This is an important…

This is an important initiative. My friends and I would really like our town of Almonte to be part of it. It would be a great shame if we were to be bypassed and excluded from the bicycle network being developed. Our town has worked for years to develop a bicycle culture and to develop the infrastructure needed to foster increased bicycle use. Unfortunately, from the information provided I cannot determine the options being considered for the route in our area. So I can’t comment on the kilometres you might save by taking a shortcut to avoid us. What I can tell you is that we are worth it and we would welcome cyclists with open arms were you to choose a route that passes through rather than by Almonte. A recent survey of merchants in our downtown area found that 90% of them would prefer active (non-motorized) use of the rail-trail that passes through the centre of Almonte. An increasing percentage of the roads around Almonte have paved shoulders and we have just recently painted bike-lanes on the principal route into town; things that I value highly as a cyclist. Almonte is a very attractive town with a river running through it and wonderful old mill buildings now being reinvented as condos for living and working downtown. We have a hospital and related health facilities for those in need of care. Please come and take a look. We hope that you will bring the bike route through our town.

[Original Comment ID: 209367]