By Staff
October 23, 2014
BURLINGTON, ON
The province wants to help cities become more bike-friendly – that perked up the ears of council members as they worked through a draft of the Strategic Plan that is going to set a direction for the balance of the current term of office.
MPP Eleanor McMahon is a strong and consistent cyclist.
Burlington has an MPP, Eleanor McMahon who is a champion of sharing the road. The city has hundreds of kilometres of bike trails and a rural area that offers some of the most challenging terrain for the truly committed.
McMahon said: “Ontarians want to spend less time in their cars and more time travelling by active transportation. The number one reason Ontarians don’t ride their bike is because they don’t feel safe to do so. In addition to recent changes to the Highway Traffic act, the amendments support the development of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure by simplifying the process for municipalities to plan and build off-road multi-use pathways.”
Burlington could be the poster boy for community cycling. So when the province announces funding for more bike use – we are in.
Ontario is helping cities become more sustainable and environmentally friendly by making it easier to build off-road bike paths and large-scale recreational trails. The province will invest $25 million in #CycleON: Ontario’s Cycling Strategy to create a more cycling-friendly the province.
The province has created a new streamlined process for municipalities to submit proposals for environmental assessment on new paths and trails. The new process will be easier and quicker, saving municipalities considerable time, money and effort.
The amendments were proposed by the Municipal Engineers Association and received significant public feedback during the province’s public consultation. The new environmental assessment process also supports CycleON, the province’s long-term strategy to help make Ontario the number one province for cycling in Canada,
Cycling enthusiast Rob Narejko keeps a couple of bikes in his garage and can often be seen on the rural roads.
Supporting cycling and helping Ontarians reduce their carbon footprints is part of the government’s plan to build Ontario up. The four-part plan includes investing in people’s talents and skills, making the largest investment in public infrastructure in Ontario’s history, creating a dynamic, innovative environment where business thrives, and building a secure retirement savings plan.
Great wording – now where would Burlingtonians like to see “off road bike paths” built?
Leave your ideas in the comments section.
Bicycles need their own dedicated paths, like sidewalks for pedestrians. Sharing pavement with cars is a recipe for disaster and grief. The smart cyclists use the sidewalks, since there are very few pedestrians anyway and sidewalks are underutilized, or the multi-use paths, which are very well used by cyclists.
PS I am referring to the rural portion of these roads
Walkers Line and Appleby line need some sort of parallel bike lanes. More temperate months bring a high volume of cyclists. With high speed limits many cars pass blindly into on coming traffic so they will not be inconvenienced by slowing down for even 8 seconds.
It’s wonderful terrain for bikes but there will be more tragic accidents. Lanes would be great. Cyclists could buy memeberships to help fund. Families day passes. Local businesses could donate.
Lanes would also be more kid friendly.