Revitalising Oxford Street

The Oxford Street Revitalisation Project would help bring the street and other public spaces to life, attracting a diverse mix of people, encouraging them to stay longer and would create opportunities for connection, culture and community.  

The Strategy sets out how we could achieve this through street improvements, activations and events to further enhance this vibrant precinct. Early activation opportunities would lead the way for what’s possible in the longer term, by testing ideas and sparking community interest in the revitalisation.

Above all, the recommendations reflect the aspirations, lived experience and creativity driven by the people who use and love Oxford Street.

Based on what you told us, we’ve identified four types of early activations that could help to attract more people to the area and encourage them to stay for longer:    

• Cultural: any interim art or cultural activity delivered in public spaces, such as music/busking, public art, exhibitions and themed tours.
• Business: interim activities that support businesses along Oxford Street, day or night, such as outdoor dining, extended trading, pop-up shops and promotions.
• Seasonal: regular or seasonal activation that bring the community together through a range of activities, such as markets, festivals, street parties and events.
• Play: playful and surprising interventions, such as playgrounds, parklets, family activities and lighting, which promote vibrancy and safety, encouraging people to spend more time locally.

As demonstrated through Transport for NSW (Transport)-led programs, such as Streets as Shared Spaces, activation initiatives could be trialled to help evaluate long-term or permanent opportunities in key locations, such as: 

• late night dining and plaza activations
• public art installations that reflect the heritage and culture of Oxford Street
• lighting, seating and greening interventions.

In the longer term, public domain improvements on Oxford Street would contribute to the vibrancy, liveliness, safety and amenity of the street. The improvements could include positive changes like:

• footpath widening and resurfacing
• more street tree planting and greening
• better accessibility on footpaths and at bus stops  
• new bus stops with shade and greenery
• more places to safely cross the street
• new public artworks that celebrate Country and Oxford Street
• street furniture improvements such as benches, bike racks and bubblers.  

The public domain initiatives would help foster a renewed sense of pride and attachment to Oxford Street for all the community. They would attract people to the area by highlighting Oxford Street’s character and strengths, including art, design, fashion and food.

Take a look to learn more about the Strategy (PDF, 10.9 MB).

We heard overwhelming feedback from businesses and the community that you want to build on what makes Oxford Street great – celebrating its unique history and community – while creating a greener, more vibrant, accessible street that brings lasting social and economic benefits.

The bike path would connect the city to the Eastern Suburbs and complete a vital missing link in Sydney’s bike network. It would provide a healthier and viable new travel option and make the street safer, quieter and more accessible for people. It would transform public spaces along Oxford Street and reimagine their use, making them places people want to spend more time in and enjoy. 

The public domain and activation initiatives, including the proposed bike path, would help to attract more people for longer, bringing life to Oxford Street from day to night.

Key features of the bike path and public domain and activation initiatives include:

Enhanced public spaces and activation, which could:

• provide early activation initiatives, including greening, outdoor seating and events
• widen footpaths for outdoor dining opportunities
• upgrade around 5,000 square metres of paving and footpaths to make Oxford Street more accessible and encourage walking
• plant more than 50 street trees and many shrubs to provide more greenery and shade, to encourage walking and more bird life
• provide new benches along the street with more places to sit, rest and socialise
• install signage for people walking and riding bikes to help people find local destinations, green spaces and community facilities
• create new public artworks in public spaces, including the bike path, to celebrate the area's unique Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage and community.  

Improved connectivity, which could:

• take bikes off the footpath, with a new safe separated 1.8-kilometre bike path connecting Taylor Square and Paddington Gates
• provide five additional street crossings at signal intersections to improve safety and connections for people walking
• widen footpaths and improving accessibility at up to 10 side streets
• make bus stops more accessible and comfortable
• reduce traffic speed to help improve safety and amenity  
• keep bus lanes during peak hours
• provide kerbside parking and loading to support businesses and visitors.

Oxford Street has evolved over thousands of years, from its beginnings as an Aboriginal bush track, or muru, to an active high street that also serves as a vital connection between Sydney’s city centre and the Eastern Suburbs.

Following overwhelming community feedback, the scope of the project has expanded. The project will now also deliver upgraded public spaces, activities and events, through the Oxford Street Public Domain and Activation Strategy, helping to revitalise the street. This means along with the bike path we’ll also deliver wider footpaths, more trees and greenery, space for outdoor dining, public art, events and activities. This would enhance and build on what is already great about Oxford Street.

The bike path along Oxford Street would also make it safer for people of all ages, abilities and skill levels to walk, ride and move around this vibrant Sydney precinct. The revitalisation will reduce congestion, noise and pollution while supporting healthier and more sustainable travel  options for more people.

