Adelaide City Council spent $250,000 before abandoning East-West City Bikeway

Adelaide City Council spent $250,000 before abandoning a $6m bikeway because it was too risky.

Adelaide City Council spent $250,000 before abandoning an east-west city bikeway, which financial experts warned posed “extreme” risks.

Cycling lobbyists are furious with elected members for voting 8-3 on Tuesday night to scrap plans for a separated bike lane from Franklin Street to Gawler Place and Wakefield Street.

The decision was influenced by a prudential report by financial experts BRM Advisory that found the council risked losing $3m in State Government funding if it was not completed by December.

Under a revised deadline, the council had to approve a route for the bikeway beside footpaths or in the middle of the road by March 31 and have it opened for cyclists by the end of the year.

Seven consultancies costing $250,000 were engaged by the council in a bid to meet the deadlines, including one which produced preliminary designs for the two options presented to councillors.

Proposed route for the East-West Bikeway through the Adelaide CBD. Picture: Adelaide City Council

Councillors were warned that if they chose the median strip option, this would have required Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) approval, further delaying the project.

In its report, BRM Advisory told the council it would have to return the $3m to DIT if the deadlines were not met, leaving it with the entire $6m bill for the project.

The project involved creating a separated bikelane with new kerbing, line marking, surfacing, signs, crossings, bus stops and landscaping within nine months.

“Due to the likely time frames involved in engagement, completion of design works, procurement and indicative construction time frames, we have strong reservations on whether the project can be delivered to meet these time frames,” said the report.

“Failure to meet this milestone (December 31) may result in the State Government withdrawing and City of Adelaide would then be left to complete the project using its own funding.”

Lawyer Greg Griffin makes a presentation to Adelaide City Council about the East West bikeway. Pictured: Supplied

Another issue identified by BRM Advisory was the condition of the roads where the bikelane would be built, with a 900m section of Wakefield Street requiring major upgrading within the next three years.

“Undertaking these road renewal works will result in some components of the project needing to be re-done,” said the report.

“The City of Adelaide will need to write off some assets which have recently been constructed to form the bikeway.”

BRM Advisory said the council also faced “high levels of negative public commentary” from schools, businesses and churches which faced losing up to 180 street car parks.

During public consultation, there had been a preference for a “continuous route over the dog-leg route proposed” and a “desire for proper separation between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles”.

Greek Orthodox Community of SA president Bill Gonis was among those who opposed the bikeway. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Concerns also had been expressed about access across the bikeway for children, older people and disabled, especially near schools, churches and care providers.

There was an “extreme risk” of criticism from stakeholders who did not believed they were adequately consulted.

“The consultation undertaken specifically did not set out to seek feedback on the proposed route of the East-West Bikeway, or the treatments to be applied in specific sections of the bikeway,” said BRM Advisory.

In total, the report said 80 risks had been identified with the project.

“ … based on the number of risks which have a residual rating of ‘extreme’ or ‘high’, the risk assessment demonstrates that the project carries a relatively high level of inherent and residual risk.”

Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor said the council had “consulted extensively with the community and listened to their feedback” about the bikeway.