Windsor's bicycling committee has yet to get rolling since municipal election but could soon

Lori Newton says she's concerned the Windsor bicycling committee has not been struck yet. 

The executive director of Bike Windsor-Essex says it has been seven months since the municipal election and nobody is watching what's going on. 

"Nobody's monitoring," she said. "No city volunteers are looking at initiatives or the lack of initiatives for cycling infrastructure across the city, including events."

Friday marks National Bike to Work Day in Canada, so Newton says she reached out to Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who chaired the committee in its last term, to see if he'd be interested in helping get the word out.

"And he, being such a wonderful friend of cycling in the city, stepped right up and said, 'Well, I'm going to pretend that I'm still the chair of the bicycling committee and we're going to make this day happen,' which he has done, and we're thrilled with that."

But Newton says the bicycling community needs more champions on council and at city hall. 

"I think that many of our councillors and our mayor are not very interested in active transportation in cycling."

The City of Windsor released an active transportation master plan in 2019. At that time, engineers said only 10 per cent of the city's population travelled by means other than a vehicle. The hope was by 2041 that number would grow closer to 25 per cent — with Windsor becoming an active transportation leader.

"Almost nothing has been done since that plan was approved by council and ratified by council," according to Newton.

"There is not a will in the city to move that cycling safety infrastructure piece forward and it is a huge concern."

Wheels in motion to populate new cycling committee

McKenzie says the cycling committee has been on pause as the city revisits a number of advisory committees, tinkering with them to try and align their mandates with what's "actually happening" in Windsor.

"That work has been ongoing for quite some time and I've raised the issue with folks in the senior leadership of city hall and the administration side."

However, McKenzie says he's being told a report with recommendations regarding the committees is expected either later this month or in early June.

"I'm expecting to see that report and and the process to populate those committees to come very shortly."

It's important to have a cycling committee, says McKenzie, to further promote riding a bike within the community and ensuring everyone's safety.

"Whether it's go to work, go get your groceries — back and forth to school or to getting your children to daycare — whatever it might be that cycling becomes an option for you to consider in order to be able to do any of those things in your lives."

We need safety for cyclists and pedestrians now- Lori Newton, Bike Windsor-Essex

According to Newton, Windsor isn't taking care of the safety of its "vulnerable road users," and instead putting it off to the future — like the active transportation master plan — she adds. 

"We need safety for cyclists and pedestrians now."

The route for National Bike to Work Day in Windsor starts at the Windsor Bike Kitchen on Monmouth Road at 7:30 a.m., and makes several stops including at Jackson Park.