Sydney gets 10km of pop-up cycleways

Sydney is getting six new pop-up bike paths to encourage commuters to find alternatives to public transport as the head back to work following COVID-19 restrictions.

Image: Transport for NSW, City of Sydney Council

Transport minister Andrew Constance said public transport is already at capacity under the new social distancing regime.

“As the economy starts to open up again we face some real challenges in ensuring people can remain safe while still getting to and from work,” Mr Constance said.

He said the state government has worked with City of Sydney Council to identify locations in the west, east and south of the CBD for 10.3 km of pop up cycleways.

There are also plans to deliver temporary cycleways in Paddington, Newtown and the CBD.

“Across the world, cities are creating more space for people where it is needed to enable safe physical distancing,” Cr Moore said.

“When someone rides to work, they take a car off the road or free up space on public transport – this will be even invaluable when people start returning to the City and seek to maintain physical distancing.”

The cycleways, demarcated by barriers, line marking and lane dividers, will be available to use within the next few weeks, she said.

The government will also put green spots on trains, buses and ferries to indicate where it’s safe to sit and sand.

It is also establishing “safe capacity” limits of 12 people on buses, 32 per train carriage and 245 on a ferry providing overflow parking in areas including Moore Park and Sydney Olympic Park.

Mr Constance said public transport would not be able to run as usual “for the forseeable future”.

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12 thoughts on “Sydney gets 10km of pop-up cycleways

  1. I’d like to see an amendment to the current 1m gap whilst overtaking cyclist laws. Double the overtaking gap for heavy vehicles. They seem to struggle with their spacial awareness of there large and dangerous vehicles whilst overtaking cyclists. Or they find it amusing getting close when overtaking cyclist in a very sick and dangerous way.

      1. Keeping left is not always a good strategy. There are a lot of situations where particularly on quiet roads it increases risk because it decreases visibility. Here are some: round abouts, cars opening doors (happened to me yesterday), cars approaching from an intersection, cars pulling out (very often not indicating) and squeeze points. In these situation you should check for clearance and move to the right if safe. If not safe to pull out its safer to pull to the left and stop.

  2. So the basis of this is that nobody outside the inner CBD commutes by bicycle?
    How about those to the East and North who still compete with aggressive or unaware motorists and lorry/ute drivers?

    1. I dont mind sharing the road with other thoughful road users.
      To me it seems to be just arrogance for bicyclists to be using the roads in peak times. If it is needed please for your safety and mine keep left of the lane (allow motorists to pass you, idicate your intention and stop when rquired by law).
      A note to motorists, Please use the left lane and leave the right lane clear where possible this will allow emmergancy serices a faster response time. Please remember it is not your job to prevent speeding.

      1. The state of Sydney’s roads and the debris that finds itself deposited on them requires more space for cyclists to take emergency and evasive action. Unless you have bicycled regularly you will not appreciate the danger a crack in the bitumen, or a lump, or a broken bottle and shards of glass represent. In all cases you are dealing with other human beings on a public thoroughfare you are not dealing with automaton that can be thrown on a garbage pile and replaced. The exercise a motorist receives is from pumping the accelerator or brake and filling and expelling their lungs. Some consideration for the human being on the bicycle, the general amenity and empathy, and the state of the environment might be in order.

      2. The road is there to share. You are not more important because you are in an expensive lump of tin that requires wars to secure its fuels, contributes GHG, kills millions globally and pollutes the atmosphere killing even more. Drive slower, safer, be more mindful. And remember it is a human being on that bicycle not a robot. The idea of “expendibles” went out with the first world war. Or it didn’t.

  3. I am concerned about the so called “pop up” bike lane between Reiby Place and King St. This has been installed without consultation or any thought as to the impact on local businesses, the only consideration is given to cyclists. Since the light rail, Pitt St has had to bear most of the load of North South traffic and even without the bike lane it is often gridlocked with traffic, servicing local businesses such as retail shops, cafes, offices, early and late huge garbage trucks collect bins. Goods cannot be delivered by cycle. Car parking already scarce is becoming impossible. There are numerous driveways servicing hotels and car parks and buildings. A narrow and already very busy street has now been further reduced in capacity and affecting the businesses. There is high a risk of accidents. Business keeps this City alive and the bike lane should be in George St. There is room next to the light rail. We suffer from a lack of coherent planning in Sydney, no overall plan, just piecemeal decisions. Just look at the area of George St around Haymarket, empty shops, tatty buildings, run down, difficult business. We have had enough bad council decisions in Sydney. Please reconsider the bike way. I am not against them being a cyclist myself, it’s just in the wrong area.

  4. We, the residents, were notified today, 24th June, via letterbox drop that a pop up cycle way will be installed on Bridge Rd, Camperdown/Forest Lodge/Glebe and that construction will commence on 29th June. This is the first notification that residents have had of this “dictate”. We have further been told that all kerbside parking will be removed to facilitate the installation of the cycle way. How the hell are we supposed to be able to organise necessities to our homes – tradies, deliveries, and especially supermarket home deliveries when no-one will be allowed to stop and any parking in side streets is at best difficult, and usually impossible.

  5. The Bridge Road Glebe Pop Up Cycle path has been an unmitigated disaster. It is a poorly planned, hastily implemented dangerous dud, as unpopular with cyclists as it is with local residents who were not consulted at all prior to the ugly death trap being installed. These same residents were forced to give up more that 100 parking spots in Bridge road and have disabled parking moved up hills to lanes around corners. When out of touch, arrogant Clover Moore flat out refused to seek or provide information to the community about what safety investigations had been made prior to or during the installation of the infrastructure, some residents took matters into their own hands and commissioned and paid for an independent Safety Audit. The shocking findings of the Safety Audit disclosed
    26 Intolerable dangerous safety issues where cyclists are likely to be injured or killed. At this point the Government is scrambling to try to mitigate the danger spots. Experts say it will take a lengthy full planning investigation to consider whether any solution can be found the most dangerous flaws in the design. Stubbornly the cycling honchos in Transport NSW and Sydney Council are hanging on for grim death (literally in some cases) to the intrinsically flawed cycle path spinning wilder lies by the day in a futile attempt to delay the inevitable junking of the cycle path (hopefully before a cyclist is killed or seriously injured).

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