Council approves, adds to cycle commuter funding grant application

Windsor city council approved a plan Monday night to shore up provincial money for improved cycling commuter routes in Windsor.

City staff proposed a list of 11 projects that will help pay for an estimated $9 million in road improvements, including the construction of a tunnel under the CN train bridge on Dougall Avenue.

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But cyclists say the bulk of the proposed improvement areas do little to nothing to make routes better for cycling commuters.

"Of those 11 projects there are only two that are certainly commuter routes," said Lori Newton, executive director at Bike Windsor Essex, who spoke to council Monday. "We're looking at a lot of random recreational routes, which I think speaks to the lack of vision in our city."

Bike Windsor Essex gave suggestions about these improvements, and others, through the city's bicycling committee. City engineer Mark Winterton said staff wanted to submit projects that can easily be completed.

"Some of the projects put forward by the Windsor bicycling committee were — for various technical reasons — difficult to implement," he said. "When we put projects forward we want to implement them."

Some of the other areas targeted by the city include the multi-use trail on Ojibway Parkway, bike lanes on Pillette Road between Tecumseh Road and South National Street, as well as a connection between the Herb Gray Parkway Trail and the plaza for the future Gordie Howe International Bridge. 

Plan approved with additions

Despite objections from cyclists, council approved the list as proposed — and added to it.

Ward 7 Coun. Irek Kusmierczyk made the motion to add two projects: an underpass at the E.C. Row expressway that would connect Derwent Park to the Twin Oaks business park, and cycling infrastructure added to Rhodes Drive.

"Administration put forward a good list for cycling infrastructure projects," Kusmierczyk said. "We just wanted to add two other projects which we felt fit the criteria and spirit of this grant."

He added that that the underpass project would allow cyclists to access 20 companies based in the Twin Oaks area.

The additional projects provoked a mixed reaction from Newton.

"It was great to see recognition for two important commuter routes that are currently very dangerous for cyclists," she told CBC News. "It remains frustrating to see city administration's lack of vision and a strategy for commuter cycling." 

Funding will come from the province's municipal commuter cycling program, which offers $40.5 million to communities larger than 15,000 people as long as the communities have council-sanctioned cycling plans.

Any approved grant will cover up to 80 per cent of the projects. Each participating community will receive base funding of $25,000. The rest of the money will be determined by population and the number of cyclists as reported in the 2011 Census.