Best New Sydney Cycle Infrastructure Awards -2020

Here are the best bicycle infrastructure improvements in 2020 across the whole of Sydney. To win, there must be an increase in the numbers of people using the path or facility, the path has to pretty safe, good looking and fun to ride. It doesn’t have to be long if it connects existing trails better. ( If you wish to just see the photos – click here )

1st Place – Bare Creek Mountain Bike Park (Belrose)

I arrived at Bare Creek Mountain Bike Park one hour after opening on day one. There were mountain bikes everywhere. Never seen a place so busy, so many kids and adults having fun. The place is colossal in size, everywhere you look a bike is flying through the air. Absolutely sensational. I like terra firma myself but this is a total standout. No debate. Bare Creek is the winner

See on map >> and Read about it on the council web site (see status on page)

Here is a video of the winning Sydney Bicycle Infrastructure Award for 2020 and here are all the Photos.

Usage: High
Distance: 1.6 km

Here are photos on what it is like to ride to Bare Creek from Forestville

Update: There was a number of accidents on the first weekend and its been raining. Take it gradually folks, get lessons and check Status on this page.

2nd Place – Lachlan’s Line Bridge – Macquarie Park

A landmark piece of architecture that says walking and cycling and modern trains are important to communities. Sure it was expensive but try building an eye catching bridge over the M2 Expressway and Delhi Rd for small change. Totally love the bridge and the cycleway down into Macquarie Park.

Lachlan’s Line Bridge – North Ryde

Website: Landcom Info and Video
Distance: 100m
Usage: Moderate so far See on map next to the North Ryde Metro Station>>

Here are the photos and video

Third Place – Henderson Rd Popup

2020 was the year of the popup cycleway. This was a new way of implementing trails which was a lot faster than the usual consultation process that councils undertake to decide if a cycleway is to be built. They also dont involved many permanent features, just plastic cones, concrete dividers and paint. As a consequence they are cheaper to build and they are rolled out in a week or two rather than months. This phenomenon came about as a result of huge popularity of cycling in Covid times.

Sydney city rolled out 6 popups and the best of these Henderson rd is the third place winner. It wins the bronze because it was deployed on a wide street with very few private dwellings on the side where the bike lane was located. Its main objected from locals is that a left hand turn for cars near Erskineville Station was made one way and cars ended up on other streets. From a cycling point of view it was really good so no arguments on this page.

Distance: 1.3 from Erskineville Station to Redfern Station south
Usage: Moderate but could increase when the offices at the Australian Technology Park open properly
See on ma p >>

4th Place: M5 Dual Cycleway

M5 Dual Cycleway from Bexley to King Georges Rd. 6kms of perfect shared path hidden below the freeway. Despite the fact that it was a long time in the making, it opens up many options for Sydneysiders to connect with the suburbs of Punchbowl, Riverwood, Narwee and more. The paths did exist in the old days in some form but now they make for an interesting up and back and a great connection from Earlwood and a hilly connection from Turella.

All the Photos

In purple on the Sydney Map

5th Place – Bridge over Memorial Avenue – Kellyville

Out in the Sydney’s North West, there are a lot of shared paths. This year two of the improvements were shared paths down Samantha Riley Drive and a great pedestrian bridge over Memorial Avenue. Bike North covered this bridge early on in the year and I never got around to checking on it. What is noteworthy about the bridge is that it was constructed BEFORE the 4 lane expansion of Memorial Avenue. That sort of attitude would have been useful on busy projects such as Victoria Rd near the Anzac Bridge. I will review the Kellyville area again in New Year. Till then this BikeNorth ride may be of interest

Just Missed Out

The brilliant built from the get go cycleway along the Northern Rd from Oran Park to Bringelly
Every Single Railway Station that now has a lift
Sutherland Station to Princess Highway. Last 4 Photos
Warringah Rd on the top of the hill at Frenchs Forest. A brand new road and some brand new cycleway. It connects to the Alambie Heights Rd cycleway and gets you on to the council cycleways to Narrabeen Lakes. Anyway its nearly 2 km of terrific cycleway and has two amazing bridges. Alas it didnt make it to the bronze medal, competition was tough this year. Photos here

New Cooks River Bridge: Alas the ricketty old Cooks River bridge in Earlwood is no longer with us. In its place is a nice wide steely efficient bicycle bridge. The bridge could have won a bronze medal except that Lang Rd and Wardell Rd crossing wasn’t upgraded and the path on the south side heading west was closed to cyclists and the detour system during the shutdown was a.
Another piece of Cycling Infrastructure that could have won third place in the 2020 Sydney Infrastucture Awards was Campbell Rd cycleway at the south end of Sydney Park. Its OK to spend 8 billion dollars on a road system and open that but the parks and cycleways at St Peters junction sit completed and still locked up. As for the management of Sydney’s decent Bourke St cycleway which lies adjacent to Campbell Rd, what a mess.

Shonkies Prize Winner

This year the prize is a join award to every single bollard that went up during the year that seems to have no other reason in life than to cause cycling accidents or inconvenience and stop those with alternative bicycles from riding any further. Surely there must be an engineering standard for these things.