The Sydney Harbour Bridge cycle path has a new, smooth ramp, replacing a notorious 55-step staircase and giving cyclists a continuous route from North Sydney into the CBD after decades of campaigns, scrapped designs and local opposition.
The rare upgrade to the city’s world-famous bridge, which opened to the public on Tuesday, will help unlock the bike path for heavy e-bikes, bikes with trailers, and older riders.
Tony Stanley, a Crows Nest local, has been unable to bring his wife and five-year-old daughter with him on bridge crossings as their e-bike and trailer were too heavy to take up the stairs.
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On Tuesday, the family crossed together for the first time, with Stanley’s daughter on her own kids-sized two-wheeler, still decked out in Christmas tinsel.
“She normally rides to daycare every day … [but] she was able to ride over the harbour bridge all by herself today – it’s just fantastic,” Stanley said.
“It opens up where you can travel to now.”
About 1,500 trips are made on the cycleway each day, according to 2025 data. The state transport minister, John Graham, said the “long-overdue” ramp, which cost $39m to build, will attract more traffic.
Stuart Lobb, a local resident, tried out his new daily commute in his bike club Lycra. He said he was looking forward to more people joining him on the route he’s been travelling for 24 years.
“It all flows nicely. It’s the best way to get to work: the bridge, the water, the ferries; it’s amazing,” Lobb said.
The ramp rises from Bradfield Park in Milsons Point to bring cyclists on to the dedicated bike path on the bridge’s west side.
Commuters crossing the harbour are treated to a scenic spectacle, looking out over the Parramatta River, with Luna Park visible at the north end and the Rocks district to the south. The Opera House’s distinctive sails peep above the bridge’s eastern edge, behind passing trains, road vehicles and pedestrians on the east-side walkway.
Plans for a ramp have been in the works since 1999. They were repeatedly shelved and revived due to local opposition around Milsons Point, with some arguing the path would take over their green space.
Russ Webber had campaigned for a ramp since 2000, but lost the ability to cycle before it was approved for construction in 2023. He didn’t let that stop him from savouring his victory on Tuesday, crossing the bridge in a trishaw with fellow campaigner Carolyn New, pedalled by John Kelman, from the Cycling Without Age charity.
“I haven’t been on a bike for three years, so it’s been fantastic,” Webber said. “This ramp will be a terrific thing.”
Hundreds crowded to cross the bridge on Tuesday: food couriers on e-bikes, commuters on Limes, tradies on dirt bikes, families with children in trailers, locals with their dogs in conjoined carriages.
Experienced cyclists in Lycra and sunglasses sped across, some stern-faced, others smiling, exhilarated by the continuous run.
The path joins a growing network of recent cycleway improvements around Sydney, after the completion of the GreenWay path in December.
Cyclists now enjoy a nearly continuous bike path from North Sydney, through the CBD, across the Anzac Bridge and down to the Cooks River, with links to Brighton-le-Sands and Olympic Park. A path along Oxford Street, of which the first stage opened last July, will take cyclists out to Bondi Junction.
Jullietta Jung, a former transport department manager and now president of the Better Streets advocacy group, said the opening had raised hopes more cycleways could be opened.
“The more you see that cycling can be beautiful and it can contribute to the landscape … it’s definitely increasing momentum,” she said.
“It’s all these missing links that we’re slowly getting to build up … for all ages and abilities to be able to ride safely in our cities.”
