Survey Results Are In: Are We Halfway There?

45 minutes ago
19 min read

Earlier this year, Newcastle Cycleways Movement asked the community a simple question:

It’s 2026 - is the City of Newcastle halfway to delivering their cycling vision?

That question was framed around this plan review: City of Newcastle’s On Our Bikes 2021–2030 Cycling Plan review

The answer from the community?

A pretty resounding “no.”

A Gap Between Plans and Reality

Newcastle doesn’t lack ambition on paper. The On Our Bikes 2021–2030 plan lays out a vision for a more connected, accessible cycling city.

But survey respondents consistently told us that:

Progress feels slow
Delivery is piecemeal
Outcomes are hard to see

Where Are the Numbers?

One of the strongest themes in the feedback was the lack of clear, public accountability.

People want to see:

Dollars budgeted vs dollars spent
Kilometres of cycleway delivered
Annual reporting against targets
Growth in cycling participation

Right now, there is no consistent, easy-to-access reporting that shows whether Newcastle is actually tracking toward its goals.

Infrastructure: Good in Parts, Broken as a Network

Newcastle has some genuinely excellent cycling assets - and they were recognised in the survey.

Projects like the Fernleigh Track and sections through Honeysuckle and Jesmond show what’s possible when infrastructure is done well.

But these successes are undermined by a bigger issue:

👉 They don’t connect.

Respondents repeatedly described a network that:

Starts and stops abruptly
Forces riders back into traffic
Lacks safe crossings
Includes poor surface quality in key areas

As one person bluntly put it:“Bikes cannot teleport.”

Safety: Still the Barrier

For most people, cycling uptake comes down to one simple question:

Would you feel safe letting your child ride there?

For too many in Newcastle, the answer is still no.

Key concerns include:

Lack of physically separated bike lanes
Drivers passing too close
Mixing bikes with fast-moving traffic
Inconsistent and confusing infrastructure design

There is strong support for:

Protected cycleways
Lower speed environments (particularly 30 km/h streets)
Better enforcement of minimum passing distance laws

E-Bikes: A Missed Opportunity?

E-bikes came through strongly in the feedback - both as a solution and a source of frustration.

Many see them as:

A game changer for accessibility
A way to overcome hills, distance, and headwinds
A tool to reduce congestion

But there’s concern that current approaches are:

Overly focused on enforcement
Driven by fear rather than evidence

Respondents called for:

Clear distinctions between bicycles, e-bikes, and throttle-powered devices
Transparency around enforcement initiatives
Policies that support - not discourage - uptake

A City Still Built for Recreation, Not Transport

Another consistent theme: cycling in Newcastle is still seen as something you do for fun - not for everyday transport.

Facilities like the Fernleigh Track are fantastic, but they might reinforce a pattern:

Great for weekend rides
Less useful for getting to work, school, or the shops

To change that, respondents want:

Better links to employment hubs
A coherent city-wide network
Infrastructure that works for daily trips, not just recreation

Frustration - But Also Ideas

The feedback wasn’t just critical - it was constructive.

Suggestions included:

Connecting existing separated paths into a continuous network
Prioritising safer crossings
Improving road surfaces on key cycling routes
Expanding successful projects into surrounding areas
Considering bold moves like reducing traffic on key streets

There was also a call to strengthen cycling culture through:

Events
Tourism
Community engagement

The Verdict

The overall message from the community is clear:

We are not halfway there
Progress is too slow
Investment is too limited
Delivery is too fragmented

Or, in the words of one respondent:

“Going through this made me realise how little progress has been made. Very disappointing.”

What Needs to Happen Next

If the City of Newcastle is serious about its 2030 goals, the next five years need to look very different from the last five.

That means:

Transparent reporting on progress
Meaningful investment in cycling infrastructure
A focus on connected, protected networks
Stronger collaboration between council, state government, and the community

Read the Full Results

This is just a snapshot of what we heard.

👉 We’ll be publishing a full PDF with detailed results and all responses to every question.

