The council released its detailed plans for the project in September 2017 but the state government rejected the proposal as it was concerned about the proposed closure of an on-ramp to the Pacific Motorway. The project is now being redesigned. The council sent a letter to the Department of Transport and Main Roads on July 26 that outlined alternative arrangements to the original Woolloongabba Bikeway proposal, which including a shared through and left-turn lane on Stanley Street. Space 4 Cycling BNE spokeswoman Belinda Ward said bikeways in Brisbane were political footballs. “The LNP-dominated Brisbane City Council and the Labor state government are pointing the finger at each other, while cyclists are left in no-man's land, and many people are hesitant to ride at all,” she said.

“The location where Rebekka was killed is part of the proposed 'Woolloongabba Bikeway' which cycling groups have been calling for over a decade. “As someone who rides to work this way daily, and would like to be able to ride a safe route home at least as far at Woolloongabba, I'm sure I speak for many people in expressing impatience: enough of the finger pointing; just get on with it.” Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said he wrote to the council on August 14 to say his department had no objection to the council's redesign of the bikeway at the freeway on-ramp, on the condition that consultation occurred with all local cycling groups about the redesign. “No progress by the city council appears to have occurred in response to our letter over the last month, which is regrettable, and I urge them to get on with this worthy project,” he said. “Every death on our roads is an avoidable tragedy, and we must learn from them where possible to ensure they aren’t repeated."

The council's public and active transport chairman, Adrian Schrinner, said he intended to keep the council's commitment to deliver the Woolloongabba Bikeway this council term, which will end in 2020. “Following feedback from the community in 2017, council made improvements to the bikeway’s design and we are now reviewing tenders for the project’s construction," he said. “Further changes also needed to be made following advice from the state government, that the proposed closure of the left-turn lane from Stanley Street onto the South-East Freeway was not supported. “This was after the Department of Transport and Main Roads approved the closure months earlier. “Council will continue to work with the community, including key groups such as RACQ, Bicycle Queensland and other bicycle user groups to finalise this design, before construction commences later this financial year."

Designated bike lanes were first considered by the council in 2011. Bicycle Queensland’s former chief executive Ben Wilson said in 2015 there had been a “degree of negligence” on the part of the council in failing to address the safety issue at the intersection where Ms Meyer was killed. An inquest into the death recommended eight findings, including that the council engage with cyclist advocacy groups to plan more dedicated exclusive bikeways across Brisbane, as a matter of priority. Several other recommendations were made including improving and expanding safer bikeways. “Only physical separation of cyclists in dedicated exclusive bikeways achieves improved safety,” the recommendation said.

“Both Bicycle Queensland and Brisbane Central Business District Bicycle User Group highlighted the imperative to invest in further expansion of dedicated physically segregated bicycle infrastructure rather than narrow and non-continuous green painted ‘bike lanes’. “It was flagged at the inquest that a plan for a proposed dedicated bikeway from the Gabba stadium to the Goodwill Bridge, with an associated upgrade of the Stanley Street/Annerley Road intersection, was soon to be publicly released.” Bicycle Queensland chief executive Anne Savage said the cycling group was disappointed by the state government’s decision not to allow the closure of left-turn movement from Stanley Street via a slip-lane onto the Pacific Motorway. “Brisbane is a city in transition - we would love to see bikeway spending brought forward to get in ahead of the construction activity that will occur with game-changing projects such as the Brisbane Metro, Cross River Rail, Queen’s Wharf, and the Waterfront Precinct Redevelopment. “Ramping up activity on bikeways now will save money in the long term and enable safe, seamless, and sustainable travel solutions that reduce congestion and save commuters time trapped in traffic gridlock.