Money to expand Dunedin's cycleways has been added to the budget from 2015-16.
In yet another discussion on the future of strategic cycle networks within the city and beyond, which began during the council's deliberations on Tuesday, councillors yesterday decided to include $350,000 per annum in the long-term plan from 2015.
The money would be used to investigate, design and complete new networks such as Princes St, and the Dunedin-Lawrence link could become part of the national cycleway network, council transportation planning manager Sarah Connolly said.
Cycleways attract some government funding, which prompted several councillors to speculate on what the subsidies for Dunedin projects might be.
Cr Andrew Noone said putting any money in the long-term plan was "premature" without some security of government funding, which he described as "a movable feast".
Cr Lee Vandervis said the funding was more like "a continental breakfast which we are already up too late for".
Before putting any money into the long-term plan, the city should develop a comprehensive and costed cycle network plan which ratepayers could assess against other spending priorities, Cr Syd Brown said, while Cr Paul Hudson said the development of cycleways brought no financial return to ratepayers.
However, other councillors, and in particular Jinty MacTavish, John Bezett and Kate Wilson, all supported the inclusion of the money because of the safety and health benefits and because it indicated to citizens the city was serious about the long-term development of cycleways.
