Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC)
A working group of OPIRG McMaster
www.hwcn.org/link/tlc
Box 1013, 1280 Main Street West
Hamilton ON L8S 1C0
MUSC room 229
905.525.9140 ext. 27289
fax 905.523.0107
February 12, 2003
Hamilton City Council
(fax)905.546.2535
71 Main Street West,
Hamilton, Ontario L8P 4Y5
Re: The missing funds for cycling in the 2003 Hamilton budget.
We are writing on behalf of "Transportation for Liveable Communities" (TLC), a working group of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) McMaster to urge you to promptly reinstate Hamilton's annual cycling budget and take the immediate necessary steps for investing in the City's neglected cycling infrastructure.
In a city where 20% of households lack cars, and 40% of residents say they cycle regularly or occasionally (Hamilton-Wentworth Community Cycling Survey, 1997), we are deeply concerned that the City of Hamilton has decided to eliminate $300,000 devoted to cycling facilities from its yearly budget.
We are also troubled to find that much of the cycling budget for the past few years has not been invested in the bicycle facilities as officially planned (Shifting Gears Cycling Plan) and written in City documents. Given the shortage of cycling facilities, we have difficulty seeing how this lack of action can be tolerated. TLC has been pushing for the City to act on behalf of cyclists for the last couple of years. For example, on March 22, 2001 TLC presented the City with several requests, among them:
"That the 1999 staff report Shifting Gears: A New Cycling Plan for Hamilton-Wentworth be implemented. That the $300,000 budget that has been dedicated to cycling initiatives each year since 1992 be maintained in 2001 and beyond."We remind council that TLC has come to you on two other occasions in 2001, each time requesting implementation of the stalled Shifting Gears Cycling Plan, to no avail it would seem. (http://www.city.hamilton.on.ca/citydepartments/clerk/public/2001/hearings/Nov%2013/TOE01179.pdf)
It is remarkable that the City of Hamilton can afford spending $41.4 million on road projects in 2003, but cannot commit even 0.75% of that amount for its annual cycling budget!
Furthermore, this decision has been made while Hamilton is preparing to host the World Cycling Championship (October, 2003) and the Canadian National Cycling Championship (June, 2003), in which thousands of cyclist enthusiasts are invited to participate.
The City's economic assessment indicates that the 2003 cycling championships will generate $57 million into the local economy. The City has fast-tracked millions of dollars in road improvements to meet race requirements. Incredibly, however, City officials have chosen this very same year to eliminate their negligible commitment to cycling, amounting to a meager one half of one percent of the expected revenues from the cycling championships!
Can cycling fans arriving in Hamilton in 2003 ride on a safe, well signed network of bike routes and paths? Will the cyclists be able to secure their bikes to bike racks? Will there be infrastructure in place for local cyclists after the race is over? These were among questions TLC asked council in August, 2001. The answer to these very basic questions is a resounding NO! Hamilton does not have a network of either bike lanes or bike racks. Hamilton's very obvious failure to support cycling will become a major embarrassment during these events if immediate corrective action is not taken
The list of cycling infrastructure necessary for Hamilton is too long to include here, some of it appears in City documents such as "Shifting Gears" (1992). Some highlights are bike racks in sufficient numbers on all city blocks that have recreational and commercial establishments; safe bike routes from McMaster University to the downtown core; to the lakefront trail; a safe route up the mountain access; the eastern extension of the Hamilton to Brantford rail-trail; an effective webpage on the City's website providing information about cycling routes and plans (for an example of a city supportive of cycling, see Portland Oregon: http://www.trans.ci.portland.or.us/bicycles/default.htm); and overall, an implementation of a dense network of safe, well signed bike routes within a short bike ride from all the city's residents, and ubiquitous bike racks.
We insist that the City of Hamilton immediately fulfills promises made in its cycling plan using the surplus from previous year's cycling money and the $300,000 which belongs in this year's budget, in concert with funding from other departments as outlined in the Cycling Plan; further, we request a briefing within 30 days with the appropriate staff regarding project plans and implementation time-lines. Finally, TLC requests an opportunity to speak with Council about these important issues as soon as possible.
Sincerely yours,
The members of Transportation for Liveable Communities (TLC)
CC World Road Cycling Association
Canadian National Cycling Association
Bicycle Magazine
Hamilton Spectator: Forum editor
Ms. Alexandra Rawlings
TLC Home Page