Brisbane City Council’s newest scheme to ease traffic congestion has received praise and criticism in its first few days.

The CityCycle program is still being rolled out across the city.

Zoe Knobel reports.

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TRANSCRIPT

It’s early days but there’s been a slow take-up of the City Cycle scheme so far.

The Council’s Opposition says designated bikeways are necessary for it to be successful an idea shared by Bicycle Queensland.

Ben Wilson, Manager of Bicycle Queensland: “We probably need a spine through the city of Brisbane, North-South-East-West, so people can actually use the city bikes, use their own bikes, and then get into the city, into the heart of the city.”

The scheme is aimed at providing a convenient, affordable alternative to using a car or existing public transport.

Two thousand of these bikes can be found at fifty City Cycle stations across the inner city, with more to come in future stages.

Several conditions apply when using the service; users must be over 17 years of age, provide their own helmet and pay to subscribe online for either one day, three months or a year.

And there’s been a mixed reaction on the streets so far.

Vox 1: “I think it’s the biggest waste of money Brisbane city’s put forward yet.”

Vox 2: “Everything seems so central in Brisbane that it’s a good alternative to using a car.”

Vox 3: “I think on the roads there’s a degree of risk involved.”

Council says its addressed safety issues by reducing the speed limit in the CBD to forty kilometres per hour, introducing Bicycle Awareness Zones and offering Confidence Courses to those new to riding in traffic.

Zoe Knobel, QUT News.