Parramatta - Carlingford Light Rail Cycleway (Shared Path / "Active Transport Link" (!)

[LateStarter]

ABC this morning said it was open, Light Rail website says it is "available to use" / "open". Light Rail itself is still 6 months away ?

Any early ride reports, looks good on the "artist's impressions" / maps, otherwise I might have to get out that way this week.

Saw also that the Alfred Street bridge, which is adjacent to the "end" of the Light Rail cycleway (until they build new connecting bits?), was "now" due to open in August.

Parramatta CBD might become a good place to live? (returning to my westie roots after a life time as an inner city trendy)

https://www.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov ... th-updates
https://www.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov ... ike-riding

[g-boaf]

ABC this morning said it was open, Light Rail website says it is "available to use" / "open". Light Rail itself is still 6 months away ?

Any early ride reports, looks good on the "artist's impressions" / maps, otherwise I might have to get out that way this week.

Saw also that the Alfred Street bridge, which is adjacent to the "end" of the Light Rail cycleway (until they build new connecting bits?), was "now" due to open in August.

Parramatta CBD might become a good place to live? (returning to my westie roots after a life time as an inner city trendy)

https://www.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov ... th-updates
https://www.parramattalightrail.nsw.gov ... ike-riding

It was open the weekend before last actually with plenty of people already using it.

Parramatta CBD might? become a good place to live? It already had really good cycling infrastructure compared to a lot of other areas, particularly Parramatta to north-western Sydney, to Richmond, to Eastern Creek, then south western Sydney and further beyond. It has been that way for years and years.

Now, you can ride on a cycleway pretty much almost all the way from Carlingford pathway to Camden.

[robbo mcs]

I actually rode the full length of it yesterday. It is 99% complete, there is one station where stuff is still partially fenced off and you have to divert for around 200m, otherwise good to go. Signage and maps up, water filling stations. The Parra end links up with the new Alfred street bike lane, which joins the M4 cyclepath. That makes a really good linkage, and gives quite a few options.

The ride is actually quite a long gradual uphill climb to Carlingford. This segment is around 95% of the track

https://www.strava.com/segments/34576743?filter=overall

[mikesbytes]

Looks like it will be quite a useful route for those that live in that area.

[splash_dad]

Used it to ride from Carlingford to Parramatta to M4 to Prospect via the pipeline to M7 to Preston then back on the M7 to Bella Vista. Mostly cycleway with a few quiet roads.

Easy ride from Carlingford Station as it's downhill.

[caneye]

Looks like it will be quite a useful route for those that live in that area.

Yes! It's been worth the wait.
Otherwise returning to Carlingford - you always have to ride with traffic on busy Adderton Rd (uphill all the way to pennant hills road) and Dudley St (bus route).

[queequeg]

Looks like it will be quite a useful route for those that live in that area.

Yes! It's been worth the wait.
Otherwise returning to Carlingford - you always have to ride with traffic on busy Adderton Rd (uphill all the way to pennant hills road) and Dudley St (bus route).

Same for me. My route from Olympic Park back home is a little bit easier now. I would normally come off the Parramatta Valley Cycleway and go up Park Rd/Adderton Rd, then across the Jenkins Rd and ride the Jenkins/Oakes Rd rollercoaster back up to Aiken Rd. It looks like now I can extend further along the cycleway to where the light rail crosses the river, make a right and get all the way up to Carlingford without any traffic lights. Very happy!

[splash_dad]

Short video of the path.

https://youtu.be/-7dzOJSAHyE

[LateStarter]

I did it last Friday, fairly impressed. Highlights the grossly missed opportunities on the likes of the Old Windsor Road T-Way path (all the 3 stage beg button cycle crossings) while the T-Way sails overhead on a bridge) and the inner west "Green Way" (much reduced & late thanks to Transport minister Gladys killing it in 2011, "it was a Labor promise"!)

