While thousands of south-west Sydney commuters will be relying on train replacement buses when the T3 Bankstown line closes on Monday, Transport for NSW is hoping to spread the load by encouraging people to get on their bike instead.
Trains will stop running between Bankstown and Sydenham for at least 12 months while the line is converted to a metro line.
Transport for NSW has mapped out three routes connecting inner-west suburbs with Sydenham and Redfern stations, and made improvements including widening footpaths to make them shared paths and installing raised crossings.
Cycling advocates say it is a good start, but warn more needs to be done to make the temporary routes safe for beginners, including lowering traffic speeds to 40 and 30 kilometres per hour on some streets.
Sarah Bickford and Neil Tonkin want further upgrades to make cycling a safer option for commuters on the Bankstown line. (ABC Radio Sydney: Rosemary Bolger)
"You've basically got to be brave," says Neil Tonkin, from the Inner West Bicycle Coalition, after he completed a test run.
Days out from the closure of the line, work was frantically continuing to get the routes ready with more signage and separated lanes going in this week.
Bicycle NSW active transport planner Sarah Bickford said several problems had been fixed since their first test ride a week ago and hoped more would be addressed before the real test came on Monday.
"It's still going to be a fairly bitty with a fairly temporary feeling," Ms Bickford said.
"This is a great opportunity to introduce more people to riding bikes in the inner west but it's not rolling out the green carpet."
The routes are a patchwork of shared footpaths and on-road sections, mostly on quiet streets.
New signage to indicate footpaths that are now shared with cyclists to make it easier for them to ride to and from Sydenham station. (ABC Radio Sydney: Rosemary Bolger)
Ms Bickford said, where riders must share the road with cars, it was best road safety practice to make the speed limit 30kph.
"If you're hit by a vehicle that's travelling at 50 kilometres an hour, which is a default speed limit on our residential roads, you have a 90 per cent chance of being killed by that car.
"If you get that down to 30 that goes down to 10 per cent."
Ms Bickford said it would also encourage beginners to try out cycling.
"It also makes you feel much safer to be on that street if the speed limits are low."
Transport for NSW is considering lowering the speed limit to 40kph on key riding routes, but has no plans to pursue further reductions.
Bicycle NSW also criticised the lack of riding options for commuters west of Campsie as a "missed opportunity".
Permanent south-west cycleway
Some of the temporary cycleway infrastructure will contribute to a permanent cycle and pedestrian pathway between Sydenham and Bankstown set to be completed a year after the metro services start.
"Running adjacent to the railway corridor, the new Southwest Active Transport Link will be complemented by safer and easier access to the new metro stations," a spokesperson for Transport for NSW said.
"Features include extra footpaths, new separated cycleways, shared zones and designated pedestrian and cyclist road crossings."
A secure bike parking facility has been installed at Sydenham station, taking the total number of bike parks to 156. (ABC Radio Sydney: Rosemary Bolger)
Bicycle NSW is lobbying for the work on the cycle path to be done at the same time as construction of the metro track.
Ms Bickford said it was concerning there had been no further consultation since design workshops over a year ago.
"I really think the Bankstown to Sydenham bike ride could be one of the great urban bike rides in the world.
"It goes through so many interesting suburban centres, there's a different food culture in every one."
Mr Tonkin said having a permanent "spine" with the cycle path along the metro line and local routes connecting suburban centres off it would be a game changer for cycling in the inner west.
Do a test run
In the meantime, cyclists will have to make do with the existing and temporary bike routes infrastructure.
Mr Tonkin encouraged beginners or rusty riders to go for a test ride at a quiet time of day.
"You can't just turn up at 8:30am on a Monday morning.
"You've got to actually go there on the weekend and just have a look at how the road system works and where the traffic is and where the pinch points are and just try and work your way around those things."
Sarah Bickford navigates a tricky crossing on Marrickville Road which she hopes will be improved. (ABC Radio Sydney: Rosemary Bolger)
Transport for NSW estimated it would take seven minutes to ride from Marrickville to Sydenham station.
For those coming from Canterbury, they can cycle to Tempe station in about 22 minutes, while riding from Dulwich Hill to Sydenham station will take about 12 minutes.
The department is organising free riding events for south-west commuters designed to boost confidence. More information, including maps of the temporary routes, can be found here.