Parking spaces along the northern side of Smith Street between Belmore and Keira streets - desired by CBD workers because there are no parking meters installed - have been removed this week.

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A sign nailed to a power pole explains "we're making some changes to how cyclists move about this area - including on this street".

The sign added that it is a pilot program that will be assessed in the middle of the year to see what effects it has on city traffic.

The move is part of Wollongong City Council's Cycling Strategy, which plans to encourage more people to ride bikes.

The Smith Street bike lane is one of four pop-up routes in the city, which will also include a shared pathway along Burelli Street and Crown Street as well as a cycleway along a section of Kembla Street.

Smith Street will also be limited to one-way traffic west to east between Keira and Harbour streets to allow for the pop-up cycle path.

A council spokeswoman said work on the bike lane had already started at the western end of Smith Street with the construction of pram ramps.

"The rest of the cycleway project will happen in stages over the next few weeks as we plan to start works from the western end of Smith Street and work our way eastward," she said.

"We will also be doing some work at night where appropriate in order to minimise the impact of construction on residents."

The spokeswoman confirmed there would be a loss of untimed parking along Smith Street - and a total of 44 lost spaces across all four cycle routes.

"We're removing about 12 parking spaces on Smith Street from the section of road between Belmore Street to 35 metres past Young Street," she said.

"The current no parking signs on Smith Street are there to allow construction to proceed safely and the signs will be taken down once the works are complete."

However, the spokeswoman said the council wasn't concerned about the impact the lost spaces would have on CBD workers.

"We anticipate these changes will have a minimal impact on drivers parking in the Wollongong CBD for work," she said.

"People commuting into the Wollongong CBD are able to park at a number of free and paid parking locations within the city radius.

"We also encourage drivers to consider using the Free Gong Shuttle Bus as a park and ride option to travel around the CBD."

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