Massive Sydney bike network expansion touted

Infrastructure Australia has flagged a massive expansion of Sydney’s inner city bike network.

The unprecedented move by the Commonwealth’s key infrastructural advisory body will be the first time a bike project is included as an Early Stage project in the National Infrastructure Priority List.

“The inclusion in Infrastructure Australia’s list of priority projects is a key first step towards attracting the funding required to build the bike network over the next eight years,’ said a City of Sydney spokesperson.

“Infrastructure Australia’s decision reflects the fast growth of bike riding in Sydney and an increasing awareness that safe bike infrastructure is part of the solution to traffic gridlock.”

The City of Sydney has spearheaded a plan for an Inner Sydney Regional Bike Network, covering 15 council areas surrounding the heart of the city and extending up to 10 kilometres from the CBD.

In its submission to Infrastructure Australia last year, the City of Sydney said the network would deliver an increased economic standard of living for Australians, environmental sustainability and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Focus for the project will now turn to funding, with $185 million required in Commonwealth funding over the next eight years.

Planned upgrades to the existing bike network will see a finished network of 284 kilometres of cycleways connecting each individual council’s cycling plans by providing additional infrastructure to fill present gaps. 217 kilometres will be cycleways separated from traffic, and 70 kilometres are planned as shared paths.

A study by consultancy firm AECOM forecast a 71 per cent increase in bike trips by 2026 if the network was upgraded.

Residents in Sydney’s most densely populated area are set to benefit from increased access to the cycleways to and from the city.

David Deep, a tennis centre proprietor in Surry Hills, said the cycleways would provide an immense boost to his ability to get to and from work.

“If it wasn’t for the cycleways, I wouldn’t be riding my bike to work. The cycleways make it safer for me to ride to work, and for the drivers as well. There needs to be more of them,” he said.

However, the project is far from being finalised. Infrastructure Australia is merely an advisory body, and the $185 million costing is the City of Sydney’s own projection.

Denoting the Inner Sydney Regional Bike Network as Early Stage effectively means that the project has merit, but more information must be provided before it can be upgraded to the status of “on the threshold” or “ready to proceed”.

Before state and federal funding can be ensured, local governments must compile a more comprehensive plan denoting the economic, environmental and traffic impacts of the planned expansion.