THUNDER BAY – A long-time cycling advocate says it’s a bit ironic that on one night city council can declare a climate emergency and on the next remove funding for a cyclist and pedestrian bridge from the 2020 budget.
It just doesn’t make sense, said Ken Shields on Thursday, two days after council made the decision during a lengthy budget deliberation process.
Shields said the Carrick/Vickers corridor is a vital link, especially for cyclists, one that keeps them off of a busy stretch of Memorial Avenue while traveling north and south in Thunder Bay, and more importantly, out of harm’s way.
“We were very surprised and disappointed,” Shields said.
Council, tasked with cutting from the city’s spending plan, late last year was informed the project was facing potential budget increases, after an environmental assessment determined building it might impact a major sewer line, potentially cracking it and spilling its contents into the Neebing-McIntyre Floodway.
“We were there the night before, when the climate emergency was voted in and then the next night we didn’t see this coming.”
According to a map started by local resident and activist Andrew Brigham, there have been dozens of collisions between vehicles and pedestrians and cyclists over the past five years.
Shields said he’s confident the bridge would have helped cut that number drastically, adding the message being sent to pedestrians and cyclists is the city isn’t interested in funding safety.
“I’ve got no problem with indoor sports complexes. People have lobbied to have those things created and to create funding for it and study it. We don’t see that there’s a concern – well they say they’re concerned, but they don’t show it - when it comes to budget time.”
If the bridge is a non-starter, and he’s hopeful he might be able to convince council to add it back into the budget before it’s ratified next month, Shields would like to see the city create more community safety zones in the area, requiring traffic to slow down.
Much of Memorial Avenue through the Intercity area is a 60-kilometre-an-hour speed zone.
“Those things don’t cost money. Perhaps that’s what we need to do on some of the roads in this area, where people have been suffering injuries ... Maybe now is the time to look at a community safety zone in that business district.”
