The footbridge on Matapihi railway bridge, used by 500 people each day, will remain open to the public despite being declared unsafe by an expert.
Mayor Stuart Crosby and three city councillors tried to have the footbridge closed immediately but were outvoted by the rest of the councillors who believed a closure would prompt people to take an even more dangerous option - walking across between the rail tracks.
A shock report showed it would cost nearly $800,000 to bring the structure back to a safe state of repair for the 500 cyclists and pedestrians using it every day.
The footbridge, bolted on the southern side of the rail bridge, already carried warning signs telling cyclists to walk their bikes, for pedestrians to walk in single file and not gather in groups because of the poor condition of some of the timber beams and steelwork.
The city council reacted with dismay yesterday at the report from consultant engineer Bryan Hudson, both because of the risks facing users and at the cost to make it safe - $720,000 more than the cash-strapped council had allowed in its budgets.