commuting in Sydney?

[carbonboy]

Hey guys/girls
looks like work is taking me to sydney, not sure i'm totally happy about the idea as Adelaide is pretty good for riding/commuting/dh/xc/ pretty much everything.
but seriously, i've heard of the horror stories, but is there any chance i'd live more than a week should i choose to ride from North Sydney out to Parramatta a couple of times a week or more?
i've been clocking up a couple of hundred kays a week lately after getting back on it after yet another shoulder injury from dh, so really wanting to keep up the fitness and sanity.

thanks for the help.
pc

 

[ducan]

Yeah i was in adelaide the other week just having a look at the tour down under and it has ZERO hills compared to sydney. parramatta to north sydney visa versa is a fair trek of a ride, i would say between 30 - 40km not 100% sure...

Personally I barely last more than a week without shouldering something ( TODAY IS WAS A TRAM! VERY OUT OF THE BLUE )


I have no idea what you are asking in this post anyway ?

 

[Rik]

It's about a 30km ride, and if you're clever you can stay off arterial roads the whole way. From North Sydney through the CBD is the worst part you'll experience but it's really not that bad as the traffic moves slowly. From there through the Inner West to Homebush there's good paths and lanes (though a bit meandering) and once you get out there there's a bike path along the river. It's a nice ride actually, you follow the river almost all the way along it and once you work out a good route it's safe too.

 

[carbonboy]

It's about a 30km ride, and if you're clever you can stay off arterial roads the whole way. From North Sydney through the CBD is the worst part you'll experience but it's really not that bad as the traffic moves slowly. From there through the Inner West to Homebush there's good paths and lanes (though a bit meandering) and once you get out there there's a bike path along the river. It's a nice ride actually, you follow the river almost all the way along it and once you work out a good route it's safe too.

Thanks Rik, exactly what i needed to hear, that it is possible, albeit far. but really scared of hanging bikes up to never be used. i look forward to a bit of experimenting to find the good route.

 

[Binaural]

Rik speaketh the truth. Additionally, get a map of Sydney bike paths off the RTA website, has a lot of small tracks you might miss if you didn't know they were there. Can't stress how important finding a few good alternative routes is, it helps keep you mentally fresh when you are doing a lot of kms.

Time wise - budget between 1hr 10 to 1 hr 30 for the the distance you are riding (I ride between Petersham and Chatswood, which is a bit further along the North shore than North Syd).

 

[Ricardo68]

There's a fun ride that does that ride, Nth Syd to Parra. Following that route much of the way would be pretty good, from memory it's quite pleasant.

 

[Rik]

That'd be the Cycle Sydney, it was a bit of an indirect ride and took advantage of having roads closed that you'd never dare to ride otherwise.

 

[bipyjamas]

Riding from North Sydney to Parramatta is definitely doable and relatively easy going as well.

I'll quickly list the low-stress route I've sort of pieced together over the months for anyone interested:

1. From Noth Sydney head towards the train station. From there on towards Milsons Point train station to get onto the Harbour Bridge cycleway.
2. Once on the otherside head down Kent/Sussex St getting off the road and onto the shared footpath leading to Pyrmont Bridge at Darling Habour starting at the King/Sussex St intersection.
3. Cross Pyrmont Bridge and follow the bike lanes (on Union St) towards the Anzac bridge and ride across the bridge using the share path available starting at the intersection of Quarter Master Drive/Saunders St.
4. Head up Victoria Rd via the shared footpath towards the Iron Cove bridge and get onto the shared path that runs around the bay. It's also called the bay run because there's a bay and a lot of people run around it . I get onto the path before crossing the Iron Cove Bridge and ride down past the Rozelle Hospital.
5. Get onto the shared path that runs down Hawthorne Canal Reserve (Hawthorne Parade runs parallel to it) and cross Marion St and onto another shared path that continues along the canal and ends up on Parramatta Rd.
6. Head west along Paramatta Rd for a little bit till you get to Sloane St. Once at that intersection head south along that street towards Summer Hill train station and cross over to the south side of the station.
7. Now meander your way southwards/southwest through quiet, wide open residential streets and you'll eventually hit the cooks river, which is part of the "(Homebush) bay to (Botany) bay" cycle path.
8. Follow the cooks river westward taking note of the bike signs pointing the way to Homebush Bay. Very easy going and nearly all flat...
9. Eventually you'll end up at the Olympic Park. From there head towards Silverwater Rd and ride across the bridge using the shared path. There's another shared path on the otherside that runs along the river bank. Go west.
10. If you've followed the bike signs to Parramatta you'll hit a dead end, which is presently a closed pathway due to construction, so you'll need to take a detour through some quietish and wide streets that go through an area of large warehouses and low-rise offices (it's deathly quiet during the weekends and very depressing if you're hungry, tired and its getting dark... kinda spooky too ). Make your way towards James Ruse Drive via the back roads and Victoria Rd.
11. This part is a little tricky, but there's actually a shared path that goes down James Ruse Drive, but to get on it you'll need to ride through a tunnel (footpath) that cuts into the overpass of Victoria Rd and James Ruse Drive. Then go down some back streets that run down the western side of James Ruse. The exit to the shared path is on Tennyson St or Thomas St, I forget. If you happen to not find it, no fear just head southwesterly and you should hit Parramatta eventually...
12. From here follow your nose for a few minutes and you'll be in Parramatta.

