Sydney’s COVID-era pop-up cycleways are entering a new phase, as the City of Sydney moves to extend the Moore Park Road and Fitzroy Street lanes beyond their original timeframe despite initial backlash.
What originally began in 2020 as an urgent public health measure against the pandemic has now outlived its intended lifespan. The temporary routes were designed to provide workers with a safe, socially distanced alternative to public transport during the height of COVID-19.
Six years later, though, the Moore Park Road and Fitzroy Street cycleways have now become two of the city’s busiest cycling corridors, prompting the council to reconsider whether they should be made permanent.
The numbers paint a compelling argument of their own. Council data reveals that bike usage on Moore Park Road has jumped 89 per cent since 2023, while Fitzroy Street has seen a 74 per cent rise. On peak days, more than 900 riders use each route, substantially exceeding prior expectations.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore claims that the extension is a reflection of the rapid rise of e-bikes, food delivery services, and shifting commuter habits.
“When we started this network, we didn’t have e-bikes, and we didn’t have delivery riders,” Moore told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“People are not in overcrowded public transport, they’re not in cars. They’re on a healthy form of transport and not contributing to emissions.”
Costly in more ways than one
Supporters have also drawn attention to the safety record, noting that in the five years prior to the lanes being implemented, there was one fatal crash and four serious injuries. In contrast to the nearly six years of no crashes.
“If you remove this, there is no alternative – you will see up to 1000 cycle trips a day pushed back onto main roads,” warned transport safety expert Ben Woodner.
On top of that, costs to remove the pop-up lane have been estimated to exceed $1 million.
But the data hasn’t quietened the backlash. For many residents, the pop‑ups represent a temporary measure that has quietly morphed into long‑term infrastructure.
Still, the numbers have done little to ease the backlash. For many Sydney residents, the pop-ups that are potentially becoming permanent feel like a temporary measure that has quietly taken root. These changes are beginning to reshape daily life for them, a sentiment evident in the growing criticism from households along the corridor.
“It breaks every promise, and residents feel deceived, betrayed, and scapegoated,” said resident Ann Cairns.
Adding heat to the debate, some have also raised concerns that the cycleway effectively cuts homes off from direct road access, complicating deliveries and reducing parking.
“Every day we deal with basic access problems — Uber drivers refusing to stop, deliveries left in back lanes, or parcels thrown over our fences and gates,” another resident, Kristen Greaves, argued.
However, some may argue that removing the lanes ignores the broader shift in how people now move through the city. Bicycle NSW planner Sarah Bickford has noted that taking out the protected lanes could deter families and older riders who rely on separated infrastructure to feel safe.
A final decision on whether the cycleways are expected to become permanent is expected later this year. Until then, the lanes remain a visible reminder of the pandemic and a focus point in the growing debate about the future of transport in Sydney.