(the PDF will evolve as we improve or add to the representation of the results)

Comments on progress against the objectives in the Plan

Comments on progress against Objective 1

Build the complete network and they will come.... Need 30please.org ASAP
There has been minimal and very dissappointing progress to achieve safe separated cycling infrastructure in Newcastle in the last four years.
The local project that has achieved the most in terms of this Objective is the Merewether shared path between the Junction and Merewether beach. It provides sufficient space for all users and the priority given to cyclists and pedestrians at crossings gives a seamless experience to cycling.
I don't know if I have enough insight into some of the above issues to judge progress accurately
Road hierarchies are interesting because CN is implementing them, but unfortunately a lot of their redefinitions include 'Shared Paths' which means bikes and pedestrians are on the same path. This is quite frankly unsafe for pedestrians. Not to mention that very few people follow these shared paths when available due to poor understanding of the rules, or if it adds inconvenience to their trip. The closed /quiet streets seem to be implemented well for short term events, but I think longer-term projects should be considered. Can we reduce the main part of Darby St to being a one-way traffic zone, meaning cyclists do not need to 'take the lane' to reduce the risk of being car-doored? is Beaumont St suitable for more 'on-street' dining options?
Shockingly bad progress on these items. Newcastle remains an unsafe car sewer with very few safe separated cycle ways
All the active transportation projects I have seen in the last 4 years are merely paint on the side of the road and don't do anything to make you safer and even less to make you FEEL safer
There are pathetically few segregated, safe spaces for bikes to ride and in order to connect between them you usually have to go on dangerous sections of road. A route is not safe unless the whole route is safe
I have no access to what steps have actually been taken by council on most of these points so have not been able to rate. Hence I’ve given 3 stars for every question. I was not given the option of (cannot state) But if we still have to check that staff are even trained in safe systems approach then it’s very little progress. We don’t need a toolkit. Just adopt the NSW one (which should just adopt Ausroads. Stop reinventing the wheel.
Other than Action 1.1, I've seen little effect of these areas improving cycling safety in Newcastle.
There is little evidence of change to the cycle paths network in terms of new routes, no evidence of change to the quality of the cycle path network, no evidence of changes to the road network to encourage cyclists or any evidence of CN training, negotiations to lower speed limits or the production of studies
Extremely poor progress
A very hit and miss, bitsa attempt. Seems to be very little connectivity which indicates no real large scale planning but merely butt covering to get a tick on a box for attempting to complete the task. Other road users have no idea what a cyclist is allowed (and not allowed) to do on the road. Pedestrians and cyclists DO NOT MIX. It is dangerous. Cars travel too fast and expect cyclists to be on the footpath. What is being done to educate all. THE MOST IMPORTANT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED --- EDUCATION
Improvements are being made, but there still seem to be changes that are not really suited to efficient cycling.
There’s still major safety issues on Newcastle roads for cyclists
Safety and comfort has been hindered by implementation of new shared paths. Historic segments have been blocked and not redirected with clear signage or safety precautions for active commuters (e.g. redirection of cyclist to mater hospital when Maud st refuge island was removed, barricaded paths between Birmingham gardens and Wallsend at Cameron st and Cowper st) Additionally, most new implementations include shared pedestrian and bike facilities which are not suitable especially for high pedestrian areas (e.g. section in front of Islington public school)
Significant sections of R1 cycling route are 50/60 km/h zones with with no separation and parked cars along the side of the roads e.g parkway ave (the roundabout upgrades are a massive improvement).
They need to look out side the square ,E.G rail corridoors A better look at land not used , a cycleway form Turton RD to Georgetown RD use some land from the council compound then down the old rail corridor behind Clyde st comming out at the rail crossing ,down Clyde st to the Tafe along Styx creek to Maitland Rd all off road,Why was the cycleway in Chinchen st put on the road an the brigde not uesed nothing safe about what was done there !
I dont know what internal processes council has done, but there is very little visible strengthening of the road hierarchy. There are no mid block road closures, and little to deter rat running. Residential street speed limits are still too high.
The design toolbox is a great initiative. Is it being used consistently in council designs? Large projects (often State managed) seem to be doing a pretty good job, but I'm not aware of many local examples of its use, and when done the upkeep of them is lacking (Hunter St being a good example)
There have been a few places where new infrastructure has been attempted, but never in a way where pedestrians and cyclists are prioritised. For instance, to turn right from Clyde St into Chin Chen St Islington, a cyclist is expected to wait to cross 2 sets of traffic light pedestrian crossings. Then travel along a tiny section of separated cycleway before joining a shared footpath in front of a school. The cycleway removed parking from the school zone. With the added TAFE P-plate traffic, navigating this area during school drop off or pickup is a nightmare! They actively made this whole area worse for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
On a number of dedicated cycle routes (with signage) bike lanes are often only visibly marked for small sections, and even within those sections, cars are often parked. Which means you can't ride in them continuously. Parking should be separated from bike lanes. It would be great to have more green painted bike lanes on dedicated bike path routes and signage that cars need to share the road. I'm a confident rider but many people would not feel comfortable riding signposted dedicated bike routes where there is no clear indication for cars that it is also a dedicated bike path/lane.
From a user perspective there seems to have been progress on these matters.

