New year, new budget
by Jamie Stuckless, Executive Director, Share the Road Cycling Coalition
It’s budget time again! Governments at all levels are currently in the process of putting together, or finalizing, their budgets for 2019. In Ontario, the provincial government is conducting their pre-budget consultations until February 8th. This is our opportunity to shape provincial priorities.
Share the Road has made a written submission recommending that the Province allocate a portion of our transportation spending ($50 million) towards cycling infrastructure. If you or your organization support this proposal, we encourage you to make your own submission. The process is simple.
You have until Feb 8th to make a written or online submission, more details are available here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/budget-consultations. Written submissions must be 500 words or less and can be submitted via email (cc’ing Share the Road please).
We’ve been cc’d on several submission so far and hope to be cc’d on yours soon.
Why allocate funding for cycling infrastructure
Our proposal to allocate a portion of provincial transportation funding for cycling will leverage municipal investments in road safety, and:
Reduce government spending: Studies show that every dollar spent on active transportation results in $5 of savings on health related impacts (Cavill et. al. 2008). Ontario residents see this opportunity as well, with almost 70% in agreement that investing in getting more people cycling is a way to help people be active and save money on health care. Likewise, there is an opportunity to reduce long term road maintenance costs by paving road shoulders as part of re-construction projects, which has been proven to extend the lifetime of a roadway by upwards of 10% (Leeds Grenville Staff Report 2017).
Reduce traffic congestion: Building safe and separated cycling infrastructure is an affordable way to reduce traffic congestion. Urban roads with cycling infrastructure can move upwards of 185% more people per hour without the expense of widening the road. In a 2018 report, the Canadian Automobile Association also highlighted building safe space for cycling as a way to solve traffic congestion. With 32% of Ontarians wanting to cycle to work, making it safer and easier to cycle will help get people moving on our roads, and create more space on the road for Ontarians who need or want to drive. This is particularly important given that the Toronto Board of Trade estimates congestion costs up to $650 million per year.
Increase road safety: Cycling infrastructure has been shown to increase safety for all road users, not only for those who ride a bike. Studies of separated bicycle lanes in Ottawa and Toronto have shown a 50% decrease in pedestrians collisions and a 44% decrease in overall conflicts, respectively.
Develop local tourism jobs: As outlined in the recent Fall Economic Statement, employment growth has been uneven across the regions. Reports show a decline in employment in Northern Ontario, where 40% of the labour force works in tourism-related occupations. With almost 2 million cycle tourists visiting Ontario each year spending $428 million, Northern communities in particular stand to benefit from the growth of cycling tourism.
More than two-thirds of Ontario residents agree that the provincial government should earmark a portion of our transportation spending to meet the needs of people cycling. Allocating transportation funds to make cycling safer will help to achieve a number of government priorities and provide residents with more choice when it comes to how they get around.
Thank-you to all of our stakeholders who participated in our phone and email consultations to prepare this submission.
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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