The majority of the ride is on shared/dedicated pathways and wide, quiet streets. It's quite amazing for Sydney being as tightly packed as it is to have such a low-stress, far reaching cycle route.

The ride makes a for a nice day out if you're too lazy to hit up some trails and just want to take it easy. It's also handy to be able to catch the train back in as well since the route passes or goes nearby quite a few stations along the way.

 

[carbonboy]

Riding from North Sydney to Parramatta is definitely doable and relatively easy going as well.

I'll quickly list the low-stress route I've sort of pieced together over the months for anyone interested:

1. From Noth Sydney head towards the train station. From there on towards Milsons Point train station to get onto the Harbour Bridge cycleway.
2. Once on the otherside head down Kent/Sussex St getting off the road and onto the shared footpath leading to Pyrmont Bridge at Darling Habour starting at the King/Sussex St intersection.
3. Cross Pyrmont Bridge and follow the bike lanes (on Union St) towards the Anzac bridge and ride across the bridge using the share path available starting at the intersection of Quarter Master Drive/Saunders St.
4. Head up Victoria Rd via the shared footpath towards the Iron Cove bridge and get onto the shared path that runs around the bay. It's also called the bay run because there's a bay and a lot of people run around it . I get onto the path before crossing the Iron Cove Bridge and ride down past the Rozelle Hospital.
5. Get onto the shared path that runs down Hawthorne Canal Reserve (Hawthorne Parade runs parallel to it) and cross Marion St and onto another shared path that continues along the canal and ends up on Parramatta Rd.
6. Head west along Paramatta Rd for a little bit till you get to Sloane St. Once at that intersection head south along that street towards Summer Hill train station and cross over to the south side of the station.
7. Now meander your way southwards/southwest through quiet, wide open residential streets and you'll eventually hit the cooks river, which is part of the "(Homebush) bay to (Botany) bay" cycle path.
8. Follow the cooks river westward taking note of the bike signs pointing the way to Homebush Bay. Very easy going and nearly all flat...
9. Eventually you'll end up at the Olympic Park. From there head towards Silverwater Rd and ride across the bridge using the shared path. There's another shared path on the otherside that runs along the river bank. Go west.
10. If you've followed the bike signs to Parramatta you'll hit a dead end, which is presently a closed pathway due to construction, so you'll need to take a detour through some quietish and wide streets that go through an area of large warehouses and low-rise offices (it's deathly quiet during the weekends and very depressing if you're hungry, tired and its getting dark... kinda spooky too ). Make your way towards James Ruse Drive via the back roads and Victoria Rd.
11. This part is a little tricky, but there's actually a shared path that goes down James Ruse Drive, but to get on it you'll need to ride through a tunnel (footpath) that cuts into the overpass of Victoria Rd and James Ruse Drive. Then go down some back streets that run down the western side of James Ruse. The exit to the shared path is on Tennyson St or Thomas St, I forget. If you happen to not find it, no fear just head southwesterly and you should hit Parramatta eventually...
12. From here follow your nose for a few minutes and you'll be in Parramatta.

The majority of the ride is on shared/dedicated pathways and wide, quiet streets. It's quite amazing for Sydney being as tightly packed as it is to have such a low-stress, far reaching cycle route.

