NSW government backs more bike lanes for Sydney

Roads Minister Duncan Gay has jumped on Lord Mayor Clover Moore's bicycle bandwagon - and is riding it all the way to Sydney Airport.

The Nationals politician boasted to broadcaster Alan Jones in 2013 that he was the state government's biggest bike lane sceptic and if Ms Moore had her way bike paths would be everywhere, adding: "You know she can't control herself with these sorts of things."

But Mr Gay is now riding tandem with Ms Moore, having buddied up as project manager on a series of new bike paths in the CBD.

Following News Corp Australia's revelations that 660 on-street CBD car parking spots have been torn up to make way for Ms Moore's $64 million bike paths, Mr Gay was furiously peddling the cyclist agenda.

Yesterday he said:

The government would build bike paths to Sydney Airport, despite doubts about who would use them.

Motorists should not expect to find on-street parking in the CBD because bike paths and George St light rail would gobble them up; and

He would not guarantee that airport bike paths would not destroy more on-street parking.

Cycle lanes were in response to "significant" community feedback

Independent city councillor and CBD cafe owner Angela Vithoulkas said the loss of parking spaces to bike paths was crippling small business and it would get worse as the George St light rail construction began in "September or October".

"Not only will business owners and residents continue to be impacted by the bike paths and lack of parking choice they will now have the added complication of trying to function during the light rail chaos," she said.

NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said: "Any parking that is being taken away due to cycle paths or light rail needs to be found elsewhere and needs to be affordable."

It does seem a bit of a stretch to think people will use bicycles to get to Sydney Airport

Cycle paths and bike storage facilities were included in a $500 million package alongside a new five-lane entry road and the widening of Qantas Drive - funded by the state government and Sydney Airport - to sort out congested roads around the airport. Work will take place in stages until 2018. Airport CEO Kerrie Mather said cycle lanes were in response to "significant" community feedback.

But former government architect Chris Johnson, now boss at the Urban Taskforce, described the idea as "a bit wacky" and suggested Mr Gay had been lunching with Ms Moore.

"It does seem a bit of a stretch to think people will use bicycles to get to Sydney Airport - it's not too easy to take your luggage on a bicycle," he added.

Proposed bike paths to Sydney Airport

A shared path running along the western kerb of Wentworth Ave, connecting to a shared path running north/south along Botany Rd to Baxter Rd.

A separate path across the Giovanni Brunetti Bridge via a clip-on structure that connects to the existing shared path along Alexandra Canal.

A cycle path on the southern kerb line of Marsh St to connect to the existing Eve St cycleway to the southern bike bath on the Giovanni Brunetti Bridge.