The draft MOVE: Albury Wodonga Integrated Transport Strategy was rejected 3-2 by the council in September 2023, but returned for endorsement after bike lane changes.

However, a staff recommendation to circulate the plan for public feedback was rejected and a move to abandon the strategy and a 2015 transport plan succeeded with a 4-3 vote, after a 30-minute debate at Monday night's council meeting.

Deputy mayor Danny Chamberlain initiated the dumping and was supported by Cr Mildren and councillors Libby Hall and Olga Quilty, while Cr Poulton, Danny Lowe and Graeme Simpfendorfer argued for community consultation.

Cr Poulton said transport was a Two Cities, One Community issue with Albury Council already adopting the MOVE plan in December and Wodonga citizens raising the matter as a key concern in 2050 planning feedback.

"I'm worried there's a bias (among councillors), there's a bias from those that don't ride a pushbike," Cr Poulton said.

Cr Lowe said: "It's not about bikes, it's not about cars, it's about movement of people and the best way to do that."

But Libby Hall pointed to a transport hierarchy in the plan which put cars at the bottom.

"Whilst I support walking and bike riding...I've got major concerns with...putting that hierarchy above cars, especially when it comes into the CBD area, I'm concerned that our retail and restaurants and all that will be affected," Cr Hall said.

Cr Poulton pointed to a change supported by Cr Mildren and a majority earlier in the meeting to have development plans brought to council for consideration after concerns that ratepayers were not being heard.

"Here we are only minutes later deciding that even though we all got emails over the weekend around our integrated transport strategy from community members wanting to have a say, we're about to potentially ignore that," Cr Poulton said, adding he was "bamboozled".

"Mr Mayor...it's double standards...I just can't see how you could live with yourselves with it."

Cr Mildren replied: "Cr Poulton I find that a little bit offensive, because it's not a double standard, it's been clearly articulated by different people around the table that different views apply.

"You don't give false expectation to the community on something that is going to come back (to the council) and get knocked over."

Council chief executive Matt Hyde pointed out rescinding the transport plans would leave the city without a framework for advocating with the Victorian government over roads funding.

As a result, a clause flagging a plan for a workshop to adopt a stopgap transport policy as soon as possible was added to the successful motion.

Cr Mildren said that could be as little as a one-page document.

Cr Simpfendorfer pointed to work already done on the draft plan which included a survey that attracted 318 submissions, interactive maps that drew 657 contributions and feedback from 800 community members.

"(Yet) we do not want to put this out to the community to back it, because we think we can do better," Cr Simpfendorfer said.

"I can't support it Mr Mayor, if it wasn't so serious it would be laughable."