The Scottsdale City Council will have its first say today on city transportation update recommendations that support the further study of light rail, a reversible traffic lane and greater use of bike lanes, roundabouts and public art.

The study session comes nearly two years after the council agreed to fund the $1.1 million update of the city’s transportation master plan, the first since the 1980s.

Light rail and modern streetcar, which both run on fixed rails, should both be further studied, according to recommendations from consultant HDR Engineering.

The only conclusion drawn by the report is that light rail, if built through downtown to approximately Chaparral Road, should use Drinkwater or Goldwater boulevards rather than Scottsdale Road. The streetcar option on Scottsdale Road through downtown remains.

The initial downtown report concluded against widening Indian School Road between downtown and Loop 101, but it now recommends a reversible center lane during peak traffic hours similar to those along Seventh Street and Seventh Avenue in central Phoenix.

On Oct. 5, the council received a copy of a letter from Scottsdale Healthcare addressed to its employees that supported the widening of Indian School Road and encouraged employees to voice opinions to council members.

Scottsdale transportation spokesman Jim McIntyre said the letter did not result in the recommendation change. “We already had analysis done to take a look at that,” he said.

Scottsdale Healthcare spokesman Keith Jones said it’s difficult to say if the letter — from the city’s largest employer that operates a downtown hospital — had any effect on the change.

“As for the reversible lane, it needs more study and we’re open to looking at many other creative options for transportation,” Jones said.

Among the other recommendations:

• Eliminate the option of an airport tunnel project.

• Dedicate at least one-third of available capital funding to transit, bicycle, trail and pedestrian projects, up from today’s 26 percent.

• Decrease Drinkwater and Goldwater boulevards to four lanes from five. The “couplets” have also been identified for bike lanes and are a light-rail alternative route.

• Use “innovative engineering solutions” — roundabouts, lagging left-turn arrows and Intelligent Transportation Systems, which coordinates traffic signals.

• Dedicate up to 2 percent of total transportation project costs to public art that is not required by current law.

McIntyre said the city does not yet have an estimated price tag to implement the changes the plan proposes.

The council will not make any final decisions today but could direct changes that will be included in the final report. Two public open houses are planned for Oct. 27 and 29. The Transportation Commission will meet at least twice more, followed by the council adoption in November or December.