amid ford government crackdown, windsor launches bike lane pilot
no sooner does the city of windsor bow to demands of th...
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no sooner does the city of windsor bow to demands of the local cycling community by beginning to remove vehicle lanes to accommodate cyclists than the province declares war on such municipal efforts. but ward 3 coun. renaldo agostino, who pushed for a pilot project to add protected bike lanes along stretches of victoria avenue and pelissier street downtown, says he has no worries.
“the city and myself, we have a great relationship with the provincial government,” agostino told the star.
and just to make it clear for the record, agostino emphasizes, unprompted: “i’m not the champion of cycling — i’m not one of those guys.”
ontario transportation minister prabmeet sarkaria announced last week the province was stepping into the municipal arena to remove bike lanes from major streets in toronto, including busy bloor and yonge streets.
that pledge came on the heels of the ford government introducing legislation — bill 212, reducing gridlock, saving you time act — that would require any municipality seeking to create bike lanes by removing traffic lanes to first seek provincial approval.
the proposed legislation, aimed at pleasing gridlock-angry ontario motorists, is currently in the public consultation phase, with citizens invited to submit online comments through nov. 20.
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no surprise — ontario’s cycling community reacted with fury. but so too have others, including the province’s municipalities, which see it as overreach by a provincial government otherwise keen on cutting city hall red tape.
“significant overreach into municipal jurisdiction,” is how the association of municipalities of ontario (amo) described “micromanaging bike lanes” by the province.
“it is unclear how the ministry of transportation will be in a better position than municipalities to make decisions about local transportation matters,” amo stated, adding it was “not aware of any (prior) consultation with municipalities.”
new bike lanes are shown on victoria avenue in windsor on tuesday, november 5, 2024, near elliott street west just south of the downtown.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
the set-up for the victoria avenue pilot project is expected to be completed by the end of the month and include a windsor-first — between university avenue and elliott street, in addition to painted lines and buffers, cyclists will be further protected from moving vehicle traffic by a parked-vehicle lane.
it’s something adopted in other cities and something local cyclists have been advocating for for years.
“it’s common sense and a good idea — it’s easy, smart, it’s safe for kids, so why wouldn’t you do it?” says agostino.
while he has a bike that he sometimes uses to commute to city hall, the downtown representative on municipal council insists he’s not “an advocate for cycling … i probably love my car more.” he sees the move towards improved local urban cycling infrastructure as just another step towards the bigger prize — making downtown windsor a more attractive place to live and work in and to draw visitors.
downtown sections of pelissier street — shown just north of wyandotte street west on wednesday, nov. 13, 2024 — and victoria and park streets will be closed until friday as existing pavement markings are removed and new lines are painted to accommodate bike lanes and parking modifications.
dan janisse
/
windsor star
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“it’s evolution. roads haven’t changed in a century, and now change is coming and it’s inevitable and it’s for the good,” says agostino.
“it’s a pilot. if it’s deemed successful, it can spread to other streets. i see it as an opportunity to bring more people downtown — more eyes on the street, more people, slow down traffic.
“i want our downtown to be a place you don’t just drive through.”
as to bill 212, bike windsor essex executive director lori newton said it’s the ford government “dealing with a toronto municipal issue with a sledgehammer across the province — it is way overreach.
“toronto drivers are rightfully frustrated, but you can’t traffic-widen your way out of congestion. fewer cars on the road is the only way to plan your way out of congestion,” said newton.
in its initial response to the ford government plan, amo, of which windsor and area municipalities are members, described bike lanes as “an essential element of urban transportation planning and road safety.”
newton, who describes herself as a cycling advocate, said fewer people bike along windsor’s streets “because it’s absolutely dangerous.” painted lines alone, she told the star, “offer zero protection.”
as for the timing of the current project — the pilot includes traffic-calming speed humps, special signage and new parking provisions — agostino told the star that bill 212 isn’t law yet and planning for windsor’s current bike lane pilot has been in the works for quite some time. agostino lives along a one-way stretch of victoria avenue that has been reduced from two lanes to a single lane for motor vehicle traffic.
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“i think we’re sliding in under the radar here — it’s not like these are busy main roads,” he said, adding: “i don’t think the province should come in heavy-handed.”
agostino sees the “electrification of cycling” as a game-changer for local transportation, and where there’s street space, he’d like to see bike lanes.
however, there’s still a “desperate need for education for drivers and cyclists” on all windsor roads, said agostino. he said work is also underway on a local video series to help in that effort to get all street users to learn to get along.
“we’re the automotive capital of canada, but i think we could be so much more — why can’t we be the mobility capital of canada?”
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