Harbour Bridge ramp

[familyguy]

A-grade stirrer, that guy.

I'm glad some comments can see who is likely running this one behind the curtain. Wonder if it was "I'll vote for you as mayor if you put my option forward" deal? Wouldn't be surprised.

[find_bruce]

Final design for ramp announced, but no real surprise Active Transport minister has gone with the design with just a 2% slope

The first look at the 200m Harbour Bridge cycleway


I can't remember if there some particular reason for curving out around the underpass.

[familyguy]

Final design for ramp announced, but no real surprise Active Transport minister has gone with the design with just a 2% slope

The first look at the 200m Harbour Bridge cycleway


I can't remember if there some particular reason for curving out around the underpass.

Probably the heritage of the station entrance roof and/or airspace directly over.

The usual whining is on, but this is the most concrete action on this in decade/s. Kudos to those involved.

[AndrewCowley]

But what about North Sydney council? Will they accept this or continue with their delaying tactics?

[g-boaf]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rev ... 5a9r8.html

I didn’t know cycleways were causing damage to Sydney. Some of those comments are hysterical.

Already people asking for speed limits, I suppose Harold Scruby will live on that ramp with his speed camera.

[familyguy]

33 comments within 30 minutes of it going up. No more since. Seems to be the way of it now.

I did put a couple in but don't expect them to get published. Damage of cycleways done to Sydney, that's the most laughable one. Let's ignore St Peters being all but obliterated for an interchange, shall we?

[AndrewCowley]

Most of the comments are positive.

[mikesbytes]

This option appears to reduce the footprint on the public land, though it might be a case of a long sliver rather than a big bump but none the less its having less impact on the usability of the land. I'd say its the best option for those who oppose the construction due to how the land is used. I am a little surprised that the simply didn't go over the station entrance but as has been mentioned that might of messed with heritage.

I'm wondering 3 things;
1. Are they going to make it aesthetically compatible with the bridge?
2. How does the design interact with the roundabout?
3. Will the stairs be retained? I'm thinking about cyclists who come from the other side of the motorway

[AndrewCowley]

It appears connect with the road, where there will be green cycle lanes that go to the roundabout.

If you zoom in, it shows the existing stairs are maintained.

[39x25]

very happy with the choice.. it was my preferred option as it takes the traffic away from the station entrance which is a great thing.

I'm literally sitting 50m away from the current stairs and fed up with the not in my back yard mob even in my own building. Nothing is ever good enough for them and they want an eyesore lift system as a deterrent for people to NOT come into their suburb. While i'm glad this is finally progressing.. i will not be happy until construction is finally finished. GIbson and the local Karen's had blocked this vital infrastructure for the entire city far too many times and bad faith decisions being made over and over again has blunted my optimism over the years. They just as recently as last month had a protest gathering over this issue... i expect anther bunch of old folks weakly "protesting" in the next week or two after this announcement.

Although my wife has cautioned me with rubbing it into their faces... i will most certainly be there on opening day when it comes and enjoy their sour faces as we all pedal across the bridge.

[reversebias]

There were surveyors measuring the site this week, one crew at the gravel patch nearby the stairs, and another crew further up Albert st near where the proposed ramp would reach ground level. There was also someone from the council (?) handing out flyers asking for community comments about the "Review of Environmental Factors". Here's the link for anyone who missed a flyer, submissions close 19th of December.

https://caportal.com.au/tfnsw/sydney-ha ... ssionsForm

[00tones00]

Hi all,
The Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycle Ramp "Review of Environmental Factors" is open for public comment for the next week. Please make sure you comment your support for the project and stress for it to be built as quickly as possible. It should only take about 1min to do the feedback.

Opposition groups are focusing on trying to delay the process as much as possible.

https://caportal.com.au/tfnsw/sydney-ha ... e-your-say

[trailgumby]

This is why we need the TfNSW ramp:

[trailgumby]

Hi all,

This is an urgent call out for support letters/ submissions from all your members and friends to support the Sydney Harbour Bridge ramp. Submissions don't have to be long, but it is crucial to get them in by next week-

Submissions due 19 December. Here's the link.

What's at stake?

