The Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway is a conjoined
cycleway
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except w ...
from the north and south that crosses the
Sydney Harbour Bridge
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...
on its western side, linking the
Sydney central business district
The Sydney central business district (CBD) is the historical and main Central business district, commercial centre of Sydney. The CBD is Sydney's city centre, or Sydney City, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Colloquially, the CBD or c ...
with
North Sydney, Sydney's
Northern Suburbs
Northern Sydney is a large metropolitan area in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on the north shore of Sydney Harbour and Parramatta River. The region embraces suburbs in Sydney’s north-east, north and inner north west. Northern Sydney ...
and the
North Shore, in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Route
The southern terminus of the cycleway is at
Millers Point
Millers Point is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district, adjacent to The Rocks and is part of the local government area of the C ...
with access to Argyle Street and Upper Fort Street in
The Rocks. At its southern terminus near the
Sydney Observatory
The Sydney Observatory is a heritage-listed meteorological station, astronomical observatory, function venue, science museum, and education facility located on Observatory Hill at Upper Fort Street, in the inner city Sydney suburb of Millers P ...
, the cycleway is located adjacent to the
Western Distributor and connects with the
Kent Street cycleway. The northern terminus of the cycleway is at Burton Street,
Milsons Point
Milsons Point is a suburb on the lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The suburb is located 3 kilometres north of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of North Sydney Council.
Mil ...
, just below
Milsons Point railway station
Milsons Point railway station is a heritage-listed railway station located on the North Shore line, serving the Sydney suburb of Milsons Point in New South Wales, Australia. It is served by Sydney Trains T1 North Shore line services. The sta ...
. From this location riders ascend 55 stairs in order to access the path that is located on the roadway level, some above the water level. A campaign to eliminate the steps on this popular cycling route to the CBD has been running since at least 2008.
The absence of an efficient or safe cycleway or cycle paths to access the Bridge has resulted in the HarbourLink proposal to give better access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge's northern approach. The NSW Bike Plan 2010
identified
Naremburn to the Harbour Bridge as one of 13 major missing links and a priority metropolitan link. On 7 December 2016 the
NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay
Duncan John Gay (born 2 May 1950), an Australian politician, was the Vice-President of the Executive Council of New South Wales and the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council from May 2014 to January 2017; and the Minister for R ...
confirmed that the northern stairway would be replaced with a 20 million ramp alleviating the need for cyclists to dismount. At the same time the NSW Government announced plans to upgrade the southern ramp at a projected cost of 15 million.
As of April 2021,
Transport for NSW
Transport for NSW, sometimes abbreviated to TfNSW, and pronounced as Transport for New South Wales, is an agency of the New South Wales Government established on 1 November 2011, and is the leading transport and roads agency in New South Wales, ...
refused to release current plans, partly because it would be unable to “deal with the anticipated volume of communications” from the public. On 3 May, two preferred options were revealed: a two-storey spiral and a long slope. There was local opposition to both options. In August, the government announced that consultation had attracted about 2,800 responses of which 82% favoured a linear option, and in December it opened a public competition among three shortlisted linear designs. On 1 April 2022, it was announced that a 200-metre ramp, with an average gradient of 2 per cent, had been approved.
For the northern terminus there is a long-term plan to link the Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway with the
Gore Hill and Epping Road cycleways
The Gore Hill and Epping Road cycleways is a conjoined shared use path for cyclists and pedestrians, and an on road cycleway located in the lower north shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The eastern terminus of the cycleway is in ...
, to the northwest.
Cycleway use
In 2019, the average number of cycle trips varied between 1500 and 2000 on an average weekday.
The NSW Roads Regulations state that a person must not ride a bicycle on any part of the Sydney Harbour Bridge other than a cycleway.
See also
*
Bike paths in Sydney
*
Cycling in New South Wales
Cycling in the Australian state of New South Wales (including its capital Sydney) is a common form of recreation. In 2009, cycling was the fifth-most popular sports/physical activity in NSW.
Common cycling activities in NSW include
* commuting
* ...
*
Cycling in Sydney
Cycling in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia takes place for recreation, commuting and as a sport. Sydney has a hilly topography and so may require a slightly higher level of fitness from cyclists than flatter cities such as Melbourne and Canber ...
References
External links
Bicycle NSW websiteCity of Sydney - Cycling
*
{{coord missing, New South Wales
Cycling in Sydney
Cyclist bridges in Australia
Cycleway
Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except w ...