Comments on progress against Objective 2

Any bicycle treatment on a road (or what looks like a bike lane) needs a minimum passing distance area next to it. So a bike lane and then 1m of no entry road, then the traffic lane for 60km/hr and lower zones. Two many stepped edges in transitions, not smoothly ramped.
Poor connectivity of cycling infrastructure is an unaddressed problem in Newcastle.
2.1 This is progressing far too slowly, look to Sydney for a comparison
2.2 why hasn’t the extension to the Hunter St bike lanes been commenced when it was announced that it would be done last year?
2.3 stormwater is very controversial topic in relation to bike lanes as it was rumoured that much of the bike lane budget was actually spent on stormwater infrastructure. Budgets need to be separated and transparent. Merewether cycle lane had a large stormwater component
Bollards are dangerous everywhere
There are definitely cycleway project ongoing in CN. However connection is still lacking and sometimes new projects fail to consider the safest path for riding still (e.g. chinchen st and hubbard st, having to cross the road, or stopping to press buttons).
This one isn't too bad - still area where progress needs to be made for phasing out shoulder lanes, but in terms of connection to places for commuting / general biking this is not bad. I would love to see more advocating for State Roads to be upgraded, this is where the problems arise, State Roads are falling behind and are sometimes the quicker approach for cycling.
Once again, very poor performance by Newcastle Council on cycling infrastructure.
need federal funding and 30please.org
Little visible change in my usual areas of riding (city Hamilton mayfield). What changes have been made, eg Parkway Avenue have reduced efficiency of transit for less confident riders. There is still a huge inability by Council to see past “shared paths”. I applaud the move to 30kmh streets where there is great potential in older traditional streetscapes. Separated lanes are needed in the newer outer suburbs
While I have seen CN consideration to cycling in various road and shared path projects, they frequently put cyclists in unsafe situations due to conflicts with buses, parking, discontinuity, dangerous maintenance conditions (e.g. sand on merewether cycling allowance). Signage of cycling routes has not been maintained and has become fragmented and inconsistent.
I have observed no major (or even minor) upgrades to the cycle path or road network to encourage cyclists since 2021.
Poor
On all of my routes throughout the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie region I am constantly shoved from one type of pathway to another. From footpaths with poor substandard paving and driveways that then disappear forcing me to make a hasty decision to enter the traffic, which then has either a shoulder then no shoulder, then a shoulder, then a stupid picture of a bike on the road, then some other infrastructure indicating that cyclists should or shouldn't be on it. Meanwhile, fast cars continue to pass, giving a wide birth only if there is no traffic coming in the other direction but....... every time there is traffic approaching, they squeeze the cyclist out!!!!! This, in my opinion is not only dangerous, illegal and stupid, but also reflects the lack of information by government agencies (you guys) in educating road users. SLOW THE TRAFFIC DOWN)
Bicycle shoulder lanes are dangerous. They mean a cyclist is expected often to ride close to car doors that can suddenly open. Or face angry motorists that think they should be closer to parked cars. And the often terminate in weird and dangerous ways.
Cycle facilities have not been expanded or connected. Implementation has prioritised inner city sections and new estates. What about the outer suburbs? Bollards and fencing have been added (not removed).