The ride makes a for a nice day out if you're too lazy to hit up some trails and just want to take it easy. It's also handy to be able to catch the train back in as well since the route passes or goes nearby quite a few stations along the way.

wow, thanks for taking the time to write that all up, i'll google maps it a little and check it out. i'm kinda warming to the idea of the ride to work now being a nice big adventure, hopefully i can do it at least a couple of times a week.

thanks once again
pc

 

[craign]

Riding from North Sydney to Parramatta is definitely doable and relatively easy going as well.

I'll quickly list the low-stress route I've sort of pieced together over the months for anyone interested:

1. From Noth Sydney head towards the train station. From there on towards Milsons Point train station to get onto the Harbour Bridge cycleway.
2. Once on the otherside head down Kent/Sussex St getting off the road and onto the shared footpath leading to Pyrmont Bridge at Darling Habour starting at the King/Sussex St intersection.
3. Cross Pyrmont Bridge and follow the bike lanes (on Union St) towards the Anzac bridge and ride across the bridge using the share path available starting at the intersection of Quarter Master Drive/Saunders St.

From here I'd take Lilyfield rd, round the bottom of the bay run, up through five dock, lyons rd to concord, concord west and onto olympic park, then onto the M4 bike path over silverwater way. I think that would be more direct than the route you suggested.

 

[Cave Dweller]

It you want to avoid the city head out from north sydney towards west ryde / epping. Couple of bugger hills but not too bad. From there its basically west to parramatta.

Riding in Sydney is not that bad. Sydney is reasonably hilly, so all the major roads are built on the crest of hills / flat as possible. If you don't mind riding more hills there are lots of back roads, and as said if your smart you can ride around sydney without ever having to ride on a major road.

 

[bipyjamas]

From here I'd take Lilyfield rd, round the bottom of the bay run, up through five dock, lyons rd to concord, concord west and onto olympic park, then onto the M4 bike path over silverwater way. I think that would be more direct than the route you suggested.

Thanks for pointing that out, I've been Concord way a couple of times and it is a lot more direct and more of a commuting route, albeit less adventurous/scenic.

I noticed a lot of people using Lilyfield Rd, but there's a fair bit of short ups and downs on it, which i don't particularly like. Victoria Rd just has one longish grind up to Darling St (Balmain) and one longish coast down the other side with opportunities to hop up and down curbs as you go along if you enjoy that sort of thing (just watch out for odd car turning in and out of the side streets) .

 

[Cave Dweller]

Riding on Victoria road? Seriously, are you crazy? And the footpaths are chock full of people waiting for busses etc, blind corners for cars to hit you etc.

Go the back streets.

1. After crossing Anzac bridge, keep on the foot path, head around the corner past the old power station
2. First set of lights, go right into roberts street and first left into cresent street (you basically head off the foot path and cresent is almost directly infront).
3. Follow cresent st to the end, take left into mansfield st. Bugger of hill to climb
4. Follow mansfield to end, take right onto evan st, first left onto merton, another hill to climb
5. Cross over darlington road, keep heading straight down merton. One way street so be a little careful.
6. Right onto Wellington, might be one way street as well
7. Left onto Terry street, follow it around and your at iron cove bridge.

I reckon bike riders who ride victoria, parramatta road or king street seriously deserve a darwin award.

 

[McBain]

Riding from North Sydney to Parramatta is definitely doable and relatively easy going as well.

I'll quickly list the low-stress route I've sort of pieced together over the months for anyone interested:

As others have pointed out, this is not the best commute route, but for a day out it isn't too bad (used to live near Olympic Park and now am in Summer Hill, so it is all pretty local). But some pointers on better options:

Get onto the shared path that runs down Hawthorne Canal Reserve (Hawthorne Parade runs parallel to it) and cross Marion St and onto another shared path that continues along the canal and ends up on Parramatta Rd.

Head west along Paramatta Rd for a little bit till you get to Sloane St.

Two better options here: either ride up Marion to Ramsey and then turn left which takes you up to the lights to cross Parramatta Rd.

Or when you get to the end of the shared path along the canal at Parra rd, you can head left on the footpath and left again then up and over the bridge. Turn left on the footpath on the other side, then left yet again into the continuation of the shared path up to Grosvenor Cres.

Follow the cooks river westward taking note of the bike signs pointing the way to Homebush Bay. Very easy going and nearly all flat...

