Sarnia cycling advocacy group opposing provincial bike-lane bill

A cycling advocacy group in Sarnia is asking for help opposing provincial legislation that could limit local bike lane infrastructure.

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“If it does go through, it will certainly be a step in the wrong direction for all cities, ours included,” said Tristan Bassett, executive director with the nuSarnia Foundation, about Bill 212.

The group recently asked people to contact Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey about the proposed bill recently tabled in the Ontario legislature.

The proposal would require provincial approval for municipalities to add bike lanes, when doing so also requires removing existing lanes of vehicle traffic, the proposal says.

The province would also be able “to compel municipalities to collect and provide information to the province on existing bike lanes where a lane of traffic was removed,” a proposed summary says.

The Associations of Municipalities of Ontario have criticized the proposal, aimed at decreasing gridlock, as a “significant overreach.”

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The bill could have a major impact in Sarnia, Bassett said, where the city unveiled an active transportation master plan earlier this year that includes adding 106 kilometers of on-road cycling infrastructure, along with more sidewalks, pathways and trails.

This year, raised bike lanes were part of a Wellington Street construction projectand city officials are looking into extending existing bike lanes on Michigan Avenue to Indian Road in 2025, as part of a Lambton County reconstruction project, city engineering and operations general manager David Jackson said.

“To put a stop to (those plans), let alone rip (existing bike lanes) up would be a massive waste of resource, Bassett said.

The group has had a positive response since calling for advocacy earlier this week, she said.

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“Our main focus is on educating people that bike lanes actually, if we look at the data, and if we look at the research that’s been collected, they are very effective in reducing congestion,” Bassett said.

In short, more vehicle lanes lead to more vehicles on the road and ongoing congestion, she said, noting many in Sarnia, including students at Lambton College, already rely on cycling to get around.

The group also spoke informally with Bailey’s office, Bassett said, without sharing details.

Bailey’s office did not immediately respond Thursday to an emailed request for comment.

With files from the Canadian Press

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