LORD Mayor Stephen Yarwood has compared tensions between Adelaide’s cyclists and motorists to the South African apartheid, a comment branded offensive by the Chairman of the African Communities Council of South Australia.

Mr Yarwood’s Lord Mayoral rival in the upcoming council election has also slammed the comment, made on a podcast, branding it “stupid” and “most unfortunate”.

“I could have sworn apartheid went out in the 20th century,” Mr Yarwood told podcast show Another Boring Thursday Night in Adelaide.

“But apparently cyclists are evil and must be rid from the surface of the earth,” Mr Yarwood told the show.

MORE: Listen to the full podcast here

When contacted by Advertiser.com.au, Mr Yarwood said he was not joking or being offensive.

“It wasn’t a joke,” Mr Yarwood said.

“I was saying that I was pleased apartheid no longer existed and that providing services for all groups is important.

“It was a blunt statement that apartheid was wrong and that calling for no safe infrastructure for cyclists seems to be a very unfair approach to providing equality and justice.

“If I have offended anyone in the community I am genuinely sorry.”

Simmering tensions between cyclists and motorists boiled over this month ahead of the opening of the controversial Frome St bikeway.

Motorists and prominent business leaders have slammed the separated bike lane, while Adelaide City councillor Mark Hamilton labelled it cycling policy “gone berserk”

Cr Mark Hamilton – who is running against Mr Yarwood at the November council elections – said the apartheid comment was “most unfortunate.”

“I would say it’s a stupid comment to make,” Cr Hamilton said.

“If one is going to make historical references, the Lord Mayor sounds like a crusader from the middle ages.

“It’s stupid and a most unfortunate comment to make and it’s also badly based.”

“No one is against cyclists at all.”

MORE: I was hit by a car while cycling to work

The South African apartheid was a form of racial and economic discrimination that lasted 46 years and separated people across the country according to their ethnic background.

Chairman of the African Communities Council of South Australia Mabok Deng Marial Mabok said the comment was offensive.

Cr Anne Moran said Mr Yarwood’s comments could aggravate tensions between cyclists and motorists.

“That’s really dangerous to whip up that sort of antagonism,” Cr Moran said.

“I’m really angry with his words and silly nonsense comments like that actually fan the flames of that hostility and could actually cause cyclists to be injured by idiot drivers.

“The apartheid was a terrible crime against humanity and this is a little grumble.”

Cr Hamilton has previously said he will push for the bikeway to be scrapped, but Bike SA says that would “set investment in cycling back a decade or more”.

It wants a a network of separated bike lanes across the CBD.

Cycling fun as new bikeway opens media_camera Hazel Farrington has styled her bike up using ivy while Adie Murrel has named her bike Olive. 1 of 9 media_camera Frome bikeway action. 2 of 9 media_camera Alexander Ramsay takes his dog Shelby for a ride. 3 of 9 media_camera Streamers on handles and 'Mary Jane' shoes add some style to the bikeway traffic. 4 of 9 nav_small_close Want to see more?( 5 more photos in collection )Continue to full gallery nav_small_left nav_small_right

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Originally published as Yarwood likens cyclist tensions to apartheid