Huge progress for Sydney as a connected cycling city
Bicycle NSW staff and Board Members were amongst the crowd, catching up with all the familiar faces that make up the wider advocacy community. So many people who helped get this project over the line were there: Bicycle User Group leaders, former and current ministers, mayors and councillors, local residents, community groups, the designers and contractors, and the Transport for NSW project team.
CEO Peter McLean was front and centre of the media line up, taking this moment on the microphone to relay his appreciation for the efforts of Bicycle NSW Members and our community supporters during the four-decade campaign for an accessible ramp for bike riders.
Away from the cameras, Peter held a bottle of (zero-alcohol) prosecco and - threatening to pop the cork – said:
“Well, it’s officially here! The Harbour Bridge north ramp, it’s absolutely open for business…
“Thank you so much to all the Members, advocates, bicycle people that have been advocating for this project for decades. Your work has not gone unseen, so thank you to everyone who has made this day possible.”
We’d like to extend that gratitude to Bike North in particular. Over the years, Bike North members Carolyn New, Darryn Capes-Davis, Tony Stanley and Yaffa Gould put in countless hours making submissions, running a Facebook campaign page, attending council meetings and briefing councillors - even when faced with some very unpleasant social media bikelash.
We’ve rounded up some of our favourite photos from the memorable morning.
A huge crowd of advocates and stakeholders gathered in North Sydney’s Bradfield Park, as the press conference got underway (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Bicycle NSW CEO Peter McLean spoke to the media. Behind him, the Hon. John Graham, Minister for Transport, Bicycle NSW Board Member John Hawkins, Transport for NSW Acting Deputy Secretary Raquel Rubalcaba, North Sydney Mayor Zoe Baker (in orange), Director of ASPECT Studios Sasha Cole (in green) and Lord Mayor Clover Moore (in red) (Image: Bicycle NSW)
The ribbon cutting! David Thomson, President of Bike North (right), joined Peter McLean to celebrate this big moment for the Bicycle User Group (Image: Nick Langley / City of Sydney)
The first riders were Russ Webber and Carolyn New of Bike North. Both have campaigned for an accessible ramp for over 25 years and spearheaded the Harbourlink project nearly 20 years ago (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Russ is no longer mobile enough to ride his own bike and savoured his victory in a Cycling Without Age trishaw pedalled by Bike North’s John Kelman. “This might be my last time over the Harbour Bridge,” said Russ to Channel 9. “It’s just wonderful.”
Carolyn, a Willoughby resident, has been unable to push her e-bike up to the cycleway for many years, forcing her to catch a train to work in Waverley. On Wednesday she was able to cycle the whole way! (Image: Bike North)
Russ, Carolyn and John approached the ramp as Peter McLean watched on (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Bike North advocate Tony Stanley’s 5-year old daughter Alexandra was the next rider. Tony lives locally but has been unable to bring his family with him on bridge crossings as their e-bike and trailer were too heavy to take up the stairs. “She normally rides to daycare every day and now she is able to ride over the harbour bridge all by herself today – it’s just fantastic,” Stanley said to the Guardian. “It opens up where we can travel to now.” (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Former NSW Minister for Active Transport Rob Stokes caught up with Bike North’s Carolyn New and Bicycle NSW Membership Coordinator Yvonne Poon. Rob played a huge role in getting the ramp over the starting line during his time in government (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Lord Mayor Clover Moore celebrated with the City of Sydney’s Manager of Cycling Strategy, Fiona Campbell. Fiona’s work on the south side of the bridge, with staunch political support from the Lord Mayor, has played a huge role in encouraging other councils to finally develop safe and connected cycleways. Their work is showcased in our article about the new book, Women Changing Cities (Image: Bicycle NSW)
All smiles! The Cycling Without Age trishaw returned (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Relieved and happy. Tony Stanley and Carolyn New of Bike North celebrated the culmination of a hard-fought campaign (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Bicycle NSW Bike Planner Sarah Bickford rode up the ramp for the first time with her son Gabriel. “It was such an exciting day for Sydney's bike riders. Many people said this ramp would never happen,” said Sarah. “When I started at Bicycle NSW it was still a pipe dream. But it has turned out better than we ever imagined.” (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Riders of bikes that were previously excluded from the Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway really enjoyed the new ramp. (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Bicycle NSW represents at the bottom of the open ramp! From left: Bicycle NSW Board Member Anne Grunseit, President Melinda Tarrant, Board Member John Hawkins, CEO Peter McLean, Membership Coordinator Yvonne Poon, Bike Planner Sarah Bickford and Digital Content Creator Ali Macleod (Image: Bicycle NSW)
Head to the Sydney Harbour Bridge project page for more information, links and articles about the ramp, as well as a photographic timeline of the ramp under construction.
Help us advocate for more bike infrastructure
As highlighted by many of the speakers, there is still much to be done to create safe access to the Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway for bike riders of all ages and abilities.
From the north, the route options are particularly bad. A connection from the end of the Gore Hill cycleway in Naremburn to the Sydney Harbour Bridge has been a key advocacy priority for many years. The lack of action to fill the missing link is incredibly frustrating.
We are campaigning hard for the Warringah Freeway Upgrade project to create some viable sections of the future network, and for the NSW Government to fast-track funding of North Sydney Council’s plans for the West Street Cycleway.
On the south side, a campaign is ramping up for a safe and compliant access to the Observatory Hill end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge Cycleway
You will also support our advocacy to make NSW better for bike riding, and benefit from best personal accident and public liability insurance available to recreational riders in NSW.
