A major redesign of Frome Street bikeway is now unlikely, despite the Adelaide City Council requesting yet another review of the controversial project.

Deputy Lord Mayor Houssam Abiad last night retreated from his push to have Adelaide City Council’s administration redesign the bikeway to accommodate two peak-time driving lanes in each direction along the road.

The redesign would have required the current infrastructure to be removed in favour of a narrower bikeway, at an estimated cost of between $350,000 and $520,000, according to the council’s administration.

However Abiad last night presented an amended motion, which called for council to instead begin design work on achieving “a better flow of vehicle traffic during peak and off-peak times” and “optimisation of parking on Frome Street and surrounding areas”.

The motion, which passed council, contains no reference to redesigning the road to feature two peak-time driving lanes in each direction.

It requests that work begin on designing an extension to the bikeway north, towards the River Torrens, and that council administration compile a new report on improvements to the current infrastructure, to be presented to council by the end of September.

It also requests that improvements to the bikeway are consistent with the Adelaide Design Manual, which – in regard to Frome Street – recommends “reducing conflicts between all modes (of transport) through a separated bikeway”, and ensuring safe turning movements and clear lines of sight.

Critics of the bikeway in its current form have said that parked cars near intersections on Frome Street can impede the visibility of cyclists as motorists turn left.

However, council administration is unlikely to recommend any major changes.

Last week, the administration penned a motion endorsing the recommendations of the expert independent evaluation of Frome Street bikeway – which suggested a major redesign of the bikeway would be a poor use of public resources and have a “negligible” impact on traffic.

The motion recommended the implementation of minor changes to the bikeway to improve safety for cyclists at intersections and reduce damage to motor vehicles by altering the angle of the cement island kerbs.

The council administration will conduct the next review of the Frome St bikeway. Photo: Nat Rogers/InDaily

At last night’s meeting a majority of councillors – Natasha Malani, Megan Hender, Sue Clearihan, Robert Simms, David Slama and Priscilla Corbell – also flagged that they would not support any major changes to the bikeway when the issue is reconsidered in September.

However, Abiad and councillors Anne Moran, Alex Antic and Sandy Wilkinson said the bikeway was not ideal, and that ratepayers in the area were opposed to the bikeway in its current form.

“Almost all the email and correspondence that I received (opposing the current configuration of the bikeway) were from residents and ratepayers,” said Antic.

Antic said his door knocking during the council election campaign and the communication he had since received from ratepayers had convinced him that “the overwhelming majority of our residents and ratepayers do not approve”.

Antic acknowledged he had also received communication from supporters of the current bikeway.

Abiad said he was committed to the retention of the separated bikeway, but that the council had to listen to ratepayers who wanted it changed.