BikeBrampton had 16 cyclists ride and take transit to ‘Rally & Ride for Bike Safety’ at Queen’s Park on Oct 23, 2024. Chair David Laing was amongst the speakers to more than 700 cyclists on the south lawn.
There is a clear message to provincial government: Bike lanes save lives. Road Safety Now. Our children deserve to be safe. Vision Zero now. Research clearly shows bikes don’t cause congestion — cars do. Ministry of Transportation: Stay in your Lane. Stop Bill 212.
Bloor Annex BIA wants the bike lanes to stay – better for business!
This is “provincial overreach”, as stated by Association of Municipalities of Ontario.
What you can Do:
- Come to Brampton City Hall: Wed Nov 13th 9:30am to support the delegations. A full audience will help.
- Take a picture of yourself. Send with 2 sentences of why you like Brampton’s bike lanes to: info@bikebrampton.ca
- Write a short email/letter to your local Ward Councillors telling them you want to see a safe bike lane network in Brampton. Copy: info@bikebrampton.ca
- Email to your MPP that you don’t support Bill 212. Copy: info@bikebrampton.ca
Cycle Toronto says:
- Road design determines who lives and who dies in a crash
- Bike lanes are good for business
- They’re good for the environment
- They’re good for public and personal health
- They give us freedom and mobility
- Bike lanes save lives
Municipalities have Councils, Professional Staff, and public consultations to create transportation master plans that guide how best to create safe infrastructure for all ages and abilities. Brampton was on the right path.
Bike Lane Infrastructure in Brampton
On October 21st, City of Brampton has passed a motion to prevent roll-out of 2024 on-street infrastructure in Wards 2, 6, 7 & 8. Staff will limit 2025 on-street infrastructure to urban shoulders and speed cushions.
Book 18 of the Ontario Highway Traffic Act states that “Urban shoulders are not a substitute for conventional bicycle lanes, since they do not prioritize bicycle travel, and should only be treated as an interim or transitional facility“ (p.103)
Staff referred to the combination of urban shoulder and speed cushions as a “bicycle way“. Book 18 states that for a facility to be called a Bikeway there are very specific and numerous considerations outlined on pages 91 – 94. These include traffic reduction, intersection treatments, cyclist priority, speed management, and signs and pavement markings. “Speed management measures aim to reduce the speed of motor vehicle traffic on a particular roadway and bring it closer to the travel speed of people riding bikes.” There are 10 examples of speed management techniques given. Simply painting an urban shoulder and adding speed cushions without using any of the other tools does not make for a Bikeway, and will do little towards building a critical mass of cyclists in Brampton.
Additionally, Book 18 states that “Shared roadways are only
recommended for streets where motor vehicles are generally travelling at or
less than 40 km/h.“ (p.114)