Councillor Paula Fletcher urges PWIC Chair to Support and FUND the 10 year bike plan

Just in time for our Bikes Mean Business Event last week, Councillor Paula Fletcher issued a letter to the Chair of PWIC urging her to support and fund the 10 year cycling plan.  A copy of the letter is below:

April 19, 2016

Councillor Jaye Robinson, Chair PWIC
100 Queen Street West, Suite A12
Toronto, ON M5H 2N2
Dear Chair and members:

Bikes Mean Business

Cycling is more popular than ever in Toronto and I urge you to support, and fund, the 10 year cycling plan which will be in front of you at Committee on May 16^th.

The eagerly awaited Major Corridor Study for Danforth Ave for bike lanes on the Danforth (from the Prince Edward Viaduct to Danforth Rd.) is just one of many great initiatives included in the plan. Every day, the Danforth is both a popular destination and a major commuting corridor for thousands of cyclists in the City. I believe the time has come to conduct this study, and closely examine the implementation of a bike lane on the Danforth.

Cyclists are not only commuters, athletes, tourists and residents—they are also customersof our City’s small businesses along the Danforth. As we have seen from other cities the introduction of bike lanes have revitalized commercial strips, and increased retail sales. Additionally, cyclists have been shown to spend more money on average compared to those who arrive by car. Bikes really do Mean Business.

Recently, I have already been working with local BIAs, east end cyclists and City staff to enhance and increase our bike parking on the Danforth. Last year, Ward 30 Bikes canvassed local businesses as part of their Danforth Loves Bikes campaign. Over 70 businesses indicated support for a bike lane with many others curious to learn more.

This Danforth Corridor Study means local residents, business owners, the biking community, Bike Share, city staff and design experts would work together on the specifications for a Danforth bike lane. They would study how parking and traffic flow would be maintained at the same time as creating a safe commute for thousands of cyclists.

I urge you to support as a minimum $16 million in annual funding for the Cycling Network Plan over the next 10 years; and to include the Danforth Major Corridor Study in the funding envelope for 2017.

Sincerely,

Councillor Paula Fletcher
Ward 30 Toronto Danforth

Read the full post here:   http://councillorpaulafletcher.ca/2016/04/bikes-mean-business-on-the-danforth/