Cyclists will have to wait at least another two years before the state government decides to deliver on its promise to provide them an alternative to hauling their bikes up several flights of stairs at the northern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge.

A plan unveiled more than 15 months ago for a 200-metre ramp for cyclists has drawn the ire of Milsons Point residents who fear it will detract from their views of the harbour bridge, impinge on the nearby Bradfield Park and result in the felling of trees.

A lack of ramp access at the bridge's north end has long frustrated cyclists. Credit:Dean Sewell

Roads Minister Melinda Pavey said there were “some big challenges” to the project but she expected the government to be in a position to release a final plan for improved access, and the means by which it would be funded, within the next two years.

“The access [to the bridge] could be better but the positive side of that is there are still a lot of cyclists using it,” she said.