Cycleways In Sydney’s Inner City And Inner West
Whether you’re riding purely for fun and exercise or commuting to the office, the inner city and inner west are home to an increasing number of bike routes.
Cycling has soared in Sydney during the pandemic, with lockdowns, quieter roads and a desire to avoid public transport and exercise locally all contributing to soaring bike sales.
A City of Sydney transport report showed that over half (53%) of people who considered themselves ‘regular riders’ had begun riding regularly in the past two years, up from 34% in 2017. While ‘health’ was the main reason given (60%), one in five cyclists cited COVID-19 as a key motivation.
Whether you ride a bike on the weekend for recreation, are a hard-core mountain biker, or you use your bike to commute to and from the office, cycling is a great way to stay fit, save money, and reduce carbon emissions.
The redevelopment of Green Square has already seen upgrades to cycleways in the inner city. The cycleway from Green Square to Randwick now connects to more than 2.4 kilometres of separated bike lanes already linking Zetland, Waterloo, Alexandria and Redfern with the inner city.
However, the NSW government has recognised the need for more city cycleways, and recently released plans for 30 ‘strategic cycle corridors’ across eastern Sydney. The proposed cycleways will total around 250 kilometres, covering an area from the northern beaches to Olympic Park in the west. The hope is that these corridors will serve as main threads for the entire cycle network, tying together key centres and recreation areas, such as Centennial Park and Bondi Beach, with more suburbs. Among those deemed ‘immediate opportunities’ are cycle corridors connecting Newtown and Green Square.
Cycleways to try
If you’re just getting started cycling or are looking for new places to ride, you can download a free Sydney cycling map to discover all of the network’s our beautiful city has to offer. The Harbour Bridge to Anzac Bridge route is a classic if you’re looking to take in some of the city’s most iconic sights.
Some keen cyclists have created interesting maps of self-guided bike rides that show how you can take your own cycling tour of, for example, 13km of Sydney’s parks and gardens, cruise around the city’s best markets, or go on an inner east art ride.
Indeed, Sydney’s large parks are heaven for riders. The Sydney Park bike track even has a kids’ bike track that is the perfect place for kids to learn to ride safely, complete with working tragic lights and pedestrian crossings.
The shared cycleways of Centennial Parklands are another idyllic place to ride. The Grand Drive Cycle Lane is the main 3.8km loop around the park but there are plenty of other paths to explore too, including a Learners Cycleway where many a Sydneysider has learned to ride their first bike. No bike? Hire one and give it a whirl at Centennial Park Cycles.
New cycleways in progress for the inner city
Between July 2020 and February 2021 the NSW government opened ‘pop up cycleways’ as part of its CovidSafe Travel Plan in a bid to get people back to the office while reducing numbers on public transport. These pop-up cycleways proved so popular that there have been calls to make some of them permanent.
Further updates to inner city cycleways began early this year and aim to be complete within a year. New cycling connections for Alexandria and Erskineville will include:
A permanent cycleway in place of the existing pop-up cycleway on Henderson Road, Railway Parade and Bridge Street
A new cycleway on Ashmore and Harley streets between Fox Avenue and McEvoy Street.
A new cycleway on Mitchell Road and Huntley Street between Sydney Park Road and Belmont Street.
4 new shared paths, creating connections to schools, between Elliott Avenue and Buckland Street.
Whether you’re brand new to cycling, feeling a bit rusty or would like to learn how to maintain your bike, The City of Sydney offers a number of cycling courses and workshops.
Find locations for bike hire, shops and pumps here.
If you want to find out more about why Sydney’s Inner City and Inner West is a great place to live and buy real estate contact our team today.
