Fixing controversial Frome St bikeway and extending it could cost city ratepayers more than $10m

IT was developed for $1.6 million, but fixing the controversial Frome St bikeway and extending it could cost city ratepayers more than $10 million.

• New investigation into Frome St bikeway’s future ordered
• Anne Moran says the end of Frome St bikeway a black spot
• Cyclists protest ahead of Council vote on Frome St bikeway’s future

FIXING the controversial Frome St bikeway and extending it could cost city ratepayers more than $10 million.

Several multi-million dollar options will be presented in a report to Adelaide City councillors later this month.

There are four options for improving the existing bikeway, ranging from $90,000 to $6.4 million, and a further three options for extending it to North Tce, which could cost between $360,000 and $5.1 million.

The cheapest proposal for fixing the existing bikeway includes minor works such as painting green cycle lanes through intersections, while the more expensive options would require the street to be redesigned with new pavers, more trees and a bigger footpath.

Proposals for the extension to North Tce range from keeping the four lanes of traffic and creating a separated bikeway using line marking, through to a major redevelopment which would cut the street down to two lanes of traffic to fit a bigger footpath and a physical barrier to protect cyclists.

If they support the two most expensive options for each project, the estimated cost would be $11.5 million.

In June, councillors ignored the recommendations of an independent consultant’s report into the controversial $1.6 million bikeway and instead opted for further staff evaluation of the issues before making a decision.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese has backed the multimillion-dollar options for fixing the existing section of the bikeway and its extension because they would meet new design standards being developed.

Lord Mayor Martin Haese.

“We need to have the opportunity to get this right and build the type of first class infrastructure that should have been done in the first place,” he said.

“If we get this right, it can actually attract investment. Restaurants, cafes and bars will start to spring up there because businesses will leverage off this investment in the public realm.”

Prominent businessman and East End property owner Theo Maras said Frome St needed to be returned to four lanes of traffic during peak hour.

“As a city ratepayer, I find it simply unbelievable that these people would even consider spending millions of dollars more to fix it when the solution is so simple,” he said.

“We need to start holding the people that are delaying this to account and that includes everyone on the council and the administration.”

Fixing the controversial Frome St bikeway and extending it could cost city ratepayers more than $10 million.

Councillor Anne Moran said she would not support the multi-million dollar options.

“The amounts of money for some of the options really is jaw-dropping,” she said.

“I could easily build a mansion in the south of France for less than that.”

The report also stated there had been 195 crashes on the northern end of Frome St between 2009 and 2014, with 15 per cent of those involving bike riders. A further 72 crashes were recorded on the southern end of Frome St over the same period, with seven per cent involving cyclists.

It is scheduled to be presented to a special council meeting next week.

The report recommended delaying work on the extension until after the $160 million O-Bahn extension was completed in 2017.