Sydney Harbour Bridge bicycle access saga

[AUbicycles]

The issue of the stair access only and decades of unfulfilled promises to improve bicycle access to the Sydne Harbour Bridge continues.

As a recap for more recent events, the previous transport minister Duncan Gay who was responsible for removing cycling infrastructure, overspending tax dollars to redo studies on bicycle registration (same outcome = bad idea), targeting and hiking fines for bike riders while avoiding any progressing steps to improve the infrastructure suddenly pitched revived the ‘forgotten’ ideas of improved Harbour Bridge access in his final days in office.

As expected, no much happened and it was documented that the residents were significantly opposed (that’s their job).

The latest, Transport for NSW is not communicating with Bicycle NSW, and denied a freedom of information request on the project details sayingbthat it is not in the public interest to know and that conversely they could not deal with the expected flood of public interest.

This consistently opaque behaviour is so frustrating... it is as though a progressive, future-compatible and balanced transport infrastructure in NSW is not the priority... it is only about getting more motor vehicles onto the roads... public transport is secondary and well behind is pedestrian and cycle access.


https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the ... 57hhv.html

[brumby33]

That NSW Government department, the Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is one totally inept mob of idiots that as far as I'm concerned should be scrapped....some of the things they have done for Public transport should get them booted and it doesn't look as though Gladys's mob are about to be voted out anytime soon, they have another 3 years to the next election.
The amount of people, especially the elderly they have disadvantaged by cutting out bus routes, closing bus stops, forcing people onto a snail paced light rail system, cutting services and starting new ones under new numbers and not having any connections close by are just some of the incompetent things they do.....when they were challenged by the bus Companies and Union leaders, their answer was that they didn't care what they thought and that they were in charge of decisions made.....bloody incompetent bureaucrats. (an official in a government department, in particular one perceived as being concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs.)
So, that the entry onto the bridge not being changed for decades does not surprised me in the least and I think it'll still be a topic of discussion with nothing done in the next 3 decades.(Thank God I live on the South side of the harbour)

brumby33

[tpcycle]

Same old, same old. The only thing new was that staunchly anti cyclist North Sydney mayor Jilly Gibson quoted as saying that instead of changing the steps there should be a dedicated cycle lane on the bridge proper. I assume this was just another cynical gambit as she knows full well that the chances of that happening are slightly less than a snowballs chance in hell. Shame my rates help to pay her wages.

[recumbenteer]

Question?

How many "cyclists" have had a slip, trip, or fall while being forced to man-handle their bike up/ or down the SHB steps?

Is there an incident register?

[hunch]

Don't know about a register, do remember seeing a meat wagon attending to a rider at the height of the bike courier boom ages ago. Didn't witness, understood it was a ride down the ramp that went wrong rather than a clumsy attack.

Wouldn't like to wrangle anything heavy, or something like a kids trailer or tandem, especially now with one knee starting to give grief if tweaked slightly the wrong way.

[AUbicycles]

I used to ride down and try and ride up ... which was possible on a good day but with more sense and kess practice now, don’t fancy this.

But true... for functional cycle transport like cargo bikes or parents with kids, the habour bridge is not an option yet.

[zebee]

I have taken bike and trailer both down and up, and up was bloody hard work. I have not tried it with the trike... I figure riding down with the trike would be easy but the people coming up would be annoyed!

[opik_bidin]

They need more pressure. I think Sydney is changing and the pressure should be piled on. There should be bicycle riding residents with kids riding too. and denying them access to the CBD through riding the bridge is discriminatory. TO put it through, you need to have disabled, kids, workers voice of needing the access. Especially the disabled as many can ride ebikes but will be in so much pain going down and up walking their heavy ebikes

Saying that the opposition doesnt care about delivery guys on carrgo bikes, mums and dads sending kids t school and disabled people ridinng ebikes by denying that access is much more effective.

[g-boaf]

They need more pressure. I think Sydney is changing and the pressure should be piled on. There should be bicycle riding residents with kids riding too. and denying them access to the CBD through riding the bridge is discriminatory.

What about access to the CBD for those who don't have to ride across the bridge, but would have to ride on the road because existing cycleway/shared paths are not properly linked?

There is so much that needs to be done. There are plans galore, but none of them ever seem to go forward. We have loads of money for road tunnels and metros it seems.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-22/ ... a/12801560

What's the last really, really large cycleway project that was completed in Sydney, and when was it done?

[tpcycle]

What's the last really, really large cycleway project that was completed in Sydney, and when was it done?

.
Was it in 2014 with the Tibby Cotter bridge?

[g-boaf]

What's the last really, really large cycleway project that was completed in Sydney, and when was it done?

.
Was it in 2014 with the Tibby Cotter bridge?

I was thinking by distance covered, not by money burned.

[AndrewCowley]

What's the last really, really large cycleway project that was completed in Sydney, and when was it done?

Epping Road circa 2009.

[g-boaf]

What's the last really, really large cycleway project that was completed in Sydney, and when was it done?

Epping Road circa 2009.

