Newport Today:
Newport residents have a new way to walk and cycle towards Bilgola without travelling alongside traffic on the winding Bilgola Bends. But just days after the long-awaited shared path opened, concerns have emerged about how safely pedestrians and faster-moving e-bikes can use the same route.
The 750-metre connection, officially opened on 13 October 2026, runs alongside Barrenjoey Road between Newport Beach and The Serpentine at Bilgola Beach. Approximately three metres wide, it provides an off-road route for pedestrians and cyclists, while adding another section to the Northern Beaches coastal walking network.
For locals, the improvement is substantial. Travelling between Newport and Bilgola has long meant negotiating steep terrain or using routes close to one of the area’s busiest coastal roads. The new path offers an alternative, with boardwalk sections, lookout points and native landscaping along the route.
Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins welcomed the new connection, describing it as a lasting addition to the area’s coastal walking network.
“The new pathway provides a safer and more accessible route for walkers, bike riders and people with mobility limitations, while showcasing the incredible beauty of our coastline,” Mayor Heins said.
Nearly a Decade from Funding to Opening
The project has a lengthy history, beginning with a $2.6 million NSW Government funding announcement in 2017. Community consultation followed in 2020, with further design work undertaken before Council approved the final plans in November 2024.
Construction began in September 2025, incorporating an elevated pathway through sections of the coastal landscape, non-slip surfaces, handrails and connections to existing walking infrastructure.
At the Newport end, the new route links with the Bicentennial walkway near the beach car park. At The Serpentine, cyclists can transition onto the adjoining road, while pedestrians can continue towards Bilgola Beach using the existing walkway and stairs.
Although the completed connection improves access along this section of coastline, the steep terrain means the entire route does not meet compliant accessibility gradients. Council has acknowledged this limitation while noting the improvements made for people using mobility aids.
The pathway also contributes to the broader coastal corridor linking Newport, Bilgola and Avalon, although other sections of the network remain to be completed.
The Downhill Speed Concern
While the new path separates cyclists from traffic on Barrenjoey Road, its shared use by pedestrians and riders has prompted questions about speed, particularly on downhill sections.
Pittwater MP Jacqui Scruby, who attended the opening alongside Northern Beaches Mayor Sue Heins, councillors, Council staff and Newport Residents Association representatives, has called for additional speed-reduction measures.
Her concern centres on the growth in electric bicycle use since the project’s earlier consultation, and whether the original design adequately accounts for the different speeds of people now using shared pathways.
“Since 2020 we’ve had an explosion in e-bike uptake, fundamentally changing the use of the path from how it was contemplated by designers and the community in 2020,” Ms Scruby said in a statement issued on 14 October.
She has urged Council to consider engineered speed-reduction measures and an enforceable speed limit, while indicating that she intends to reintroduce legislation addressing speeds on shared pathways.
The issue extends beyond electric bicycles. Conventional bicycles can also gather considerable speed downhill, while walkers, families with young children and people using mobility aids may travel much more slowly.
There have been no confirmed reports of collisions on the newly opened Newport–Bilgola section in the information reviewed for this article. The concerns relate to potential risks as the pathway begins attracting regular users.