaced with Cross River ferries and I want you to share your thoughts with me. What’s working? What needs improvement?

On the positive side, I’m hearing it’s much easier for residents to catch ferries. People aren’t being turned away en masse like they used to be.

The major issue I am hearing is that the timetables don’t align. Many residents have shared the frustrating experience of having their Cross River ferry dock just as a CityCat is leaving - meaning they have to wait another 15 or 30 minutes for a connecting service.

If you’ve got thoughts, please send me an email at [email protected]. I’ll also be requesting passenger data from Council and sending ideas for improvement to the Transport Chair. Residents can also email feedback to the Transport Chair directly via [email protected].

PS There’s a CityCat network review coming up shortly. So keep an ear out for opportunities to help me fight for a CityCat stop at either Holman St or Dockside.

Highgate Hill Community Orchard  and Garden

In just three months, the Highgate Hill community orchard and garden is flourishing, thanks to a dedicated group of gardeners and community members coming together to nurture this wonderful space.

It’s been a pleasure working with the group over the past six months, and I’m excited to continue collaborating with them in the future.

If you are in the area and are interested in getting involved their next session is Saturday 8 March from 8am. All are welcome!

86 Kurilpa Loop Update

It’s been a few weeks since the LNP Council cancelled our much-loved Kurilpa 86 Bus Loop, and while they think we’ve given up, I’m more motivated than ever. From the hundreds of residents I’ve spoken to, I know I’m not alone. People are still asking, “What’s next in our campaign?”

Right now, our job is to keep the pressure on until the Council listens.

In the meantime, I’ve been speaking out at every opportunity. At the first Council meeting of the year, I made sure to represent the thousands of people who rely on the 86. It’s an essential service for our community.

Our pressure is working. The next week Transport Chair Cr Ryan Murphy tried to discredit our campaign, saying:

"Last week we heard Councillor Massey claiming that tens of thousands of people used the service. But actually, route 86 wasn’t servicing that many people. On its final day, it had around two people per bus, which doesn’t work for public transport."

Don’t let his negative rhetoric discourage you. The fact that they’re addressing our campaign shows we’re having an impact. We need to keep the pressure on until the 86 is back.

If you’d like to share your thoughts on Cr. Murphy’s comments, please email the Lord Mayor ([email protected]) and Transport Chair Cr. Murphy ([email protected]).

The LNP knows that our growing community will soon need the 86 again. The Lord Mayor himself used the 86 as a justification to remove parking minimums for new developments. He knows northern Montague Rd, which will soon house thousands of new residents, needs high-frequency bus services. The solution is simple: reinstate the 86.

Kurilpa Commons Under Threat

On the morning of Friday, February 14, State Government workers, heavy machinery and police arrived to fence up, remove community created infrastructure and most probably dig up the gardens within the Kurilpa Commons.

At the time, there was a variety of misinformation, some of it directly from the workers on site. These included assumptions that Brisbane City Council was trying to close down the Commons, that the State Government TMR site had been sold or was about to be sold and that contamination had been found on site. 

Since then it’s been confirmed that contamination was found and registered at the development site next door 5 Dudley Street (December 2024). 1-3 Dudley Street is still under TMR ‘ownership’ and the testing for contamination has not been completed at the Kurilpa Commons.

The lack of information, alert to community members and details about what the testing would involve is staggering. This has of course sowed and increased mistrust of the State Government and their intentions.  

Since Friday 14 my conversations with the department and the Office of the Minister for Transport and Main Roads have focused on halting any immediate work, for the provision of a transparent information transfer via a general community meeting. 

Kurilpa Commons isn’t just a garden—it’s a self-managed community space that fosters solidarity, reciprocity, and collective struggle. It includes a farm and serves as a hub for neighbourhood collaboration, offering space for art, music, film, and more.

Contamination Testing occurs across Brisbane City, it is rare that sites are closed without provision of remediation or transparent understanding of what the testing would involve.

I stand in solidarity with Kurilpa Commoners in their defence of the Commons and recognise it is still under threat from the State Government with their refusal to pursue any other options other than site closure and excavation. 

If you’d like to get involved or keep updated with what’s happening at the Kurilpa Commons, please follow and contact Growing Forward here: Growing Forward on Facebook.

Do you want more bike parking?

Do you ever find yourself struggling to find a place to park your bike? Maybe there’s nowhere to lock up or maybe the existing spaces are always full. I want to know!

I’ll be using my 2025/26 Suburban Enhancement Fund to deliver new bike racks across the ward. Send me an email ([email protected]) with any locations you think I should prioritise.

Community Notices

• Some local residents have organised the Warm Winter Campaign to help the displaced and Osama family in Gaza. Please donate to the campaign if you can.
• Yeronga Girl Guides are welcoming new members and would love to invite your daughter along for a 4 week trial. At Guides, girls expand their world, make new friends, discover more about themselves and what they care about. Girls learn new skills, explore the outdoors and are empowered to realise their full potential. To enquire about joining Yeronga GirlGuides, contact Glenys 0402 201 429 or [email protected].
• Dutton Park SS P&C Active Travel and Traffic Safety Group has a petition calling on Council to review the speed on Annerley Rd to improve pedestrian safety. 
• Voting for the Artforce Brisbane People’s Choice Awards is now open until midnight 28 February.
• Applications for the Brisbane Airport Community Giving Fund are open until 28 February. Grants of $10,000 are available for local Brisbane projects within four categories. 

Tree Removals

The impact of the LNP Administration’s budget cuts are really starting to hit in areas like tree planting. The wait time for high priority replacement trees is now almost 12 months, with new plantings taking even longer. The issue is so bad that Council is no longer providing time frames for when replacement trees will be planted.

• A large fig tree at Paradise Street Park, Highgate Hill was removed after its trunk split causing a safety hazard. A replacement tree will be planted, but it will likely take at least 12 months. More details available here.
• A Syzygium tree at 36 Jane St, West End will be removed due to poor health and structure. A replacement tree of the same species is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.
• A Syzygium tree at 132 River Tce, Kangaroo Point  will be removed due to poor health and structure. A replacement Elaeocarpus Reticulatus tree is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.
• A Plumeria/Frangipani tree at 141 Dornoch Terrace, Highgate Hill will be removed due to poor health and structure. A replacement Ivory Curl tree is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.
• A mango tree at Jolly Place Park, South Brisbane will be removed due to irreversible health decline with multiple fungal fruiting bodies present across the trunk and scaffold branches. A replacement tree is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.
• A Eucalyptus Sideroxylon tree at Gair Park, 181 Annerley Road, Dutton Park will be removed due to poor health by the end of May. A replacement tree of the same species is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.
• A dead Illawarra flame tree at Main St Park, 234 Main St, Kangaroo Point will be removed by May. A replacement tree of the same species is scheduled to be planted at some point in the future.