Maintenance of pre-existing paths has been negligible. Many section need trees trimmed back ( between inner city bye pass and university) and to be resurfaced where roots have cracker the asphalt (behind the stadium). Additionally, path lighting needs to be implemented on existing routes to make night commuting safer for cyclists (behind stadium, between jesmond park and croudace st).
IF what built in Chinchen St narrowed the road removed parking around the school failed to use the brigde as acycleway .WE A LONG WAY TO GO
There are still some places with bike symbols in car door death lanes. They have not modified the standard design of gutter ramps, which was promised. I have no idea what feasibility studies they have done.
I think there has been improvement, but usually only on new work.
I've seen little to no evidence of any of this. There are gaps in the network everywhere! NCM clean up the more than CoN, especially around the Hunter Stadium path. After rain, the path that runs alongside Lambton Ker-rai Creek is covered with mud and runoff from the adjoining fields for days. Riding this route daily for the last 6 years, I have seen the edges trimmed once. It is constantly overgrown and also made very uneven in parts by tree roots.
I can see and use areas on the bicycle network which show this work is progressing, but yet to be fully integrated.

Comments on progress against Objective 3

Virtually every new user will use Google maps for wayfinding, then google sends them on a busy road, then they give up on cycling. CoN needs big signage in prominent locations telling people they should not use google maps. Websites are useless because google maps always wins in a google search.
Poor, as evidenced by driver attitudes towards cyclists in Newcastle, often expressed as violent and dangerous behaviour behind the wheel.
Cycling events: this month is Ride to School day. Support it including kids riding e-bikes to school as they have been the most successful thing ever in getting kids to ride to school. If it is used to discourage kids or to provide an opportunity for police enforcement we are doomed in getting cycling on the agenda.
Community attitudes and respectful behaviour: the recent facebook posts by council regarding the new yellow crossings at bar beach and on parkway ave reveal the deplorable levels of bike hatred endemic in our community. Drivers see them as a trap designed to make them hit cyclists and that cyclists will hurl themselves in front of cars on them. These attitudes will take a long time to change!
The original Find Your Path promotion by Rolling Ball was excellent. Subsequent ones not so much.
Action 3.1 - Unsure if audit has been completed so selected 3 - to be honest the curved bike parking bars at most locations is the biggest pain! trying to line up two different types of bikes on either side is difficult, and it does not feel secure because I can see the 8 bolts someone would need to undo to steal my bike. I don't feel safe leaving my bike at broadmeadow station while I travel to sydney for work/visiting family. There are not enough bike racks at the bar beach parking area. Consider some P style bike racks, which give you more options when locking up your bike, or double decker bike racks at major transport connections. Have signs up about stealing bikes, or cameras installed, tap on/off into a bike shed, put up information for people on what to do if their bike is stolen or how to prevent it. Action 3.2 - Have not noticed new pathway signage Action 3.3 - unsure. 3.4 - the bike workshop at the new art gallery opening was great! However, many of my friends did not know that it was something that would be available. 3.5 cycling maps good but better to try improve OpenStreetMaps as NCM are doing (most people get cycling information by putting it through google maps), is there any way to block out 'danger zones from cycling information'? 3.6 - i think this is happening, but i have not attended a NC promoted event. 3.7 - this has not happened, there is huge rifts between people who ride bikes and who don't with the rise of e-bikes on the roads.
Wayfinding could be improved - road signs are better used for communication for vehicle users, I would love to see wayfinding signage that is specific for cyclists. Considering that cyclists are lower to the ground compared to cars. Informing road users of safe use will always be an issue when it comes to the Australian culture. I think NCC needs a better approach. You can't just tell the community you are installing a "safer" thing for cyclists and expect everyone to be on board. Consult with the broader community, get police involved. Cyclist safety isn't just to help cyclists. It makes it clearer for vehicles to predict where bikes are and it makes it clearer to pedestrians too. NCC should be significantly clearer in stating that cycling infrastructure helps everyone, they are lacking in that. People don't know cycling infrastructure standards. They should be the ones teaching people if they expect to be implementing it.