Yep, or you can cut through Rookwood Cemetery, then past Auburn Station and then onto the bike path that parallels the M4 on the south side, crosses James Ruse and then eventually heads onto the bike path that runs under the elevated section of the M4.

 

[ja_har]

Riding on Victoria road? Seriously, are you crazy? And the footpaths are chock full of people waiting for busses etc, blind corners for cars to hit you etc.

Go the back streets.

1. After crossing Anzac bridge, keep on the foot path, head around the corner past the old power station
2. First set of lights, go right into roberts street and first left into cresent street (you basically head off the foot path and cresent is almost directly infront).
3. Follow cresent st to the end, take left into mansfield st. Bugger of hill to climb
4. Follow mansfield to end, take right onto evan st, first left onto merton, another hill to climb
5. Cross over darlington road, keep heading straight down merton. One way street so be a little careful.
6. Right onto Wellington, might be one way street as well
7. Left onto Terry street, follow it around and your at iron cove bridge.

I reckon bike riders who ride victoria, parramatta road or king street seriously deserve a darwin award.

Cheers for that, I've been taking my heart in my mouth each day down the hill from Darling st to Iron Cove bridge (blind servo entry / exits and bus shelters full of punters on the fast hill just dont mix...)
Every other method thru Rozelle seemed to end at Town hall pub interseaction which is worse than Vic Rd.

Up from Anzac Bridge to Darling st is no issue

I could always take the short way hm via Lilyfield Rd but need the longer round the bay ride and sometimes over Gladesville Bridge just for fun.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Probably easier to see it on a map. I used to ride this way (Anzac to gladesville bridge) almost everyday when i lived in west ryde / commuted to sydney. Best route i found, not much traffic.

Click on this for the full size

http://forums.farkin.net/photo/data/500/map.JPG

 

[bipyjamas]

Riding on Victoria road? Seriously, are you crazy? And the footpaths are chock full of people waiting for busses etc, blind corners for cars to hit you etc.

Go the back streets.

<SNIP>

I reckon bike riders who ride victoria, parramatta road or king street seriously deserve a darwin award.

Hehe, no more crazy than most mountain biking activities I guess

For the record, I do ride the shared footpath on Victoria Rd and never had any moments of peril for myself or others. It's like riding on any other shared pathway with pedestrians and blind corners in and around Sydney. Just give way or alert pedestrians of your presence and check before crossing the roads.

Thanks for the suggestions on the backroads as well, I've tried some of them through my exploration rides in and around Balmain and some of the roads are a bit of a nuisance to climb hence why I prefer the shared footpath of Victoria Rd. If it isn't obvious from the route I posted earlier, most of my riding out that way is purely for the fun of it all, not really to get from A to B

With regards to riding on the roads you mentioned, I'd have to agree that it's like playing with loaded dice with the car's or angry driver's number on all the faces - you really can't win.

 

[Cave Dweller]

Mounting biking is not that crazy, your all armored up and there are no 2 tonne machines threatening to quish you at a seconds notice

I found riding that section of footpath between anzac and ironcove to be really annoying, especially in peak hour. I almost hit a few people not paying attention to where they are walking, and you need to almost stop to see around all the blind street corners, breaking up your riding flow.

Mansfield and Merton st before darlington are hard climbs, but its nice to get some exercise and to get away from all the smog and crazies on victoria road.

 

[ja_har]

Vic Rd

I'm taking the back rd option around rozelle after last nights effort of nearly getting cleaned out by a car turning into a servo down Vic rd and ignoring me and 2 others coming down the hill.

I was watching their eyes look at me but no one was home...thankfully thus had time to avoid the potential crushing.

typical sydney driver, eyes open but no one home when it comes to cyclists..

 

[Rik]

I noticed a lot of people using Lilyfield Rd, but there's a fair bit of short ups and downs on it

Hardly... from the city you drop down Anzac bridge and descend 'til the park/wood mill, climb for a minute then another slight downhill before you cruise up past Catherine St and Balmain Rd. Hit the top at the James St lights then the big screamer down to the bridge. That's 2 "hills", one of which is easily tackled with momentum and the other is good to catch your breath on to prepare yourself for pedestrian slalom around the bay.
The other way sucks though, I get to the steep climb about 10min in to my commute and damnit that's a crap way to get the body moving in the morning, especially when breakfast doesn't want to sit too well.