Local bike infrastructure gets $3M boost
Provincial funding aims to promote more pedal-powered commuting
Windsor and Essex County are getting $3 million from the province for new bike lanes and other cycling infrastructure aimed at generating more pedal-powered commuters.
“It’s fabulous news, just fantastic,” said Bike Windsor Essex executive director Lori Newton. “The leadership the province is taking (on cycling) is just phenomenal.”
Windsor’s share will be almost $1.7 million, while Essex County is getting $656,000 and six of seven municipalities in the county will each receive between $90,000 and $180,000.
Eleanor McMahon, Ontario’s minister of tourism, culture and sport, said funding is going to every one of the 120 municipalities that applied for the grants. LaSalle is the only local municipality not listed as a recipient in a Ministry of Transportation news release.
Newton, who was in Toronto for the province’s announcement Monday, said the top priority in Windsor should be getting a bike lane connection into the downtown.
“It’s great news, it’s great we’re getting additional funding,” said Mayor Drew Dilkens.
Windsor submitted a list of 13 different projects with a total cost of about $11 million, but the grant money coming from the province is about double what city officials had anticipated.
Public works executive director of operations Dwayne Dawson said municipal staff are waiting to hear back from the province on which of their projects are eligible for the grant money and then a report will be submitted to city council with recommendations on which of them should be prioritized. Council had previously set aside millions for future cycling infrastructure projects.
The overall $93-million investment in “commuter cycling” infrastructure announced Monday — more than double the $42.5-million commitment the province made earlier this year — is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and funded by the recently implemented cap on pollution and carbon market.
Dilkens said he would like to see the new money help cover the cost of a proposed tunnel for cyclists and pedestrians under the railway bridge on Dougall Avenue.
In public surveys conducted by her group, Newton said a clear desire has been expressed among the almost 1,000 respondents so far to connect the current “dribs and drabs” of city bike infrastructure.
“We can’t just say to cyclists, ‘Suck it up, you’re entitled to share the road.’ People do not feel safe on our roads,” she said.
Newton said there has been a “tremendous uptick” of commuter cycling in other southern Ontario communities where investments have been made in active transportation infrastructure. Included in the new funding, Hamilton is getting $3.7 million, London $3.3 million and Toronto $25.6 million.
In the latest census numbers released last week by Statistics Canada, Windsor ranked at the bottom in participation among mid-sized cities when it came to active transportation modes of commuting, such as walking and cycling to work or school.
“We’re Canada’s southernmost city — we should have a tremendous uptake in active transportation,” said Newton. Despite its flat topography and mild climate, Windsor is behind other Canadian cities when it comes to encouraging more cycling, she said, adding local residents also have safety concerns.
Newton said cyclists have been calling for “decent bike lanes, bike boxes (to protect cyclists crossing busy intersections), protected bike lanes.”
Local cycling groups have been lobbying for an extension of the McDougall Avenue bike lane into the downtown (it currently stops at Giles Boulevard). Newton estimates it would cost about $41,000 for painted bike lanes, but Dawson said it would also mean losing some on-street vehicle parking.
“Could it proceed? Certainly. But it would need some thought,” said Dawson.
Dilkens said the current council has approved a record amount of spending on cycling infrastructure.
“It’s fair to say this council recognizes and appreciates active transportation — it’s why we’re undertaking a full active transportation master plan,” he said.