We have a brilliant design enabling riders of all ages, abilities and bicycle types to get across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a plan to see it done by 2024. To date, many riders are prevented by the 55 steps. This will be a game-changer for liveable, walkable streets, public health, decongestion and decarbonisation.

Why we need your urgent support

However, opposition from a well-resourced NIMBY campaign threatens to derail it. They will be getting their contacts to flood TfNSW with negative submissions. This is why we're asking everyone to send their support. A one pager would be wonderful, but even 5 lines, very welcome!

Our draft submission will be ready by tomorrow and located in Bicycle NSW> submissions.

Main points to raise in a 5-minute submission-
(Please use your own words)
• Inclusive and fair: The bridge ramp supports all bike riders currently blocked from 55 stairs, including children, elderly, riders with
• disability, e-bikes, recumbents, cargo bikes.
• It supports sustainable cities and will help decarbonise Sydney.
• It is a key north-south strategic link.
• It will massively boost ridership and tackle the wicked problem of congestion.
• It supports people struggling with the cost of living.
• It supports a culture of physical activity- a major issue, especially among children.
• Alfred St gets a make-over with a dedicated cycleway, making it safer for pedestrians.
• 15 car parking spaces are removed for the benefit of active transport- as opposed to the passive storage of private property in public space.
• It's a beautiful award winning design that compliments everybody's favourite art deco bridge.
• Only 5-6 trees are removed and replaced.
• Businesses benefit massively from active transport. (from 5:1 to 13:1 for every dollar spent. Check out our article)

The Harbour Bridge is for everyone. A victory here is a victory for walking and bicycling everywhere.
Please forward this to friends and members. Any questions, don't hesitate to call.
40 years is long enough!

Big thanks to all!

Francis O'Neill
Head of Advocacy
Bicycle NSW

Gadigal Country
Tower 2, Level 20,
201 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000
PO Box Q178, Queen Victoria Building, NSW 1230
T: 02 9704 0807 W: bicyclensw.org.au

[tpcycle]

I 100% support building the ramp. I live in North Sydney council area and I ride a bike a lot. I pay rates and the paucity of cycling friendly routes is terrible and the current Harbour Bridge stairs are an embarrassment. The stairs are completely unfriendly and prevent a lot of people who may otherwise like to venture across the bridge by bicycle from doing so. They are also very dangerous when trying to wheel a bulky bicycle with a child seat - like I used to do. This ramp should have been built 20 years ago - please don't have any more delays - please don't let the NIMBYs or the millionaires on Alfred St derail it. When I visit modern cities overseas I am always heartened by the huge strides many of them have made to encourage active transport by installing state of the art cycling infrastructure. There should be no question that proper cycling access needs to be built, it is disheartening that such a sensible and long overdue project is meeting so much resistance.

Please build it now - please don't delay any longer.

[find_bruce]

I put in a submission focusing on some of the people I know who ride bikes but can't manage the 50 stairs & how it was unfair to exclude them from using the iconic bridge.

It's about time!

[mikesbytes]

I 100% support building the ramp. I live in North Sydney council area and I ride a bike a lot. I pay rates and the paucity of cycling friendly routes is terrible and the current Harbour Bridge stairs are an embarrassment. The stairs are completely unfriendly and prevent a lot of people who may otherwise like to venture across the bridge by bicycle from doing so. They are also very dangerous when trying to wheel a bulky bicycle with a child seat - like I used to do. This ramp should have been built 20 years ago - please don't have any more delays - please don't let the NIMBYs or the millionaires on Alfred St derail it. When I visit modern cities overseas I am always heartened by the huge strides many of them have made to encourage active transport by installing state of the art cycling infrastructure. There should be no question that proper cycling access needs to be built, it is disheartening that such a sensible and long overdue project is meeting so much resistance.

Please build it now - please don't delay any longer.

How is the council since the election?

[trailgumby]

I 100% support building the ramp. I live in North Sydney council area and I ride a bike a lot. I pay rates and the paucity of cycling friendly routes is terrible and the current Harbour Bridge stairs are an embarrassment. The stairs are completely unfriendly and prevent a lot of people who may otherwise like to venture across the bridge by bicycle from doing so. They are also very dangerous when trying to wheel a bulky bicycle with a child seat - like I used to do. This ramp should have been built 20 years ago - please don't have any more delays - please don't let the NIMBYs or the millionaires on Alfred St derail it. When I visit modern cities overseas I am always heartened by the huge strides many of them have made to encourage active transport by installing state of the art cycling infrastructure. There should be no question that proper cycling access needs to be built, it is disheartening that such a sensible and long overdue project is meeting so much resistance.

