Controversial East-West separated bikeway on hold so Adelaide City Council can consult ratepayers

EARLY design work on the city’s East-West bikeway project will be put on hold until the council consults with ratepayers on Flinders and Franklin St who are affected by the contentious scheme.

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EARLY design work on the city’s East-West bikeway project will be put on hold until the council consults with ratepayers on Flinders and Franklin St who are affected by the contentious scheme.

A formal engagement strategy due to start this month has also been stopped following concern from businesses, residents and property owners.

Traders along Flinders and Franklin St have said they fear the proposed bikeway will damage their businesses when parking and outdoor dining areas are reduced under the project.

A total of $5.5 million has been allocated for the design and construction of the bikeway between Dequetteville Tce and West Tce.

However the route — which mirrors the new design for the Frome St bikeway — will make all angled parking parallel and is likely to affect on-street dining areas.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, a majority of Adelaide City councillors supported an alternate motion by Councillor Houssam Abiad that approves administration immediately consulting with the impacted ratepayers along Flinders St, Franklin St and all branching side roads and laneways.

Mr Abiad also requested that ratepayers be asked if they support an East-West separated bikeway along Flinders and Franklin St, and be given options to answer “yes”, “no” or “depending on the design”.

“The first thing that we are hearing from a lot of our ratepayers is a great deal of finger pointing towards Frome, towards Sturt St, with a level of discontent and discomfort around what this council is trying to deliver,” he said.

“We can’t afford to simply send letters out ... we need to knock on every door, we need to explain to our ratepayers that potentially if any project were to progress what it would look like, get their direct feedback and their direct understanding of what council is trying to plan because without winning our ratepayers over, there will be no project.”

Councillor Alex Antic said there was almost “universal opposition” to the project from ratepayers.

“They feel as if they have not been consulted on whether they want a bikeway or not and the reason they feel that way is because they have not been,” he said.

Consultation between council administration and immediately impacted ratepayers is expected to occur next year with results to come back to council by April 2018.