Actions speak louder than words and the Council’s abject failure to prioritise cycling over cars shows in every trip ridden by bike in the city to the detriment of everyone living here.
The best resource in this town for free, community based bike repair resources is Dan the bike man, a private citizen who is better known than any public entity
zero enforcement of shared paths. Need big billboards educating all. Why double up on Transport for NSW bicycle maps? (seems a waste of govt money). Gaining skills is useless for an unsafe network
Secured bike parking
3.7 has utterly failed. It is a regular occurrence to be abused by drivers who barely seem to consider riders human
Little direct knowledge so I’ve given 3 stars across the board
Action points 3.1 and 3.2 are significant and visible progress has been lacking or non-existent. Recent bike maintenance workshop offerings (Action 3.4) is fantastic but needs to be more widely communicated, easy to find and register interest for.
The recent 2025 spate of incidents on the Fernleigh Track (FLT) including firebombing the FLT, being pushed off my bike by the same individuals and my fellow rider being physically assaulted, and the regular abuse from teenagers on e-bikes does not exhibit progress with the welcoming or encouraging of people to use their bikes. I have seen literally no improvements to the network since 2021. The sign at the Adamstown end of the FLT is worn out, and graffiti-ed. I haven’t seen any new maps to show improvements to the cycle path network, or signage, or improvments to drinking fountains or lighting.
Drivers in Newcastle behave in absolutely appalling and dangerous ways towards both cyclists and pedestrians, so 3.7 has been VERY badly implemented. 3.6 I gave the lowest score to as these initiatives are performative and do nothing to encourage cycling, if anything it is irresponsible to hold them until safe separated cycling infrastructure is built.
I have not been aware of any initiatives. I have seen signage. Most signage takes you into a maze of backstreets and roads that are poorly maintained or sides of roads that are woefully inadequate or roads that make cyclists weave in and out of parked vehicles further increasing confusion and anxiety. The signage that does exist is for the one or two main routes, useless for me. Absolutely nothing seen or heard by me about encouraging mutual consideration etc (action 3.7) This is the most important point in ALL of this survey but is ghostly absent. It should not be up to councils to design their own initiatives however. This is in the nations interests and councils should all be on the same page and therefore be a national campaign.
Drivers in Newcastle city are particularly terrible. King street people hoon and drive dangerously round cyclists heading to the east. Heading west, busses park out the front of Marketown making a tight space, the weird bike lane as king street turns into the a15 is dangerous as cars want to turn left. And through the lights the bike lane weirdly terminates. This is a very dangerous road because of high amount of busses. The bike lanes are sporadic and don’t make sense. Another incredibly dangerous road is Maitland road through mayfield. The busses are horribles the lanes are very thin and drivers are impatient and reckless. There should be a dedicated bike path along this stretch
Lockable bike parking and security is inadequate for the general public. Notices on community pages every month indicate that facilities are insufficient.
Wayfinding signage is minimal and online resources have not been updated (Google cycling route layers, strava mapping tools)
Have not seen any effort to encourage mutual consideration, safe and respectful behaviors by road and path users. The biggest problem with cycling in Australia is its car centric culture and people’s rigid attitudes to road use. Cars still drive erratically with no ( or aggressive) regards to cyclist sharing roads. both drivers and walking pedestrians will often vocalise hatred for cyclist sharing roads and shared paths.
Apart from new shared infrastructure there has been no support for people to ride.
WE need to build at cycle center to teach young kid road rules a cycleway with stop ,give way . roud abouts ,traffic lights etc
3.4 to 3.7 I dont know about.
There was a mini effort when this plan was launched, but it seems to have dried up.
There is variable compliance with mutual consideration of safe and respectful behaviour by some "zooped up" e-bikes which is damaging public confidence in the perception of safety for pedestrians in shared cycle zones, even when used safely by bicycle/e-bike riders.

