Fairfield Round-a-bout Upgrade Survey Results
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Fairfield Round-a-bout Community Survey. I really value your feedback and suggestions.
We had a great response with 460 participants responding.
What did you say?
There were some really clear outcomes from your feedback. Here are the highlights in order of priority:
- 95% of people support new/better pedestrian and cycling facilities at the intersection of Hyde Rd and Fairfield Rd Yeronga.
- 89% of people support the extension of Hyde Rd through to Park Rd as part of any future round-a-bout upgrade project.
- 84% of people think the round-a-bout should be upgraded with 81% supporting conversion to traffic lights.
- 74% of people support closing the Park Rd slip lane as part of any future round-a-bout upgrade project.
- 71% of people support new/better pedestrian and cycling facilities at the round-a-bout.
I also asked for your feedback on the local projects of most importance to you. Here are the results from highest priority to lowest:
- Fairfield Rd round-a-bout upgrade
- Hyde Rd/Fairfield Rd extension and intersection upgrade
- Venner Rd/Ipswich Rd intersection upgrade
- Widen Cardross St rail bridge
- Bike lanes for Fairfield Rd
- Additional safe crossing points across Fairfield Rd
Where to from here?
The good news is some of these projects are already on Council’s infrastructure upgrade list including:
- Venner Rd/Ipswich Rd intersection upgrade
- Bike lanes for Fairfield Rd (a principal bikeway route)
- Fairfield Rd round-a-bout upgrade
The bad news is the Lord Mayor has failed to allocated funding for these projects in Council’s annual Budget for many years. The Venner Rd/Ipswich Rd intersection upgrade remains the number one intersection upgrade priority in my annual local Budget submission—it’s nuts that there are no proper turning lanes and arrows. The Lord Mayor and his team have repeatedly voted against my motion to fund this important safety upgrade, but I will keep at it as it’s a valuable safety and congestion busting improvement for the district.
Some have been acknowledged by Council for possible future consideration, such as:
- Hyde Rd extension and Hyde Rd/Fairfield Rd intersection upgrade
- Widen the Cardross St rail bridge (as this Bridge is a state asset it would be led by the State Government)
Council recently undertook another active transport survey called the Fairfield Walking Network Plan and, while the results have not yet been released, I know residents will have strongly raised walking and cycling issues as they have done in other community consultation including the Neighbourhood Plan and Annerley Rd Bikeway survey. Crossing arterial roads safely through Yeronga and Fairfield should be a priority, not a nice to have.
Thank you for participating in the survey and letting me know your feedback. We are still looking at some of the other requests and I’ll provide a further update on those in due course.
I will be letting Council know about the community’s views and ensuring that the priorities you have raised are part of my advocacy and motion to Council during the Budget sittings and beyond.
Broader Community Feedback
Thank you to everyone who filled out the general comments question, there were a great range of suggestions and common concerns raised. I’ve grouped these under some common themes.
New Infrastructure
– Pedestrian upgrades for Venner Rd and Fairfield road including zebra crossing, green walk lights and glow in the dark markings
– New cycling infrastructure including protected bike lanes and/or separated paths throughout Yeronga and Fairfield
Traffic and Congestion
– Concerns about severe peak hour traffic congestion at roundabout
– Speed limit reduction for Fairifeld Rd to 50km or 40km, better traffic light synchronisation and more SAM signs
– Increase speed limit on Fairfield Rd, Y’pilly to 70km through industrial area
– Concerns about rat running in Fairfield and Yeronga
– Truck restrictions on Fairfield Rd and Venner Rd
Public and Active Transport
– Strong support for local bus services and request for additional services
– Request for on street parking to be removed to create bike lanes and pull in bus bays
– Additional safe walking and cycling routes for children travelling to Yeronga SS and Yeronga SHS
General
– Aesthetic improvements including additional street trees, landscaping, lighting, public art
– Concerns about traffic impacts from growth and development at the former Yeronga TAFE site
– Concerns about flood impacts at the intersection of Hyde Rd and Park Rd
I thank everybody for the suggestions. Many of the issues you have been raising are ones i have been working on for many years. Some are on Councils capital works list and others are being ignored by the Lord Mayor both in terms of priority and funding.
