From: ve3pak@micor.ocunix.on.ca (Alayne McGregor and Brett Delmage)
Subject: Ottawa cyclists criticize new Ontario bicycle policy
Organization: M.B. Cormier INC., Orleans (Ont)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 00:41:20 GMT

Citizens for Safe Cycling
Box 248  Station B  Ottawa  Ontario   K1P 6C4    722-4454


For immediate release: 1992 July 24


    CYCLISTS TAKE CRITICAL LOOK AT NEW PROVINCIAL BICYCLE POLICY

"Ontario's new bicycle policy appears to have many good intentions,
but its implementation is far from certain", according to Citizens
for Safe Cycling (CfSC) President Brett Delmage.

The policy was released by Transportation Minister Gilles Pouliot
Thursday.

Delmage said, "The policy summary contains many exceptions and
limitations and fails to respond to important points in the areas
of funding, provincial staff, motorist and cyclist education,
enforcement and municipal responsibilities. We are disappointed
that they refused to consult with us and other cycling experts
before issuing the final policy."

CfSC lobbied for changes to the bicycle policy for more than 3
years, and was pleased that a number of recommendations were
adopted from a 40 page report that it submitted to the review, and
from a meeting that CfSC organized in Ottawa in April between the
Minister of Transportation (MTO) and local cyclists and
politicians.

The previous (1981) policy stated that "the ministry should not
fund the bicycle as a viable mode of urban transportation". The new
policy replaces this with "The ministry will facilitate support for
cycling as a safe, environmentally friendly mode of transportation".
This is much nearer to CfSC's recommendations.

However, CfSC is worried that the policy statement provides
loopholes for the province and local municipalities.  Delmage
compares the new bicycle policy to the RMOC's Official Plan.  "The
plan states 'Where feasible, Regional Roads shall be adapted to
provide safer travel for bicycles.' The Region has made many
excuses why it was not 'feasible' to build or improve roads for
cyclist traffic.  Similarly, the new bicycle policy merely
'encourages' positive change, rather than mandating it."

The new policy indicates that the Ministry will provide the same
funding for bicycle facilities such as bicycle lanes and paved
shoulders as it does for adjacent roads and transit facilities. In
the past, the RMOC has been unwilling to provide these facilities
because it had to pay 100% of the cost itself.

CfSC commended the province for this change. Delmage noted,
however, that "specific project implementation will be influenced
by the overall availability of funds, resources and transportation
priorities, and that "Effective implementation... is dependent on
the availability of resources." The province is only making $2
million of its $2 billion annual transportation budget available
for cycling project subsidies. It was not clear that there was any
money in local or provincial budgets to implement any projects this
year.

A regional cycling network proposed by the RMOC in 1981, but not
built because no provincial subsidies were provided, would have
cost $2 million over five years (1981 dollars). CfSC noted that the
construction of a similar network today would take a significant
portion of the provincial allocation.

Furthermore, the policy does not require municipalities to provide
any bicycle facilities. As a local example, changes recently
proposed to Rideau Street (which will be voted on next Monday) will
make travel dangerous for cyclists, although this street is a
Regional bicycle route and is used by many cyclists.

CfSC was pleased that the Ministry specifically stated that three
projects that it and area cyclists had lobbied for would now be
eligible for subsidies: bicycle lanes on Hunt Club Road and paved
shoulders on St. Joseph Boulevard, and a comprehensive cycling network
plan. The Ministry will require all municipalities to provide a
cycling network plan before it provides extensive funding for
bicycle facilities, but will consider individual projects in the
near term. CfSC has requested the RMOC to consider paving shoulders
on roads that are being repaved or reconstructed this summer, such
as Prince of Wales Drive.

The new policy also proposes eventually forcing all cyclists to
wear helmets. While CfSC is strongly in favour of helmets as a
method of reducing injuries, it puts a higher priority on
preventing accidents by increasing the driving skills of cyclists
and motorists.

In the last year, CfSC has spoken out against a private member's
bill (124) that would make helmet use mandatory for cyclists. "We
think that the province can save more lives and reduce injuries
further by a two-pronged approach: improving cycling and driving
skills education and encouraging voluntary helmet use" Delmage
said.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Transportation has estimated
that the education campaign needed for a mandatory helmet law will
cost $800,000 per year, and suggested that the two-pronged approach
would not only be more effective, but also cheaper. Although CfSC
was pleased to see that the ministry identified a number of
initiatives to improve bicycle safety and education, including
"encouraging bicycle education as a life skill in the school
system", it questioned how much education would be implemented
without policy directives from the education ministry. CfSC noted
that, although children receive mandatory swimming instruction in
school, few receive nationally certified cycling instruction like
the Canadian Cycling Association's CAN-BIKE and Cycle Right
courses, even though more children participate in cycling than
swimming, and more are injured and killed in traffic than swimming
accidents.

CfSC compared the new bicycle policy to the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), passed this year in the US.
The act provides funds for, and requires, states to hire
bicycle/pedestrian coordinators, similar to the coordinators
working for the City of Ottawa and Region, but that the new bicycle
policy did not provide for Ontario. Under ISTEA, states must
spend a portion of a $500 million annual allocation on projects
that include cycling.

CfSC expects to receive the full 320 page technical report today,
and will be immediately examining it in detail, in order to make
recommendations to local and regional staff and politicians on
budget and policy changes related to the new provincial policy.

"The ministry says that it will promote the bicycle in terms of its
many benefits related to areas such as transportation, economics,
the environment, energy, health and quality of life. How far this
policy will support that remains to be seen. There is certainly
more opportunity at the local level.  Citizens for Safe Cycling
will be working with local politicians, municipal staff, and
residents to see how we can achieve these benefits, with the
support of the new policy.  The ball is in our court,"
said Delmage.

Citizens for Safe Cycling is a non-profit, volunteer group of cyclists
who have worked for the last eight years to improve the cycling environment
in Ottawa-Carleton by improving motorist and cyclist education, encouraging
greater use of bicycles, lobbying the police to improve enforcement of laws
against both errant cyclists and errant motorists, and working at all
levels of government to improve bicycle facilities (parking and on-road).

CfSC is always looking for cyclists who would like to work with us to
make cycling easier, safer, and more pleasant in this area. Membership in CfSC
is $15 for individuals or $20 for families for a twelve-month period.

CfSC can be reached at 613-722-4454 (answering machine) or by writing to
Box 248, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 6C4.
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles