Cycling and Ontario’s 2019 Budget
by Jamie Stuckless, Executive Director, Share the Road Cycling Coalition
On April 11th, Ontario’s 2019 budget Protecting What Matters Most was released. This budget does not include cycling-specific investments, which is consistent with the responses we received from officials regarding our pre-budget submission earlier this year.
The province has an important role to play in making our roads safe for all users, including people who cycle. Every Ontarian should feel safe regardless of how they get around their community and Share the Road will continue to advocate for cycling-supportive funding and legislation at Queen’s Park.
Although cycling does not feature in this budget, we know that cycling supports government priorities of reduced government spending and increased road safety. Making it safer and more convenient for people to cycle can also get our economy moving through reduced traffic congestion and by developing local tourism jobs.
Earlier this month we had productive conversations with representatives of the All Party Cycling Caucus at the 11th Annual Ontario Bike Summit about the role of the province in building safe, sustainable and inclusive communities that prioritize cycling.
We also heard from The Honourable Jeff Yurek, Minister of Transportation about the importance of road safety. Minister Yurek delivered the opening remarks at our summit breakfast on April 2nd and highlighted how roughly 5.7 million adult Ontarians ride a bike at least once a year and the importance of trails and cycling tourism.
We look forward to continuing these conversations in the months ahead and to working together with government and with stakeholders like you to make cycling safer, more convenient and more fun. We’re focused on building dedicated spaces to ride a bike, enhancing access to e-bicycles, paving road shoulders and adopting the recently introduced #TeachTheReach bill.
You can visit www.bikescandothat.ca for more data on how cycling contributes to provincial objectives.
And if you haven’t yet checked out the petition in support of the #TeachTheReach bill, you can view and sign it online here: https://www.maritstiles.ca/teach_the_reach_petition
Amplify the voice for cycling in Ontario — you can support the work of Share the Road through our new donation platform! Learn more at: www.sharetheroad.ca/donate
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