Oxford Street bike path is a vital missing link in Sydney’s active transport network. As well as connecting the city centre and the Eastern Suburbs, also it would join up other recently delivered and current bike paths in construction including  Bondi Junction, Surry Hills/Darlinghurst, the CBD, and Randwick. The bike path would connect to the completed Centennial Park Cycleway. It would also connect to new bike paths on Liverpool and Oxford streets at Taylor Square. These bike paths have been delivered by the City of Sydney and are jointly funded by Transport. Together these bike paths will create a continuous separated bike path corridor.

The bike path on the south side of Oxford Street would run between Taylor Square and Paddington Gates. To make room for safer and more people-friendly spaces, the design  reallocates road space, retaining two bus lanes and kerbside parking. This shift would free up more space for walking, bike riding, outdoor dining and enjoying street life.

The project builds  on early design work by the City of Sydney. In 2022–23, Transport prepared a high-level strategic design and sought feedback from councils, other stakeholders and the public. We then carried out broader public consultation from June 2023 to inform the concept design. In response to the overwhelming desire for broader improvements, and the feedback and insights provided by the community, the Public Domain and Activation Strategy was developed in parallel, helping to ensure the revitalisation reflects the identity, needs and aspirations of the people who use Oxford Street every day.

Transport will prepare a Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the proposed revitalisation, including the bike path and public domain and activation initiatives. We’ll continue to engage and collaborate with our stakeholders, including councils, to help achieve a high street that is safe, accessible and economically sustainable for everyone.

View larger version of timeline (PDF, 1012.67 KB).

What is the Oxford Street Revitalisation Project Public Domain and Activation Strategy?

The Strategy has been developed by Transport and identifies enhancements to help better realise the potential of Oxford Street as a civic place for people, with a role as both a high street and a connector.

Why did Transport devise this Strategy?

Public feedback revealed a common aspiration for a revitalised and economically vibrant Oxford Street, but there were mixed views on whether a bike path alone would achieve that outcome.  

In direct response to community feedback and to support local businesses, Transport committed to explore an expanded project scope to include public domain and activation improvements.

Transport has engaged with residents, business owners, community groups, local councils and other key stakeholders to understand how we could improve public spaces on Oxford Street to inform the Strategy.

What changes could happen on Oxford Street?

Transport has proposed a bike path going from Taylor Square to Paddington Gates, alongside initiatives that range from public domain improvements, such as footpath widening, planting, pocket park upgrades and improved lighting, to activation improvements, such as street festivals.  

The Strategy sets out how we may achieve this through early and permanent street improvements and events that breathe more life into this vibrant precinct. The early activation would lead the way for what’s possible in the longer term by testing ideas and sparking community interest in the revitalisation.  

Above all, the Strategy recommendations reflect the aspirations, lived experience and creativity driven by the people who use and love Oxford Street. In the longer term, public domain improvements on Oxford Street would contribute to the vibrancy, liveliness and amenity of the street, enhancing its role as a high street and a connector for people.  

What is the aim of the project?

Transport’s Strategy plans to revitalise Oxford Street through early activations, public space improvements, bus stop upgrades, and a new separated bike path along Oxford Street to make journeys safer and easier for more people to ride and move around. This would in turn have economic benefits for local businesses and the local nightlife.

The proposed bike path is an essential part of the public domain and activation revitalisation, helping to attract more people for longer and bringing life to Oxford Street from day to night.  

What is the bike path component of the project?  

The bike path is proposed as a bi-directional 1.8-kilometre bike riding route on Oxford Street designed to create a safer, more convenient route between Sydney’s city centre and the Eastern Suburbs. The two-way bike path would be on the south side of Oxford Street, between Taylor Square and Paddington Gates. It would provide a safer and more direct route for people of all ages and abilities riding bikes. The design includes a median separating people on bikes from vehicles. The bike path enables the reallocation of existing road space and revitalisation of the street.  

Importantly, the project scope has now been expanded following community feedback. It now also proposes to deliver upgraded public spaces and footpaths, activations, activities and events along Oxford Street. The Strategy would help to revitalise the street, including more trees and greenery, wider footpaths, increased outdoor dining opportunities, public art and events along this iconic street.

Who would deliver the bike path?

Transport is responsible for the delivery. We’re working closely with a range of stakeholders, including the City of Sydney, which recently delivered new bike paths on Liverpool and Oxford streets. The bike paths would join on Oxford Street at Taylor Square.

Why has the bike path taken time to progress since it was first announced?

Since March 2021 Transport has progressed design work through detailed investigations, multiple rounds of public consultation and close coordination with councils and other key stakeholders.

During that time, we've carried out three stages of public engagement and developed both a strategic and concept design, all of which takes time to do both properly and collaboratively.

