I volunteer with Cycling…

I volunteer with Cycling Without Age (CWA), a program that gives shut-in Seniors the right to the wind in their hair with rides on pedal assist electric trishaw. Bike lanes, especially protected ones, are essential to their safety (all of our safety). This past year, we have provided almost 900 rides to over 1500 passengers in the Hamilton, Burlington area.

Organizations like CWA bring a different perspective to the utility and need for bike lanes. It's an equity issue: seniors and people with limited physical mobility would otherwise be unable to enjoy the benefits of cycling, being out and about, experiencing social interaction and conversation, etc. Thanks to CWA, they can participate in ways their circumstances would otherwise preclude. Dedicated, safe bike lanes facilitate their social and physical participation in an activity from which they would otherwise be foreclosed.

Municipal governments should have the exclusive right to determine when and where bike lanes should be located. I strongly believe that the issue of bike lanes should not be interfered with by the provincial government.