Lovelock Ave, in Dunedin, will be left open for cyclists, but only those travelling uphill, the Dunedin City Council decided yesterday.
That vote came after another tied vote on whether a project to realign the road should go ahead, a tie only broken by Mayor Peter Chin's use of his casting vote, meaning the status quo, that the project go ahead, remained.
It was the mayor's second casting vote on the issue in a month.
The plan to realign the road would allow more room for the Dunedin Botanic Garden rhododendron dell, relocation of propagation houses and administration buildings, and address safety issues related to the road, as part of redevelopment supported by the Friends of the Dunedin Botanic Garden.
Many Opoho residents oppose the plan, saying the new alignment, next to the Northern Cemetery, would be too steep, too frosty in winter and too prone to sun-strike.
A resource consent hearing last year approved the project.
Cr Teresa Stevenson started another debate on the issue, moving the project be deleted from the budget, a motion seconded by Cr Dave Cull, who said the city was making "one blinkered decision at a time", and people must wonder if the council had a holistic view.
After the motion was lost, Cr Cull moved Lovelock Ave be left open for cyclists in both directions, something he said should be safe.
That motion was also lost.
