16 Fernwood Place Kitchener…

16 Fernwood Place Kitchener ON N2M 2Z2

Monica Russell
Senior Policy Analyst
Ministry of Transportation
Policy and Planning Division
Transportation Planning Branch
Environmental Policy Office (Toronto)
777 Bay Street Suite 3000
Toronto Ontario
M7A 2J8

May 7th 2017

Re: Ontario’s Cycling Strategy: Identifying a Province-wide Cycling Network Call for Comments

Dear Ms Russell,

The Kitchener Easy Riders Cycle Club would like to commend the Province for its proposal to embellish a trail network throughout the Province and to invest scarce public dollars on this venture.

Our club consists of 240 members, all of whom are 55 years of age or more who like to cycle together. Our mission is to provide safe cycling opportunities for fun, fitness and fellowship. We have weekly rides in our local communities, and venture more widely once each month. Three times we travel for three or four days to other locations within the Province. This makes us regular cycle tourists.

We thank you for the opportunity to comment on your latest proposal and note with acceptance and satisfaction that the trail network both north and south of Kitchener will be improved. We further note however, that there is no proposal to link Kitchener with Guelph. The Province owns or will own or has access to three alternate trails between Kitchener and Guelph; the existing Highway 7, the proposed new Highway 7 and the existing CNR rail-line used by Go Transit.

One might conclude that the suggestion to link Kitchener with Guelph is beyond the vision set out by your #CycleON strategy, because it would serve primarily a local client. This argument might have merit, however, because of the number of jurisdictions involved in a Kitchener to Guelph trail, (One Regional Government, One County Government, two Cities and one Township) it is not likely that any attempt at local co-ordination would be fruitful. It would take a leader such as the Province to make this link happen. And as pointed out, the Province has three alternative infrastructures now in place to accommodate such a trail.

We thank you for the opportunity to comment and look forward an implementation stage and timetable.

Sincerely.

Roger Suffling
Bicycle Advocacy Committee
Chair of Easy Rider Cycle Club of Kitchener.

cc. Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation, Mr. D. Pimental – City of Kitchener, Regional Municipality of Waterloo Council, City of Kitchener Council, City of Waterloo Council, City of Guelph Council, TRITAG, Council of the County of Wellington, Guelph Eramosa Township council, Township of Woolwich Council

[Original Comment ID: 209251]