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The Suburb

Banyo is in Brisbane’s northern bayside suburbs (27° 22′ 44″ S / 153° 04′ 54″ E). The streets are typical of older suburbs of Brisbane and illustrates the complex and inter-related challenges we face in making Brisbane a sustainable and regenerative city.

This site has many features that make it an ideal location for exploring the contribution that cooler, greener, tree-lined streets could make to environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability in the coming decades.

Aerial view from QueenslandGlobe
Image: State of Queensland: Queensland Globe

Services include:

The area has a wide variety of industries, particularly on the south-east and south-west which would provide local employment opportunities. (Google map)

All of this provides potential for local people of all ages to do most of their regular daily trips by active transport – walking, cycling, and public transport – IF there is appropriate infrastructure and service.

There are already signs of a transition in the suburb from single-dwelling houses on large blocks to higher density townhouses and units. There are no sign of changes to enable car-free or car-lite lifestyles, despite the proximity to services. Under current planning laws, these new dwellings still require double garages even when close to transport hubs.

The industrial areas and the Gateway Motorway create a barrier between Banyo and greenspace along Kedron Brook and the Kedron Brook Wetlands Reserve. However, to the north-east, green corridors could extend through the grounds of the University to Nudgee Waterhole Reserve.

The Streets

There are some street trees, overhead power lines one side of the street, no pavements for pedestrians, cars park both sides of the street leaving barely enough room for cars to pass, and some vehicles parked on verges (illegal in Brisbane but often not enforced). The larger trees in the photo below are inside private gardens. This could be almost any suburban street in Brisbane on bin day.

long view toward tufnell

The road with a standard 50km/h speed limit is the easiest place for agile adults to walk. Where does the parent with a pram and toddler in tow walk? Children on the way to school? Where does someone whose mobility is affected by age, injury, or disability, walk or use their mobility device?

To comply with BCC guidelines, we must leave at least 1.2m walkway for pedestrians regardless of the current level of pedestrian activity. Through this project will measure to see if people start to walk through the verge gardens rather than on the road. We will choose plants and styles of planting to encourage this change.

We must also leave adequate space against the kerb to allow passengers to get out of parked cars.

Ensuring that no damage is done to the roots of the existing trees from root disturbance or smothering the soil is vital. That means minimal disturbance – hand weeding, replacing with native groundcovers as living mulch. No herbicides will be used at any stage.

Many streets in Banyo are clearly not designed for pedestrians.

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Updated 14 Feb 2022