EnviroCentre is pleased to…

EnviroCentre is pleased to see that the Province is moving forward with progressive strategies to encourage,educate and promote cycling for people of all ages and abilities throughout the province. .

Design Healthy, Active and Prosperous Communities

o As we experience growth in cycling among all ages and abilities, we also expect growth in the use of ebikes.

EnviroCenre shares Share the Road's recommendation that this action include specifics about coordinating a

roundtable on e-bikes for a regulatory review and to develop guidance for municipalities. Share the Road also recommends that the province consider incentivizing the sale of e-bikes as part of the Climate Change Action Plan, as has been done with electric vehicles

o EnviroCentre would like to see specifics around “Active and Safe Routes to Schools” and how the CycleON 2.0 will further this work

o Along with Share the Raod, we too encourage the province to work with municipalities to ensure that active transportation policies are included in their own official plans and that comprehensive zoning by-laws include

provisions for bicycle parking. Providing municipalities with policy templates would be a helpful step.

Improve Cycling Infrastructure

o Recent investments in cycling infrastructure, including bike parking and bike share, have been well

received by municipalities and road safety leaders. As proposed by Share the Road during the prebudget

consultation process, sustainable and predictable annual infrastructure funding is required to enable more Ontarians to choose cycling as a safe and convenient option, in addition to funding opportunities through the Climate Change Action Plan. We are urging the province to consider an annual investment of $75 million in cycling infrastructure.

o As noted by Share the Road, we too are pleased to see a change of direction for the province when it comes to building cycling infrastructure on provincial roads. The existing directive that requires municipalities to pay for the

construction of cycling facilities on provincial road and bridge projects has been restrictive and works

counter to the goals of CycleON. However, the current action item only partially addresses this problem.

We strongly recommend that the province change this action to read as “Include cycling infrastructure

on provincial highway construction projects using the province-wide cycling network and municipal cycling/active transportation plans as a foundation”

o We strongly support the development of minimum maintenance standards for cycling infrastructure.

Make Safer Highways and Streets

o Continuing to support Public Education for all road users is important as new infrastructure and road designs are incorporated into our streetscapes. We are supportive of updates to the cycling guide books as well as financially supporting public education campaigns to help make all road users aware of the best practices when sharing the road.

Promote Cycling Awareness and Behavioural Shifts

o Along with Share the Road we applaud the province for taking action on comprehensive cycling education

standards and enhanced instructor support. This is crucial for increasing cycling rates and goes hand in

hand with the infrastructure investments being made

o We look to know more about the Ontario Cycling Coordination Committee and seek further feedback from the province on the role of this committee, it’s composition, etc.

We look forward to seeing the CycleON 2.0 and appreciate the opportunity to provide comments.

Thank you

Jennifer Stelzer

[Original Comment ID: 213548]