Cash on the way to pay for bike lane extensions

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

The city’s active transportation network is about to get a boost as over $500,000 in funds are on the way from the provincial government.

As part of Ontario’s fight against climate change, the province developed the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling (OMCC) program and requested cities put forth eligible projects to support the goal of creating new or expanding commuter cycling infrastructure.

The City of Oshawa, with a list of eight potential projects, has received $525,538 as part of the OMCC program. And as part of the deal, the city will also be chipping in an additional 20 per cent of that grant amount, or approximately $105,000.

Joe Arruda, a member of the Oshawa Active Transportation Advisory Committee (OATAC), says the dollars are a great step forward for the city’s active transportation network.

“We, the OATAC members, were pleased that the City is getting money from the OMCC funding program. We look forward to being asked to rank the eligible projects for staff once we are presented with the request,” he says.

For Councillor Dan Carter, council’s representative on the OATAC, developing Oshawa’s cycling network must become a priority for the city moving forward.

“If we don’t do this investment, people are going to find other places to live,” he says. “If we want to continue to be a community of choice, active transportation is going to have to be a significant centre-piece of how we build our communities and how we make our communities attractive to people.”

And while the projects will not move forward until next year, they could prove critical in connecting some of the city’s existing network of cycling paths, including: the city hall connection link from Athol Street East to Elgin Street, and an extension of the Oshawa Creek Trail from Taunton Road to the DC/UOIT north campus.

For Arruda, these connections are critical.

“We feel that any projects that help link the downtown to the school campuses are very important as well as any connection that can provide a safe link to the south end other than a trail is an important connection,” he says. “We look forward to advising staff on what routes should be looked at first.”

As it exists now, travelling through Oshawa on the back of anything other than a vehicle can be a scary proposition as bike lanes tend to lack secure connections throughout the entire city. It’s filling in these gaps that Councillor Carter sees as important.

“In this circumstance, I’d like to see us try and connect any routes that will make it a lot better for any individuals that need north-south, east-west commuting opportunities in a safe way,” he says.

Moving forward, staff will be developing a ranked list of projects for council’s approval as part of the 2019 budget process.

According to the OMCC program, eligible projects must be completed by the end of 2020.