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A 200-metre ramp will be built on the north side of Sydney Harbour Bridge, replacing a staircase where cyclists have to push their bikes up several flights of stairs.
As part of $35 million in funding from the state government, a new dedicated cycleway will also be constructed from the southern end of the bridge to Kent Street in the central city, removing the need for cyclists to use roads or shared footpaths.
Two men who planned to bomb a Sydney Shia prayer hall and vowed to stab people in the kidneys to impress an IS recruiter have been jailed for at least 15 years. Vision courtesy ABC News 24
NSW Government commits to building new cycling and accessibility infrastructure for Sydney Harbour Bridge. Vision: NSW Government
The new ramp on the north side of the bridge will provide a link to the proposed cycle route to Naremburn via North Sydney and Crows Nest.
Roads Minister Duncan Gay said the new ramp and cycleway would allow cyclists to ride more easily over the bridge, which he described as the "best cycleway in the world".
Going up: Duncan Gay at the steps on the north end of the Harbour Bridge. Photo: Jessica Hromas
"The Harbour Bridge ramp is a classic case in that more people would be able to get to cycle into the city, and from the city, if they didn't have to lift a bike up the steps," he said.
A new cycle ramp will replace the steps on the north side of the bridge. Photo: Dean Sewell
The average daily number of cyclists counted during peak hours at the Anzac Bridge, Anzac Parade and the Harbour Bridge rose from 3830 in 2009 to a high of 5249 in 2013.
That average dropped to 4453 in 2015, and has recovered only to 4859 in 2016
But Mr Gay said he did not believe there had been a drop in cycling.
"You get different figures from different people. Look on the road, there is still a lot cyclists out there," he said.