[g-boaf]

I did it last Friday, fairly impressed. Highlights the grossly missed opportunities on the likes of the Old Windsor Road T-Way path (all the 3 stage beg button cycle crossings) while the T-Way sails overhead on a bridge) and the inner west "Green Way" (much reduced & late thanks to Transport minister Gladys killing it in 2011, "it was a Labor promise"!)

The worst on the Old Windsor Road T-Way is the massive intersection to get over to the path that runs onto the start of the M7 with the crappy badly positioned extremely narrow bollards and steep uphill immediately after them and big drop-off at the edge of the path onto rough dirt.

Anyone on anything other than a narrow bicycle, forget it - especially something three wheeled.

And yes, the T-way zooms overhead on the bridge. The cycleway should have done so as well to avoid that terrible massive intersection.

[peter]

Sounds good, will have to check it out soon. Any loop suggestions, from Parramatta? Looks only one way up and down from Rydalmere to Carlingford.

[mikesbytes]

Short video of the path.

https://youtu.be/-7dzOJSAHyE

Looks really good. Also wasn't too many to share the path with which would of helped with pace

[JPB]

The worst on the Old Windsor Road T-Way is the massive intersection to get over to the path that runs onto the start of the M7 with the crappy badly positioned extremely narrow bollards and steep uphill immediately after them and big drop-off at the edge of the path onto rough dirt.

Anyone on anything other than a narrow bicycle, forget it - especially something three wheeled.

And yes, the T-way zooms overhead on the bridge. The cycleway should have done so as well to avoid that terrible massive intersection.

#OffTopic
I agree, that intersection is a pain.
To avoid the bollards, once you have crossed Old Windsor Rd stay on the path beside Old Windsor Rd and head up the hill, crossing the T-Way half way up the hill at the bus stop.

[DojoBuff]

Tried it this morning. Nice to have a piece of cycling infrastructure that is fit for purpose (rather than all those converted footpaths). My only snag was at Yallamundi station where I didn't realise that you had to move across the tram lines to continue the cycleway on the eastern side. I ended up down a footpath to nowhere and had to double back.

It's well lit up at night. The 4km climb to Carlingford is gradual but I felt it in my legs by the time I reached Boundary Road. That may be because I was riding into a headwind this morning.

And then there is the climb up to Pennant Hills Road. But before that my chain snapped (!) and I had to walk/"glide" down to Epping and home.

[g-boaf]

Tried it this morning. Nice to have a piece of cycling infrastructure that is fit for purpose (rather than all those converted footpaths). My only snag was at Yallamundi station where I didn't realise that you had to move across the tram lines to continue the cycleway on the eastern side. I ended up down a footpath to nowhere and had to double back.

It's well lit up at night. The 4km climb to Carlingford is gradual but I felt it in my legs by the time I reached Boundary Road. That may be because I was riding into a headwind this morning.

And then there is the climb up to Pennant Hills Road. But before that my chain snapped (!) and I had to walk/"glide" down to Epping and home.

I didn't know it was lit at night. Not bad at all.

[LateStarter]

I didn't know it was lit at night. Not bad at all.

I haven't been there at night but the web site says the light poles have movement detectors and turn the lights on as you approach and then off when you have passed

[caneye]

Tried it this morning. Nice to have a piece of cycling infrastructure that is fit for purpose (rather than all those converted footpaths). My only snag was at Yallamundi station where I didn't realise that you had to move across the tram lines to continue the cycleway on the eastern side. I ended up down a footpath to nowhere and had to double back.

It's well lit up at night. The 4km climb to Carlingford is gradual but I felt it in my legs by the time I reached Boundary Road. That may be because I was riding into a headwind this morning.

And then there is the climb up to Pennant Hills Road. But before that my chain snapped (!) and I had to walk/"glide" down to Epping and home.

Yup, I did the same thing at Yallamundi - headed the wrong way until a bunch of eldery walkers yelled out and pointed the right path to me

Not sure what's the delay that warrants the entire closure of the track.

The detour is very short but narrow and sketchy.
A lady came off her bike just last weekend, on that stretch. She was quite upset.