IT'S a speedy way to zip around town, but these quad bikes and their riders are more interested in rejuvenation than joyriding.

The all-terrain vehicles have travelled from Victoria to do an exhaustive survey of every footpath between Cape Tribulation and Babinda to see which ones need the most urgent repairs.
If riding a quad bike all over the tropical Far North sounds like a great day in the office, spare a thought for the person who has to review the footage  mounted cameras on the quad bikes will take a photograph every 4m of the 482km mission.
That's 120,500 pictures of footpaths to analyse one by one.
The footage will be used to identify any hazards and help Council prioritise its maintenance and repair work.
"Council officers will review the footage, checking for cracking, displacement and missing segments," Cairns Mayor Bob Manning said.
The work is part of the council's ambitious Cycling and Walking Strategy, which aims to boost connectivity for cyclists and pedestrians, and proposes a sprawling dedicated bike path from Gordonvale to Palm Cove.
The region's footpaths have long been criticised by residents for their shoddy state and the council wants to get them in better condition. In the Cairns CBD, pedestrians complain of patchwork and filthy footpaths that are dangerously uneven in places.
And in the suburbs, long tracts of many streets have no footpaths at all.
The work is being carried out by Infrastructure Management Group, which travels Australia doing specialist surveying. Work started in the Cairns CBD on Thursday and will continue for six weeks.Which footpaths in your area need urgent attention? Comment at cairns.com.au

 

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