For the 17 years I have been the local Councillor, I have at every opportunity, through annual budget submissions, infrastructure and neighbourhood plans and petitions, called for the promised safety upgrade, truck ban and an intersection upgrade with Ipswich Rd. I have not stopped fighting for what was promised 16 years ago in the Freight Study recommendations by the Lord Mayor. You can read more about this on my website at this link: http://nicolejohnston.com.au/our-local-area/hot-issues-in-tennyson-ward/archives/venner-road-freight-study/
I have been fighting to improve the safety of this intersection including a truck ban and diversion since 2007 when I campaigned to deliver a traffic study on Venner Road. I announced the Freight Study findings in 2009, still committed to both short and long term improvements, and since then have been campaigning to ensure Venner Road was added to Council’s Long-term Infrastructure Plan and Priority Infrastructure Plan. The Lord Mayor, despite supporting the project back in 2009 and 2012, has since reneged.
Better bikeway connections around the Ward are essential. The current focus is on a current bikeway connection through Annerley Rd and funding for Concept plans is being delivered this year. Fairfield Rd is a principal cycling route, but there are no plans at this stage for bikeways. I am waiting on Council to provide further details on the Fairfield walking network plan which hopefully will recognise the pedestrian and bike improvements we have been seeking for many years. Any upgrade of the roundabout and/or Hyde Rd would include new bike and pedestrian cycling improvements, when a project is funded in future.
Regarding road safety, Council is currently investigating the Cardross St/Fairfield Rd intersection for a a federally funded black spot project. The bridge has also been identified for a future upgrade but this would be a partnership between QR and Council, as the bridge is a State Government asset.
November 2025
Did you know that the Fairfield Rd round-a-bout is listed on Council’s capital works list for conversion to traffic lights, but currently remains low on the priority list?
Fairfield Rd is an arterial Rd and carries around 26,000 vehicles per day including trucks. Under Council’s road network, Fairfield Rd is listed as a principal cycling route but does not include any bike lanes.
Of the 2,700 intersections around Brisbane, the intersection of Fairfield Rd and Venner Rd, Fairfield ranks in the top 10% of most crash-prone. Did you know that the intersection of Fairfield Rd and Hyde Rd, Yeronga has a higher listing based on its crash history in the top 5%, above the roundabout for worst crash history? A cyclist has been killed at Hyde Rd and bike and pedestrian access is very poor.
For those who are interested, the highest ranked Council intersection in Tennyson Ward, based on crash history, is at Ipswich Rd/Venner Rd/Waterton St, Annerley (top 1%). Every year at Budget time, this intersection is my number one capital works request for a major upgrade to include proper turning lanes lights and arrows.
I’m interested in your feedback about the future of the round-a-bout and whether Hyde Rd should be extended through the vacant flood buy back blocks to Park Rd, Yeronga to create a new east-west connection. This could help take pressure off the round-a-bout and the congested Cardross St rail bridge.
If the round-a-bout is converted into a four way intersection with traffic lights then one of the access points, most likely Park Rd, would be abolished. To provide an alternative outlet, Hyde Rd could be extended through to Park Rd to create a new intersection on the now vacant buy back blocks.
The pros
- vehicles must stop for red lights
- fairer vehicle access for all streets
- green walk signals for pedestrians and cyclists
The cons
- vehicles must stop for red lights even when there are no oncoming vehicles
- trees would be lost
- Park Rd access may be closed
Or you may have another idea to help manage traffic at key intersections along Fairfield Rd?
Fill out the online survey here and let me know what you think so we can push Council for outcomes that reflect local needs as part of future road network projects. The survey is open until 31 March, 2026.
Please note this survey is about gathering local views and feedback to inform future road, pedestrian and bike projects, and does not mean that any changes will be made.