Moore Park Cycleway Proposal Opens To Feedback, Amid Stoush Over Oxford Street

The City of Sydney is consulting residents on a permanent cycleway to replace the temporary one along Moore Park Road and Fitzroy Street — and while the proposal has been welcomed, some locals are pushing back on plans for a parallel extension on Oxford Street.

A temporary cycleway was established in 2020, utilising a former traffic lane. In the time since, bicycle ridership has increased by 89 per cent on Moore Park Road and 74 per cent on Fitzroy Street. Safety has improved significantly. In the five years to 2020, one fatality and four series injuries occurred; there have been none since. Up to 1,000 trips by bike are being made daily along the corridor.

The ongoing environmental review, which involves public consultation, is considering safety, how the cycleway is used, the role of shared bikes and its overall design.

“Rapid growth” in cycling popularity

 Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that there has been “rapid growth in cycling numbers, particularly given the meteoric rise in shared bike trips.” The Oxford Street route recently recorded its millionth trip.

“By building connected bike links, we’re offering people a viable transport option that is safe, cheap and encourages active lifestyles. Cycleways mean riders don’t need to weave in and out of dangerous traffic competing with trucks, cars and buses. People walking also benefit as the cycleways create a buffer from vehicles and reduce the instances of people riding bikes on the footpath.”

 “It’s our responsibility to ensure the city is safe to ride for the rapidly increasing number of people who choose to do so,” Moore added.

Should replace Oxford Street plan, say some advocates

Meanwhile, the City is also pursuing an extension of the Oxford Street cycleway from Taylor Square to the Centennial Park gate, bisecting Paddington and paralleling the route on Moore Park Road.

Six local community groups have formed the Paddington Cycleway Community Alliance to support the corridor alongside Moore Park whilst opposing the planned route on Oxford Street. “There has been three years of consultation, but nobody is really satisfied that any of the concerns have been adequately addressed,” said Nick Stravs of the Paddington Project.

He highlighted concerns “in terms of traffic chaos, the right-hand turns all along Oxford Street, the economic impacts for businesses, the safety aspects for elderly, disabled, or children, and also emergency service access.”

Stravs said that the design was impractical, and added that there was “a sense of deep frustration that after consultation, none of those things have been addressed.”

“People want to cycle, which is great, but they’re not cycling to come to the shops in Paddington. They’re cycling to get somewhere, and I think that’s what Oxford Street West has shown — people are commuting. They want to get from Bondi Junction to the city, or they want to get from Bondi to Central.”

“So when you add it up, one that’s going to involve design problems that costs a fortune, as opposed to the one that works and will cost a lot less, that has great patronage, connects the city with the east from the Centennial Park gates, it’s just a bit of a no-brainer.”

Peak advocacy body Bicycle NSW, however, supports both projects.

City waiting on transport agency

A City of Sydney spokesperson said that “Transport for NSW has taken longer than anticipated to progress the Oxford Street East cycleway, which is currently in design and a business case is being developed.”

The spokesperson added that the Government “should deliver this critical connection as soon as possible,” and that it will “provide an important network function” complementing other routes.

Public consultation ends on 19 August, with the review’s findings to be reported to councillors by December 2026.