Importantly, due to the overwhelming feedback we have received from the community, the project scope has now been expanded. It is now proposed to also deliver upgraded public spaces and footpaths, activities and events, through the Strategy, helping to revitalise the street. Initiatives include bringing more trees and greenery, wider footpaths, increased outdoor dining opportunities, public art and events to this iconic street.

What are the problems faced by people walking and riding bikes on Oxford Street?

Thousands of people walk and ride bikes along Oxford Street every day. For people riding bikes in particular, the lack of a dedicated bike path means the journey can be difficult and unsafe, with a high proportion of crashes on Oxford Street involving bike riders. For the 5,000 or so people who walk on Oxford Street each day, the experience can be noisy and hot, and the road can be difficult to cross, especially during peak hours. Improvements to Oxford Street will enable safer and easier walking and bike riding, encouraging people to spend more time enjoying Oxford Street’s famous shops, businesses and night life.

Why is Oxford Street the preferred bike path location?

Oxford Street offers a unique opportunity to deliver:

• greater safety benefits  
  Reported crash data collected between 2019 and 2023 (inclusive) shows a total of 65 reported crashes on Oxford Street. 14 involved people riding bikes, a very high proportion, compared to the total number of crashes. A separated bike path will help more people travel more safely, including around 220 people a day who feel the need to ride on the footpath
• a proven demand recognising Oxford Street is a more popular route 
  Although numbers inevitably vary, currently an average of around 900 people a day use Oxford Street as their preferred bike riding route. At the weekend, bike riding along Oxford Street also increases, which shows the great potential for more leisure trips along Oxford Street by bike
• better network connections and a more direct route
  The Oxford Street bike path will connect to the Centennial Park Cycleway, which has been completed, and the Oxford Street West Cycleway. Together they will create a continuous, separated bike path corridor between Bondi Junction and the Sydney CBD, with the Oxford Street bike paths joining at Taylor Square
• major revitalisation benefits 
  The place vision set out in Transport’s Oxford Street Public Domain and Activation Strategy would deliver major, wider improvements on one of Australia’s most iconic, vibrant and culturally significant streets
• a boost for local businesses with a more accessible, walkable and rideable street 
  Growing evidence supports this claim about business benefits (please see the Oxford Street East Cycleway Consultation Report (PDF, 11.73 MB) for more information).

What is Transport’s approach to parking and traffic modelling?

We’ve carried out comprehensive traffic modelling to assess the impact on general traffic and buses. We’ve designed changes to the road to balance parking impacts, access and travel time impacts.  

Transport’s approach is to minimise any impacts on parking where possible while rebalancing the street space to revitalise it and make it work more efficiently as a connector, and as a place for people.  

We’ve heard loud and clear from the community and businesses that parking and loading is important. We’re keen to emphasise that any changes will be as close as possible to the current parking and loading arrangement, including with parking on both sides of the street during off-peak hours.  

We'll need to relocate some parking spots to accommodate the new improved bus stops that will be consolidated from six locations to four. We’re also looking at re-timing some peak hour parking restrictions to maintain the flow of traffic. We’ll release more information about proposed parking changes in the future.  

Traffic modelling will be included in Transport’s Review of Environmental Factors (REF) for the project. The REF will be made available for further feedback during the public display, which is consistent with what we do on other similar projects.

Will there be right-hand turn bans?  

The design process for the Oxford Street Revitalisation Project has not been finalised. Transport’s safety and operational assessments indicate right-hand turns bans can help the bike path to operate more safely.  

Introducing bans reduces the risk of cars turning into the path of people walking, people riding bikes and other vehicles, and avoids queuing behind turning vehicles. It has been increasingly introduced in cities across the world to address congestion and safety issues.  

Right-hand turn bans were proposed at the following locations:

• Northbound from South Dowling Street onto Oxford Street
• Eastbound from Oxford Street onto Greens Road
• Eastbound from Oxford Street onto Oatley Road
• Westbound from Oxford Street onto Jersey Road
• Eastbound from Oxford Street onto Lang Road.

However, we’ve heard and acknowledge local concern about the removal of right-hand turns and have re-examined our plans. In response to this feedback, we’re considering retaining the right-hand turn at South Dowling Street onto Oxford Street, following design and safety assessments.

Would there be changes to bus stops and bus services? 

We’re proposing to reduce eight bus stops to five along the south side of Oxford Street.  

Bus stop consolidation has distinct benefits for people who rely on bus travel. Fewer bus stops mean less stopping which would help to improve bus travel time and reliability. The larger bus platforms, big enough to hold two buses at each location, will also improve bus capacity along the corridor. The consolidation will be designed to ensure that bus stops continue to be close to key destinations and housing. 

When will the project be delivered?

Funds are in place to develop the design and the planning approval for the project. This will help to determine delivery funding and construction timeframes. Further updates will be shared with the community and key stakeholders.