Please build it now - please don't delay any longer.

How is the council since the election?

Better, but not great. Because there are only two wards, loud snarky voices have a disproportionate impact.

We need everyone to have their say on the REF.

[g-boaf]

I put in a submission focusing on some of the people I know who ride bikes but can't manage the 50 stairs & how it was unfair to exclude them from using the iconic bridge.

It's about time!

I wouldn't be able to manage the stairs either, and if there was a lift, could those loud, snarky voices in the council assure that it will always be working 100% of the time if I needed it?

[tpcycle]

I live in North Sydney council area...

How is the council since the election?

Better, but not great. Because there are only two wards, loud snarky voices have a disproportionate impact.

We need everyone to have their say on the REF.

At least they don't seem to be very vocal militant anti-cyclist at the moment. Which I guess is a step forward? But, they aren't going out of their way to be pro-cyclist. I imagine not $1 of the $2500 rates I have to pay goes towards useful cycling projects - some nice videos, ppts and brochures but not a lot of action. My submission to the REF was a bit wishy washy but I've spent a lot of time in the past submitting what I thought were well crafted well reasoned responses and the projects have just been discarded by cynical people. I do hope this ramp gets built, but I'll believe it when I am riding on it.

[00tones00]

Here is the video of last night's Council meeting dealing with Cr Ian Mutton and Cr Jilly Gibson's latest attempt to derail the ramp.
Apparently there were heaps of people in the gallery to oppose the ramp with recycled and already dis-proven claims.

https://livestream.com/northsydneycounc ... /234149514

The topic starts 2:31:15 sec into video

[familyguy]

Here is the video of last night's Council meeting dealing with Cr Ian Mutton and Cr Jilly Gibson's latest attempt to derail the ramp.
Apparently there were heaps of people in the gallery to oppose the ramp with recycled and already dis-proven claims.

https://livestream.com/northsydneycounc ... /234149514

The topic starts 2:31:15 sec into video

JFC, who were those first two people? Short-sighted NIMBY's. Unreal. At least there were some supportive statements.

REF submission done. If this doesn't get up, I'm going to have to re-start giving my customary salute to the council chambers when I go past.

[reversebias]

Fun letter from North Sydney councillor Ian Mutton in the North Sydney Sun



I'm incredibly curious about his cherry-picked date of the 10th of March 2022. From BOM records of that week, there was >200mm of rain in the preceding 4 days, which surely would have led to lower numbers of riders. But even on the worst of days, we all know there are significantly more than 10 riders per hour. Equipment malfunction? I remember the rubber hoses counting bike traffic on the bridge bike path last year (above Argle St), anyone seen the raw data that he's referring to?

[00tones00]

I'm incredibly curious about his cherry-picked date of the 10th of March 2022. I remember the rubber hoses counting bike traffic on the bridge bike path last year (above Argle St), anyone seen the raw data that he's referring to?

This was clearly cherry picked during the week of the massive flooding in Sydney when Roseville Bridge closed among other locations. There were also "stay at home" directions from the SES too.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-03-08/ ... JPpa5zREQ4

Mutton's time stamps don't align with TfNSW summary data which is grouped on the hour. I believe he and/or a couple of the local bike haters went out specifically at that day and time to manually "count" and get the lowest possible count they could. If you watch the video recording of the North Sydney Council meeting held on 12th December 2022, I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the residents in attendance to oppose the ramp again were involved.

[trailgumby]

Seems there's a spelling mistake. Shouldn't it be Ian Muppet?

If pedestrian numbers are 7 times the number of cyclists, does that mean there are only 70 pedestrians a day? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Hardly a compelling argument for redirecting the spend or opening up the western side to pedestrians.

The number disparity between pedestrians and cyclists is in fact the driving reason for the ramp. Numbers drop for recreational cyclists on the weekend, when pedestrian numbers explode. Remove the obstacle the stairs prevent, and the numbers will get much closer to parity.