Newcastle council is pedalling ahead with extending the Hunter Street cycleway to Islington after it received strong support for the new infrastructure.
Councillors voted on December 12 to adopt the designs for stage two of the trial cycleway, which will be constructed on both sides of Hunter Street from National Park Street, Newcastle West and Ivy Street, Islington.
Once implemented, it will create a dedicated 2km separated cycleway that will connect Islington, Tighes Hill and Hamilton to the city.
The stretch of road will be dropped back from two lanes to one to allow room for the safe bicycle buffer zones separated from vehicle traffic and parallel street parking.
The proposal was recently exhibited, and the council said of the 281 submissions, 75 per cent supported the proposed infrastructure, 15 per cent supported the proposal with changes and 10 per cent did not support the traffic changes.
Concerns raised in submissions supporting the cycleway included garbage bins obstructing cycle lane, connectivity at some intersections and separation from traffic.
Those against the proposal said motor vehicles should be prioritised as reducing to one lane in each direction will increase general traffic congestion and that the current Hunter Street cycleway was underutilised.
Greens councillor John Mackenzie compared the under-utilisation of the Hunter Street cycleway to the construction of Sydney Harbour Bridge.
"For many years people were opposed to the idea of the Sydney Harbour, but imagine if we decided whether or not we wanted Sydney Harbour Bridge based on counting how many people swimming across the harbour prior to the construction of the bridge," he said.
"In the same way if we are looking at the number of people cycling in the city and saying we don't need this infrastructure we'd never agree to it, we'd say that it was unnecessary.
"But infrastructure like this shapes cities, it shapes behaviour and it shapes the way... people move through the city."
Detailed designs of the new cycleway are due to be completed by April 2024, with construction to start shortly after.
Transport for NSW has committed $1.5 million to the cycleway under the State Government's Get NSW Active Program.
