A REDLAND resident has called for third party insurance for all cyclists on the road and has taken his plea all the way to the top with a letter to premier Campbell Newman.
Birkdale's Bill Held decided to write to the premier with his request after his car was forced off the road when another car swerved to miss a cyclist on Rickertt Road near Chelsea Road at Tingalpa.
Mr Held said he and his wife, Sally, feared for their lives and narrowly missed a head-on collision as the driver of the other vehicle kept the obligatory 1m distance from the cyclist.
The road is two lanes on the Redland City Council side of Tingalpa Creek but converges into one lane each way on the Brisbane City Council side.
In 2011, the state government widened the bridge over the creek and added a designated bike pathway which ends at the intersection of Chelsea and Rickertt roads.
"Rickertt Road is too narrow and is heavily used on weekends and public holidays by cyclists and should be policed accordingly or, at the very least, be looked at for widening," Mr Held said.
"Cyclists, by law, are required to use a cycle track if one is available and, in this case, it is from Chelsea Road."
Capalaba MP Steve Davies, who uses the stretch of road every day, said "there may be some money in the kitty" to widen part of the road but the sticking point would be the cost of duplicating the bridge.
He met with Assistant Transport Minister Steve Minnikin, whose neighbouring Chatsworth electorate includes the road, to put pressure on Brisbane City Lord Mayor Graham Quirk.
"Brisbane City Council has no plans to do anything with that stretch of road, which is absolutely pathetic but it is the end of the road for them," Mr Davies said.
"The challenge will be the bridge, which would need duplicating, to solve any safety issues. But I am hoping that the mayors of both cities can work together on this problem."
A spokesman for Transport Minister Scott Emerson said the 1m rule would be trialled for two years to ensure it was enough space between a motorist and the rider.
Mr Emerson said it was legal for motorists to cross centre lines and painted traffic islands to pass cyclists but only when safe.
