Parramatta Valley cycleway

Parramatta Valley Cycleway
Length15 kilometres (9.3 mi)
LocationSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Trailheads
UseCycling; pedestrians
Elevation gain/loss
  • Increase 60 metres (200 ft);
  • Decrease 54 metres (177 ft)
Highest point24 metres (79 ft) AHD
Lowest point4 metres (13 ft) AHD
DifficultyEasy
SeasonAll seasons

The Parramatta Valley cycleway is a 15-kilometre-long (9.3 mi)[1] shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians that is generally aligned with the Parramatta River in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The eastern terminus of the cycleway is at Morrison Bay Park in Ryde and heads west along dedicated bike paths, quiet streets and the river foreshore to its western terminus at Parramatta Park in Parramatta.[2][3][4]

Route

Parramatta Valley cycleway
km
0
 Ryde (33°49′35″S 151°06′54″E / 33.826496°S 151.114941°E / -33.826496; 151.114941)
to/from
 Cooks River cycleway
9.5
 Rydalmere
13.1
 Parramatta River
to/from
 M4 cycleway
14.3
 Lennox Bridge
15
 Parramatta Park (33°48′40″S 150°59′50″E / 33.811240°S 150.997245°E / -33.811240; 150.997245)
Connects with the Windsor Road cycleway

There is a short on-road section along Lancaster Avenue Melrose Park, and elevated steel mesh boardwalks through Ermington Nature Reserve. There used to be a further short on-road section via Pike Street and South Street Rydalmere to Subiaco Creek, but this is no longer the case since the Subiaco Creek link opened in June 2017. There is an elevated steel mesh boardwalk through Baludarri Wetlands.[5] Cyclists cross Macarthur Street, Parramatta then use the Gasworks Bridge to continue along the south side of the Parramatta River, before crossing back to the north side at the Parramatta ferry wharf. The decision to put a tunnel through Lennox Bridge was controversial,[6] but the tunnel opened in 2015 and links the cycleway with Parramatta Park. There are connections to Rhodes and Olympic Park via Ryde Bridge or Meadowbank Railway Bridge; to Windsor Road cycleway via Parramatta Park and Westmead and then connecting to the M7 cycleway and to the M4 cycleway via Harris Street and Good Street, Harris Park.

In September 2016, the NSW Government and Parramatta Council announced plans to complete a missing link adjacent to Subiaco Creek in Rydalmere. The $4.5 million project was completed in June 2017.[7]

Cycleway use

In the 12 months to February 2014, between 175 and 300 cyclists used the Parramatta Valley cycleway at Rydalmere on an average weekday, with a greater number on the weekend.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Grove Creek to 2 Macquarie Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. ^ "Cycling in Sydney: Ryde Bridge to Parramatta Park". Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Travel and maps: cycling". Discover Parrmatta. Parramatta Council. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Cycleway Finder". Roads & Maritime Services (Version 3 ed.). Government of New South Wales. 2016. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  5. ^ "Baludarri Wetlands path forms cycleway link". Parramatta Sun. NSW. 7 January 2015. Archived from the original on 5 July 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Outrage over plan to put tunnels through convict-built bridge". Sydney Morning Herald. NSW. 5 November 2012.
  7. ^ Stevens, Kylie (28 September 2016). "Work starts on Parramatta Valley Cycleway's missing link between Lake Parramatta and Putney". The Parramatta Holroyd Sun. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  8. ^ "Cycling statistics". Roads & Maritime Services. Government of New South Wales. March 2016.