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The Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway is a 2-kilometre-long (1.2 mi)[1] conjoined cycleway from the north and south that crosses the Sydney Harbour Bridge on its western side, linking the Sydney central business district with North Sydney, Sydney's Northern Suburbs and the North Shore, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.[2]
| Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway | |
|---|---|
 A cyclist riding north to south along the cycleway in 2015 | |
| Length | 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) |
| Location | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Trailheads |
|
| Use | Cycling only |
| Highest point | 51 metres (167 ft) AHD |
| Lowest point | 14 metres (46 ft) AHD |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Season | All seasons |
The southern terminus of the cycleway is at Millers Point with access to Argyle Street and Upper Fort Street in The Rocks. At its southern terminus near the Sydney Observatory, 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, just below Milsons Point railway station. From this location riders ascend 55 stairs in order to access the path that is located on the roadway level, some 51 metres (167 ft) above the water level.[3] A campaign to eliminate the steps on this popular cycling route to the CBD has been running since at least 2008.[4][5]
The absence of an efficient or safe cycleway or cycle paths to access the Bridge has resulted in the HarbourLink proposal[6] to give better access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge's northern approach. The NSW Bike Plan 2010[7] 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 confirmed that the northern stairway would be replaced with a 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 A$15 million.[8][9][10]
As of April 2021, Transport for NSW refused to release current plans, partly because it would be unable to “deal with the anticipated volume of communications” from the public.[11] On 3 May, two preferred options were revealed: a two-storey spiral and a long slope.[12] There was local opposition to both options.[13] In August, the government announced that consultation had attracted about 2,800 responses of which 82% favoured a linear option,[14] and in December it opened a public competition among three shortlisted linear designs.[15] On 1 April 2022, it was announced that a 200-metre ramp, with an average gradient of 2 per cent, had been approved.[16] That plan was controversial, but was approved by North Sydney Council on 28 February 2023[17] and by the Heritage Council of New South Wales in June 2023, to continuing objections.[18] The project has been determined to proceed with construction, to commence from early 2024.[19]
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, to the northwest.[20]
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In 2019, the average number of cycle trips varied between 1500 and 2000 on an average weekday.[21]
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.[22]
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