As Brisbane City Council pushes pedestrian safety measures and messages, council contractors have been directing people to walk on a CBD street, barely a metre from passing traffic.
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Pedestrian access to Anzac Square was closed on Monday so restoration work on the square could be completed.
Since the closure, pedestrians have been walking along Adelaide Street between parked cars and oncoming traffic, often with about one metre between themselves and vehicles.
On Thursday, a traffic controller was spotted directing pedestrians, including an elderly woman, to walk along the road.
Also that day, several pedestrians walking on the road had to stop while a large truck turned in front of them to enter the construction site.
Traffic cones mark an area for cars for the construction site to park, leaving pedestrians walking on the outer side of these cones, and with little distance between themselves and traffic.
Buses travel along Adelaide Street as well as general traffic, including trucks.
The council recently announced several changes to city speed limits and crossings in a bid to improve pedestrian safety after a spate of accidents involving pedestrians.
Council infrastructure chairwoman Amanda Cooper said highly visible signage had been placed to direct pedestrians to use a safe alternative route.
“A traffic controller is also located where the path has been closed to direct pedestrians back to the lights to cross safely," she said.
"Traffic controllers never encouraged pedestrians to walk on to the road - they have attempted to direct people to the safe routes but, disappointingly, have at times been ignored."
Fairfax Media witnessed traffic controllers allowing pedestrians to walk past them to step onto the road throughout Thursday.
Cr Cooper said pedestrian impatience and distraction were leading causes of incidents in the CBD, which was why the council was undertaking urgent upgrades at safety hot spots near Anzac Square.