What consultation have you carried out?

We’ve consulted since 2022 through surveys, workshops, meetings and online platforms. This has included from early feedback on a very high-level design through to the latest consultation on the Public Domain and Activation Strategy. The results have seen community-driven initiatives as the centrepiece of this project. We continue to engage widely with key stakeholders and the wider community.

What changes have you made based on community feedback? 

Planned changes and actions in response to the feedback include:

• expanding the scope of the project through the Oxford Street Public Domain and Activation Strategy in direct response to overwhelming community feedback
• keeping the right-hand turn at South Dowling Street onto Oxford Street
• speed zone review
• behaviour change campaigns to encourage people to choose bike riding or public transport options, over driving or using alternate routes.  

How have you addressed the concerns that some businesses have about the bike path?

We’re mindful of the needs of local businesses who have weathered the challenges of retail malls, Covid-19, online shopping and the cost-of-living squeeze, and who are understandably worried about the impacts of any further change. We take these concerns seriously and share the community’s aspiration for an economically vibrant Oxford Street. We believe the street revitalisation, activations and bike path offers an opportunity to build on the strengths of Oxford Street as a thriving people-first destination.  

As part of the Public Domain and Activation Strategy, we're developing initiatives to support businesses through street activation, events and public space improvements. Business owners can contact us directly at osecycleway@transport.nsw.gov.au, or by calling 1800 684 490. 

How does the bike path on Oxford Street propose to connect to the rest of the bike network in the area?

It will connect:

• east to the Centennial Park Cycleway and  
• west to the City of Sydney's new two-way, separated cycleway along Liverpool Street and Oxford Street, from Castlereagh Street to Taylor Square.  

When the Oxford Street bike path is delivered, these two routes will create a continuous, separated bike path corridor between Sydney centre and the Eastern Suburbs.

Other bike path projects are underway or have recently been completed in the city and surrounding areas, including between Kingsford and Centennial Park.

How wide would the bike path lanes be along Oxford Street?

Design development is ongoing. The width of the bike path will vary along the route. In most places, it will reach a maximum width of around three meters (1.5 metres in each direction). In locations where there are upgraded bus stops, the bike path would likely be reduced to around 2.4 metres wide (1.2 metres in each direction), subject to design development. Footpath widths will be widened to provide safer and more efficient walking, as well as trees, seating, outdoor dining and other opportunities. Traffic lane widths will be looked at as part of the development of the design.

When is work proposed to start and how long will it take?

Transport will carry out detailed design, including items outlined in the Public Domain and Activation Strategy. A Review of Environmental Factors (REF) to assess the Oxford Street Revitalisation Project will be placed on public display.

The public display period for the REF will allow the community and stakeholders the opportunity to provide further feedback on the Oxford Street revitalisation proposals, including the bike path and the impacts that we’ve identified. We'll continue to engage with the community and stakeholders through the life of the project.

All feedback received will be carefully considered before a final decision on the project is made, including exact start dates once funding has been allocated.

Further updates will be shared with the community and key stakeholders.

How can I find out more about the City of Sydney's cycleway project?

For more information on the separated bike path on Oxford Street West and Liverpool Street, please see the City of Sydney's project webpage, which also includes contact information, for anyone seeking more information. 

• Community update - A new vision for Oxford Street - November 2025 (PDF, 1.99 MB)
• Community update - Public Domain and Activation Strategy - share your ideas for Oxford Street East - July 2024 (PDF, 899.82 KB)
• Community update - Thank you for your feedback - December 2023 (PDF, 149.91 KB)
• Community update - Supporting the rejuvenation of Oxford Street - June 2023

• Public Domain and Activation Strategy – November 2025 (PDF, 10.9 MB)
• Appendix A – Stakeholder and Community Workshop Outcomes by Urbis (PDF, 5.67 MB)
• Appendix B – Have Your Say Survey Report by Customer Insights, Department of Customer Service (PDF, 1.11 MB)  
• Appendix C – Aboriginal Design Principles by WSP Australia (PDF, 1.43 MB)
• Oxford Street East Cycleway Consultation Report - December 2023 (PDF, 11.73 MB)

In February 2023, we sought feedback on the strategic bike path design via an interactive map. 

We've also published an Early Feedback Report which captures this feedback and can be viewed here: Early Feedback Report (PDF, 6.58 MB).

View larger versions of the maps featured on this page.

• Route map for Oxford Street East Cycleway (PDF, 2.46 MB)
• Map of proposed consolidation of bus stops on Oxford Street (PDF, 2.27 MB)
• Map of proposed right-hand turn bans on Oxford Street (PDF, 2.38 MB)
• Map of proposed public domain initiatives and priorities (PDF, 2.98 MB)