Windsor city council has approved a plan members hope will secure money from the province to enhance commuter cycling infrastructure.
City staff has made a list of 11 projects in different areas of the city, with two added Monday night at council. The combined cost of all of those projects is roughly $10 million.
That list will be submitted to the province for consideration, but it will contend with hundreds of other municipalities for funding. The funding formula will work out to 80 per cent provincial money, 20 per cent municipal contribution.
A local cycling advocacy group thinks the city needs to keep the wheels turning.
"We're left wondering whether administration is hoping that the government will choose which projects we get funded,” says Lori Newton, the Executive Director of Bike Windsor Essex. “Surely together we can come up with one, two maybe three projects that would be strong projects.”
“We have an exciting opportunity through this $50 million provincial fund in a city that has serious deficits in cycling infrastructure. Let's not squander that opportunity," Newton says.
The fund was designed to get more people cycling to and from work, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Ward 7 Councillor Irek Kusmierczyk disagrees, and believes the more Windsor asks for, the more chance it has of landing some significant funding.
"You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don't take,” Kusmierczyk said after Monday’s council meeting. “So why leave these two projects off the list? Let the Provincial government decide which projects they want to fund."
