Island Bay residents air their views on the new cycleway in December.

A "flippant comment" about the Island Bay Cycleway, which some Wellington City councillors took at face value, is behind claims the project had blown its budget.

Figures released by the Wellington City Council in the wake of the claims of $2m overspend on Sunday revealed just $1.2 million has been spent on the controversial cycleway to date.

The total bill, once the cycleway was finished in February, was expected to be about $1.58m, below its original $1.7m budget.

MAARTEN HOLL/FAIRFAX NZ Southern ward councillor Paul Eagle was one of three Wellington City councillors who claimed the Island Bay cycleway had blown its budget by $2 million.

An additional $20,000 has also been spent on two new bus shelters and $111,000 on road resurfacing along The Parade, although this work was not considered a cycleway cost.

A council spokesman said any further breakdown of these cost was not available on Tuesday.

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ROBERT KITCHIN There have been some teething issues with the Island Bay cycleway, including cars not knowing exactly where they are meant to be.

Confusion over the cost stemmed from a meeting seven days earlier when councillors Paul Eagle, Nicola Young and Simon Woolf met with council chief executive Kevin Lavery and chief asset officer Anthony Wilson to discuss community concerns about the cycleway.

The three councillors all left under the impression that either Lavery or Wilson told them the project was $2m over budget.

Councillor Andy Foster, chairman of the transport and urban development committee, said it was still unclear whether the $2m figure was raised at the meeting. But if it was, then it appeared the councillors had misinterpreted the remark.

"I'd say it was a flippant comment made in exasperation over councillors' behaviour on this," Foster said.

"I can tell you that everything is being delivered on time and under budget."

Foster said he had spoken with Lavery, who claimed he never heard anyone mention a budget blowout at the meeting.

Foster said was not impressed with the three councillors for publicly claiming the cost had exploded without confirming it first.

"It's not the cleverest thing in the world to do ... I would have done some more digging."

But on Tuesday, both Simon Woolf and Paul Eagle remained adamant that Wilson had raised the $2m figure.

Eagle said it would be hard for Foster to understand what was said at the meeting because he had not been there.

While he was happy the cycleway would be under budget, he still felt the council was not being transparent enough.

"There certainly has been a feeling that since this is the mayor's political legacy there is a get-it-done-at-any-costs attitude," he said.

Woolf said he understood how the comment could be described as flippant, but he had felt at the time that it was serious.

"He wasn't trying to take the mick. He said it, and I took it to be."

The cycleway along The Parade in Island Bay has been controversial since it was first mooted in 2011, leading to protest groups but also attracting plenty of admirers.

The anger is largely over the cycleways' odd layout, as it sits between the footpath and off-street parking. This cuts down the space available to vehicles and gives the unusual appearance of cars sitting 1.5 metres out from the kerb.

Its construction was delayed repeatedly until the builders finally moved in September last year.