Photo by Rowen Fisler/Spoke Online
The Region of Waterloo has taken a stride forward in approving several bike lane proposals throughout the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo.
This approval comes after criticism from the provincial government who have begun to introduce legislation which will take away existing bike lanes throughout the province, as well as banning future bike lane projects which would take away a lane of traffic.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, who is one of 13 members in the regional council, is not concerned about what the provincial government has to say about their proposals.
“We’re not going to slow down the work that we need to do while the proposals are still in the planning stage,” McCabe said.
McCabe said on the other hand, she is worried about the province overstepping municipal boundaries.
“The province is really overreaching in this case… bike lanes and street issues are clearly issues that are in municipal jurisdictions,” McCabe said.
“I’m very curious why the provincial government is taking this approach because Premier Ford has said on a number of occasions that he’s going to stay in his lane… so it’s surprising to see that approach after he makes those kinds of statements,” McCabe said.
The proposed changes and additions are the following:
- Bridgeport Rd. (Lancaster St. to Margaret Ave., Margaret Ave. to Weber St., Weber St. to King St., and King St. to Erb St.)
- Erb St. (Goldbeck Lane to Margaret Ave., Margaret Ave. to King St., and King St. to Caroline St.)
- King St. (University Ave. to Weber St.)
- University Ave. (Albert St. to Westmount Rd.)
These proposals passed to the next stage of the planning process after a 12-1 vote on Nov. 5, with the sole vote against coming from Councillor Michael Harris, who was not available for comment to Spoke Online.
Regional councillors are not the only people pushing for more lanes, as there are a handful of local biking advocacy groups trying to spur on the region to make these changes happen.
CycleWR are one of these groups, who want cycling to be a “safe, respected, convenient, and everyday mode of transportation for people of all ages and abilities” for Waterloo Region residents.
Tom Strickland, a CycleWR board member, said the proposals are much needed according to research conducted by the non-profit.
“Based on our model results, this proposal will build or upgrade cycling facilities on five of the top 10 priority route segments in the Region of Waterloo,” Strickland said.
Strickland made sure to note how potential legislation against new bike lanes from the Ford government would be ill-advised.
“Given the minor impact on car travel times indicated in our report, that [potential legislation barring future bike lane projects] would be a horrible decision,” Strickland said.
“In this region, municipalities have been careful to avoid building cycling facilities that will cause major traffic issues, maybe even too careful… there was no need for a bureaucratic and onerous provincial law,” Strickland said.
The Region of Waterloo plans for the changes and additions to be implemented over the next decade, barring any official legislation passed by the provincial government.
