Ontario steers $25.6M into bike projects

Some of the money will be used to accelerate plans, some to expand Bike Share

Toronto’s cycling infrastructure is getting a major boost from the provincial government, which announced Monday it would inject $25.6 million into city bike projects this year.

The funding is part of the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program, through which the Liberal government plans to allocate $93 million to 120 municipalities across the province over the 2017/ 2018 fiscal year to support the con- struction of bike lanes and other commuter cycling facilities.

The program was first announced in May, but the government initially set the province-wide funding level at $42.5 million.

At a Monday morning press conference at a Bloor St. W. bicycle shop, Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca announced the planned investment had more than doubled.

“Cycling is a convenient and sustainable way to get around and that is why we are committed to building more cycling infrastructure to make it easier for people to bike. Our government looks forward to continue working with our partners and the cycling community to ensure we create a safe and integrated cycling network,” Del Duca said in a statement.

Some of the provincial money will be used to accelerate aspects of the 10-year bike plan Toronto city council approved in June 2016, while some will go to new projects such as a major expansion of the Bike Share program.

City spokesperson Cheryl San Juan said she couldn’t immediately provide a detailed breakdown of how the money will be allocated because city staff “need time to analyze the plan and determine how the new infusion of funding can best be used to accelerate execution of, and enhance the current plan.”

However, the planned Bike Share expansion would more than double the size of the popular program, which currently has about 270 stations and 2,700 bikes. San Juan said the goal is to increase the number of docking stations to 600, and the number of bikes to 6,000.

“This is about giving Toronto residents more options to get around the city,” Mayor John Tory said in a statement.

“Cycling infrastructure and expansion of the bike share program will encourage people to cycle more often, improve safety and provide more travel options.”

As of June 2016, Toronto had roughly 108 kilometres of painted bike lanes, and an additional nine kilometres of bike lanes physically separated from traffic.

The 10-year cycling plan would add 525 km of biking facilities, and was originally estimated to cost $153.5 million. Cycling advocates have criticized the plan because although city staff proposed studies of new bike infrastructure on major streets such as Jane St. and Kipling Ave., council voted to defer consideration of most of them until the 2019 budget process.

Under the terms of the provincial program, the province will pay up to 80 per cent of the cost of new cycling infrastructure, while the city must pick up the remaining 20 per cent. The program is funded through the proceeds of Ontario’s cap-and-trade auctions, and is part of the province’s climate-change plan.