Comments on progress against Objective 4

need 30please.org ASAP
Poor to abysmal performance here by the Newcastle council.
Hunter St should be made car free, or at least sections should, like George St in Sydney. There is a section where bikes are not permitted on the road and the footpath is not shared so cyclists are expected to dismount for a section of several blocks. This is impossible if you have a cargo bike or similar and inconvenient or dangerous if you have a disability. Everyone rides the footpath and leaves themselves open to hundreds of dollars of fines. It’s appalling.
Some good examples like Carrington but otherwise very limited progress
not sure if CN has done any of this, if they have, then they should communicate it with all residents more clearly.
There has been no effort to fix any of the access for city centres. Unless you live right in the city you would never walk or ride, you would use a car. You can't just expect people to bike into town when they don't live in town. There has been no effort to make a city centre with actual useful things. I can't ride to a hardware store. I can't ride to a homewares store. This is a clear development and zoning error. People don't go into the city, because the only way in is by car, and people don't have any reason to go there when the options are expensive, streets are empty, and there has been no effort to make access in easier. This is a broader issue that can't be fixed by just putting in bike infrastructure.
Hunter Street arcade area has been OPENED UP to automobile traffic, and motorists in this city are antagonistic to cyclists.
the only thing to encourage cycling is 30km/hr or lower speed limits for local roads
Unsure what planning has been done, but access to shopping centres for example are as poor as twenty years ago. ( mind you, they’re not any better for walkers either)
Outside of the Honeysuckle foreshore shared paths and 30KPH road limits (which are excellent), I see little 'fine grained' access in the central Newcastle/East area, where most cyclists would need nerves of still to negotiate the roads or illegally use the footpaths.
As noted previously, i have not seen any improvements to the cycle path network since 2021. I am not aware of any Council meetings or studies to improve the attitudes of motorists or cyclists in the use of their bikes.
You continue to insist that cyclists and pedestrians share infrastructure. This is ludicrous considering cyclists (I'm not referring to e-powered motor bikes) travel much faster than pedestrians. The city centre is an example. Cyclists and other road users (not pedestrians) should be sharing the entire road and don't need to be separated considering the (very sensible) speed restriction placed in this area. Yet we have a cycle lane, right next to, or in some cases, part of the footpath and other road users (cars etc) separated on the widest part of the street where the speed limit would allow for mixed traffic. The "test" done by council to reduce Darby street to 30km/hr was completely flawed because of poor communication but would be an excellent solution in ALL inner city areas given a nationwide campaign (yes people from outside of inner Newcastle drive their vehicles here and, of course, would have not idea what is going on, or care.
Action 4.1: just indicates a maze/labyrinth of out of the way streets and paths removing cyclists form the most direct and efficient route to their destination all in the name of allowing the car driver to get to the next red light.
Action 4.3: seems like you are again assuming that cyclists and pedestrians share the same path (are all cyclists 6yr olds just starting out on their new bike that Uncle Fred gave them for Christmas and therefore will wobble along on the footpath??)
Public domain planning for Civic: The Hunter St cycleway stops 2 blocks short of Civic. There is no cycleway connection north, south or east, although it is possible to ride through shared spaces of Civic park and behind the museum. For East End there is the ridiculous solution to a safety problem of the tram, by trying to ban bikes from use of the road. At Market town there is no clear and safe connection to any cycleway. Most glaringly no connection to the foreshore which is Newcastle's most used cycleway. How do you ride from Carrington to Marketown?
Public domain access is getting worse. The work done around Cottage Creek in Honeysuckle with the bridge and path towards the restaurants and playground introduced new pinch points and a path too narrow to accommodate the amount of cyclists and motorists waddling between their cars and restaurants.

Final Thought

There’s no shortage of passion in Newcastle’s cycling community.

People want safer streets.They want real transport choices.They want a city that works for everyone - not just cars.

The question isn’t whether Newcastle can get there.

It’s whether we’re willing to pick up the pace. 🚲