The provincial government has launched a new program to invest millions of dollars in bicycle infrastructure in municipalities across Ontario. Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca and Eleanor McMahon, minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, made the announcement at a downtown Canadian Tire store on Monday to coincide with Bike to Work Day. “This investment will help promote safety for cyclists and make cycling more comfortable and more appealing for daily commutes and other frequent trips,” said Del Duca, who cited a survey that found 67 per cent of Ontarians would be more likely to ride a bike if their community had better cycling infrastructure. “Our government is committed to making cycling safer. This is an extremely serious undertaking on the part of our government.”The four-year Ontario Municipal Cycling Commuter Program will provide up to $42.5 million to eligible municipalities this year and is funded out of the province’s cap-and-trade program. Funding for future years “will be determined based on availability of cap and trade proceeds,” according to the government. The program will pay for up to 80 per cent of the cost of cycling projects. To be eligible, projects must focus on enabling bicycle commuting and reducing car trips. The types of projects that qualify include painted and physically separated bike lanes, multi-use paths, intersection modifications, and bike racks. The program will be split into two streams, one for medium and large municipalities, and one for smaller municipalities with populations of less than 15,000. To be eligible for funding, larger municipalities must show that they are working to implement a cycling plan. Funding for smaller municipalities will be capped at $25,000 a year, and the existence of a cycling plan is not a prerequisite. McMahon said smaller municipalities that don’t have experience building bike infrastructure could use the money to develop their own ...
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