I wasn’t riding bikes at that time. A long time ago.

Everything else appears to be little bits and pieces here and there.

Look at what people in Penrith face if they want to ride to Parramatta, or worse the CBD. Or anyone else along that corridor also faces a not very nice commute.

[AUbicycles]

The Tibby Cotter Bridge was never really for bike riders, the NSW Government just used budget earmarked for cycling investment for this ... it was more about pedestrian access frum Surry Hills to the two stadiums because the freeway blocked it. For bike riders it was not connected ... so not part of (or made to be) an actual route...

More recent Oxford Street improvements (which I have not used) were welcomed, as far as I know but are thanks to the City of Sydney (I understand) and probably don’t qualify as a significant development.

[AndrewCowley]

Another project that I think would qualify as 'significant' would be the shared paths around the Parramatta River. The ones that go through the mangroves.

[familyguy]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/i-a ... 57nvb.html

My thoughts on Jilly Gibson's comments are unpublishable.

[tpcycle]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/i-a ... 57nvb.html

My thoughts on Jilly Gibson's comments are unpublishable.

.
Yeah like I said above she's just a cynical ***** and I am ashamed that my council rates help to pay her salary. The corkscrew option puts the anzac bridge ramp to shame - and I thought it was ill conceived. I guess they'll (we'll) waste tens of millions of dollars on the corkscrew and then people will still prefer the steps as the radius of those curves look ridiculous.

Of course it's not like there isn't already an existing huge structure that a bicycle lane could easily be pinned to which would result in a perfectly aligned straight low gradient path that would link up to Alfred Park above the train station entrance.

[AndrewCowley]

No chance in hell I'd ride in that loop thing.

https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.13 ... 8747e6b7e7

Look at it ... Simply comical. It would be chaos. There will be crashes aplenty.

I hope it's a case of needing to present two options and making one of them (the loop) completely stupid to ensure the other gets up.

Would 1000% keep using the stairs if the loop was built.

Maybe they would dismantle and re-use parts of the infamous Tibby Cotter bridge for the loop option.

[baabaa]

No chance in hell I'd ride in that loop thing.

The sale of bells and very loud rear hubs like Hope and Chris King in Sydney will increase - just like the Anzac bridge loop, the speed difference between those riding up and those going down makes these things hard to ride.
If you salmon against the peak hours flows they are downright shocking.
Just put in a simple ramp that people of all ages and bikes can slowly go up and down to the bridge deck without making anyone other super commuters anxious.

[tpcycle]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/harbour ... 57oek.html

Jilly "I'm a cyclist too" Gibson. Oh yeah she is such a ******** cycling advocate. Pfffft.

[find_bruce]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/harbour ... 57oek.html

Jilly "I'm a cyclist too" Gibson. Oh yeah she is such a ******** cycling advocate. Pfffft.

Yeah its right up there with "I'm not a racist, but ..."

A friend of mine is in her 60s, bought an e-bike & rides it to circular quay then takes a ferry & rides from the other side of Sydney Harbour to her work. She would like to ride home across the bridge, but I can't see her pushing her 30 kg bike up the stairs & I pretty certain that Jilly couldn't either

[AUbicycles]

Havn’t seen the corkscrew but understand the flaw. It needs to be in reverse (doesn’t fit on the Milsons Point side) for it to work ... ie outside lane faster downhill and inside lane slower uphill.

The “I am a cyclist” used by polticians is often (but not always) rubbish. Melinda Pavey was meant to also be cycling friendly... but is more ‘car friendly’ and didn’t do much (not even respond to postal requests). You may remember Tony Abbot who rides a road bike at times but also did nothing as the Prime Minister to advance cycling safety.

If there is a publicity opportunity, politicians. An be happy cyclists but this doesn’t mean there is any substance.

[g-boaf]

Havn’t seen the corkscrew but understand the flaw. It needs to be in reverse (doesn’t fit on the Milsons Point side) for it to work ... ie outside lane faster downhill and inside lane slower uphill.

The “I am a cyclist” used by polticians is often (but not always) rubbish. Melinda Pavey was meant to also be cycling friendly... but is more ‘car friendly’ and didn’t do much (not even respond to postal requests). You may remember Tony Abbot who rides a road bike at times but also did nothing as the Prime Minister to advance cycling safety.

If there is a publicity opportunity, politicians. An be happy cyclists but this doesn’t mean there is any substance.

Easy way to sort out the "cyclist" politicians, just talk to them about riding and you'll easily pick the ones that are pushing a load of BS and the ones that weren't. I remember a former government MP who never said much about riding at all but was a cycling devotee. I do remember that well. I would never have voted for that lot, but that MP was quite okay.

Abbott would have been too scared of upsetting his voters to support cycling and his boss who pulled the strings, she wouldn't have let him do that anyway.

[g-boaf]

This mayor isn't too concerned about the heritage of the MLC building:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/fal ... 57piz.html

Actually I remember working in that building a long time ago. But I do not miss the commuting to and from North Sydney.

[AndrewCowley]

My first ever job was in that building.