Yes — and as of 2026 it is finally easy. The Sydney Harbour Bridge has a dedicated cycleway on its western side, e-bikes are legal on it, and since Tuesday 6 January 2026 you no longer have to haul your bike up 55 steps to reach it. A 170-metre, 3-metre-wide ramp now runs from Bradfield Park at Milsons Point straight onto the bridge deck. If you ride a 30 kg e-bike, that one piece of concrete turned the harbour crossing from “not a chance” into a normal Tuesday ride.
What actually changed on the Harbour Bridge cycleway?
For roughly five decades the northern end of the cycleway finished in 55 steps. You carried your bike up them, or you did not cross. Manageable on a 9 kg road bike; a hard no with a battery and a rack.
The ramp that replaced them opened after four decades of campaigning by Bicycle NSW, and links into a new route along Alfred Street South to Middlemiss Street, North Sydney. Transport for NSW said it would open the crossing to “many more people, including older cyclists and those with heavier e-bikes”. That is the whole point: a design that assumes a fit rider with a light bike quietly excludes most of the city.
How do you ride there from the Inner West?
From our door at 281 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, the sane line runs north-east through Lilyfield and Rozelle, over the Anzac Bridge shared path, then through Pyrmont. The City of Sydney describes the Pyrmont cycleway as completing “an almost traffic-free route from the Anzac Bridge to the city centre”, and that is roughly how it rides. From the city you work north onto the Kent Street cycleway network, which Transport for NSW names as the target for a future purpose-built southern connection.
We make it about 11 km each way; at the legal 25 km/h assist cut-off, allow 40–50 minutes with lights and crossings. Sealed the whole way and flat apart from the climb onto Anzac Bridge — exactly where a motor stops being a luxury — though Rozelle and parts of the city still mix you with traffic. The southern access is still the old one, a narrow, steep ramp near Fort Street Public School that Bicycle NSW notes is shared with “hundreds of school children”. On a weekday morning, walk it. For more options, our guide to where to ride an e-bike in Sydney maps the routes and group rides worth a Saturday.
What is the crossing itself like — and is anyone using it?
The cycleway sits on the western side, so heading north the harbour and Blues Point are on your left, with the bridge structure between you and the traffic. It is properly windy — ease your assist down rather than fight the crosswind. At the northern end you roll off into Bradfield Park, with Luna Park, the pool and coffee inside 300 metres; turn there and it is a 22 km round trip. For a longer harbour day, pair it with our ride out to Manly and the Northern Beaches.
As for who is riding it, the numbers are blunt. Bicycle NSW counted 292 riders in the 7:30–8:30 am hour at the Milsons Point steps in October 2025, and 392 at the base of the new ramp on 24 February 2026 — up 34%.
- Women: 12% of riders before, 16% after — a 76% rise in absolute numbers.
- Riders aged 60+: up 8 percentage points.
- E-bikes: 32% of all bikes counted.
- Automated counter: Transport for NSW data shows the daily average up 41.76% since the start of December 2025, against a daily average of 1,545 riders in February 2025.
Remove one physical barrier and a third more people cross the harbour by bike, with the biggest gains among the riders the old design shut out. Every “nobody rides here” argument in Sydney should be read against that.
What should you know before you go?
- Helmets are mandatory in NSW — including on the bridge.
- Know the power rules. Transport for NSW currently allows a maximum continuous rated power of 500 W, with assistance stopping above 25 km/h and throttle-only power cutting out at 6 km/h. From 1 March 2029 only EN 15194 certified e-bikes at 250 W will be allowed. Anything over the limits is illegal “even if the power or speed is restricted by software”. Our guide to e-bike laws in NSW and Australia covers the rest.
- Shared-path manners. Keep left, bell early and gently, ease right off around walkers, kids and dogs. Both approaches are shared with people on foot.
- Lights, always. The deck is shaded and both ends get busy.
A bike for this needs range and brakes, not top speed. Our Centauro runs a 250 W rear hub motor on a 48 V 25 Ah (1200 Wh) Samsung battery, with 4-piston hydraulic brakes and EN 15194 certification. Ride the route before you buy one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are e-bikes allowed on the Sydney Harbour Bridge cycleway?
Yes. A compliant e-bike is treated as a bicycle in NSW, so it can use the Harbour Bridge cycleway. It must have a maximum continuous rated power of 500 W or less, stop assisting above 25 km/h, and cut throttle-only power at 6 km/h. Bicycle NSW counted e-bikes at 32% of all bikes crossing in February 2026.
Do you still have to carry your bike up stairs on the Harbour Bridge?
Not at the northern end. A 170-metre, 3-metre-wide ramp opened on 6 January 2026 at Milsons Point and replaced the 55 steps. The southern access at Millers Point is still a narrow, steep ramp shared with school children, so take it slowly or walk it on weekday mornings.
How long does it take to ride from Leichhardt to the Harbour Bridge by e-bike?
About 40 to 50 minutes each way for roughly 11 km, riding at the legal 25 km/h assist limit and allowing for traffic lights and crossings. The route runs Leichhardt to Lilyfield and Rozelle, over the Anzac Bridge shared path, through Pyrmont and the city to the Kent Street cycleway.
Four decades of campaigning bought 170 metres of concrete, and a third more people now cross the harbour by bike. Swap one car trip a week for an e-bike ride and see what changes — we are at Cyberbikes, 281 Parramatta Road, Leichhardt, if you want to talk routes first.
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