"Without contribution from Tauranga City Council, the full benefits of the route may not be realised and it could raise the question of whether to invest any urban cycleways funds into the Omokoroa end of the link," he said.
"The Urban Cycleways Fund is designed so that - among other factors - the more financial backing local councils provide, the more central government funding they can leverage. Other things being equal, the more local councils front up with, the more they can expect."
Bay of Plenty Community Trails Trust chairman Jan Booysen and member Kevin Kerr said it would be a "lost opportunity" if the council did not contribute its portion.
"If we lose this, we're not going to get it again," Mr Kerr said.
The pair would lead the rally of cyclists this weekend from Fergusson Park to The Strand, hoping the demonstration of local support would sway councillors' votes. Mr Booysen believed the cycleway would bring more people to Tauranga for weekends or holidays, where they would contribute to the local economy through accommodation, food and retail spending.
"Every weekend there's families leaving Tauranga who go to ride cycle trails that are safe for their kids. They go for the day, stop for lunch, spend their money there."
Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller thought the cycleway was "a great idea for the city" - for families, encouraging local exercise and attracting tourists to the region.
Local cyclist advocate Iris Thomas said she would be at the rally on Sunday and was expecting a good turnout, with "a huge surge of people out cycling" recently.
She could see the benefits for recreational cyclists and families looking for a safe place to ride with their children, and a great attraction for tourists.
Mr Clout said he had voted "yes" in the first proposal and would be speaking at the rally on Sunday to reiterate why he supported the proposal.
"If we didn't go ahead with it, it would be like a missing link," he said.
He believed the rally would have a positive outcome through the council, coupled with the fact they now had more extensive information on the the project.
Mr Crosby believed the council would reconsider the proposal in their deliberations now that more details had been supplied.
"When it came to us earlier this year, it had very little detail of where it would go, no business plans. We don't allocate half a million dollars to a line on a map," he said.
The council will hear public submissions to its 10-year plan from next week and deliberations will begin in June.
Mr Crosby said the funding for the cycleway would have to be weighed up against other budget demands and requests.
