Two months after its highly anticipated opening, the access ramp on the north side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge is carrying hundreds of commuters each day according to figures from Bicycle Network’s Super Tuesday rider count.
The new ramp, which officially opened on January 5, replaces the notorious 55-step staircase that riders previously had to climb to access the city from North Sydney.
Based on the count, the ramp eliminated more than 31,000 individual stair climbs in two hours during morning peak. Assuming it takes a minute to carry a bike up the staircase, the ramp saved commuters around 9.5 hours of collective time in that 2-hour period!
The curse of commuters and cyclists for years, once, while covering the cross-continental Indian Pacific Wheel Race, a rider described the steps as an “international embarrassment”. He went on to say “I just rode 5,500km from Perth to Sydney and had to carry my bike up a long flight of stairs 2km from the finish.”
New ramp included in Super Tuesday count
The $39 million, 170-metre ramp, which was discussed and debated for years, was officially opened earlier in the year and has therefore never featured in Bicycle Network’s annual Super Tuesday commuter count, which measures bike traffic at around 900 locations across Australia.
The count normally takes place on the Tuesday morning peak, but rain significantly reduced commuter numbers that day. Instead, the Sydney Harbour Bridge ramp count was carried out in clear conditions on Thursday, March 5, between 7 am and 9 am.
During the peak period, 571 riders used the ramp, including bike riders, e-bike users and a small number of scooter riders.
As you’d expect, traffic was strongly directional during the morning commute, with 379 riders travelling southbound into the city compared with 189 riders heading north toward North Sydney.
Low number of female riders
One notable observation from the count was the comparatively low number of female riders.
Across the two hours, only 86 female riders were recorded compared with more than 480 males, meaning women accounted for roughly 15 per cent of users.
Understanding why female participation remains low is an important question for cycling planners. Factors such as perceived safety, infrastructure design and commuting conditions generally play a key role.
Other observations
A number of infrastructure issues were noticeable while on site and details have been passed on to the Super Tuesday assessment team.
One concern is that the ramp lacks lane markings, and some northbound riders descending the ramp at speed were observed using both lanes. The entry and exit points to the ramp could also benefit from clearer markings to help guide riders onto the correct approach paths.
There was also some confusion around a nearby mixed-use path where pedestrians and cyclists interact. Staff operating a Transport for NSW pop-up bike repair station at the site reported frequent conflicts and complaints between walkers and riders.
Government support & services
The repair station itself proved popular, with a friendly mechanic servicing nine bikes during the two-hour count. Kudos to Transport for NSW for supporting and encouraging commuter cycling.
Even with the new ramp in place, some riders approaching from the nearby Kirribilli tunnel were still seen carrying their bikes up the old staircase, possibly because it remains the most direct route without the additional 200m loop to the ramp.
Overall, the numbers were solid, lots of smiling, happy riders were using the new infrastructure, and the long-awaited ramp is already playing a key role in getting more commuters out of cars and onto their bikes.
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