As incumbents and challengers ready for battle in the municipal election this October, Somerset ward candidate Thomas McVeigh is trying to stake out territory with his advocacy for improved cycling infrastructure.
“Putting in bike lanes and supporting bike lanes is important to (Somerset) ward, because we have the ability to walk and bike everywhere – it’s part of the attraction of living in Centretown,” says McVeigh, who recently announced plans to challenge Somerset Coun. Diane Holmes for her seat at city council.
Bike lane extension and winter maintenance is not a new issue for Centretown residents, but the cycling community continues to press for improvements in the city’s network.
Currently only routes along Laurier Avenue, Colonel By Drive and Queen Elizabeth Driveway have winter maintenance, but a proposed plan would see this service extended to Percy and Lyon streets and the O-train corridor, which run through Centretown and connect these routes.
This would allow for better all-year cycling throughout most of Ottawa and make it easier for cyclists to travel through Centretown
McVeigh took to social media in February denouncing the city’s current efforts at winter maintenance, posting a picture of a snow-covered bike lane with the caption “we can do better.”
“Quite often snowplows are using the bike lane as just a dumping lane,” says McVeigh.
“The fact that we pay more into the city than we get in terms of service, there’s certain basics that we need to have, like clearer sidewalks and clearer lanes for active transport,” he added.
The proposed $200,000-a-year winter maintenance plan for 19 kilometres of currently unplowed bike lanes has been delayed as the transportation committee postponed the funding decision until after the election.
“The benefits outweigh the costs, even from a strictly budgetary standpoint, to the overall costs to the tax payer,” says McVeigh.
The fact that Somerset has a higher tax base should not be the motivating factor behind winter maintenance for bike lanes, says Holmes.
“Cycling has always been one of my top priorities,” says Holmes, adding the issue will also be high on her election agenda.
“We want bike lanes cleared because we want more people on bikes for the environmental reasons — get people out of cars and get people walking and cycling,” she says.
Both McVeigh and Holmes say there are economic benefits to having year-round bike lanes in Centretown.
“It would definitely help our business,” says Cheryl Aroosi, owner of the Foster’s Sports Centre on Bank Street. “We are a year-round bike company. We encourage people to bike as long as they can into the winter.”
Foster’s bike shop is the oldest in Ottawa and is well located to serve cycling commuters moving in and out of the downtown core every day.
“We have quite a number of cyclists in the community,” says Aroosi. “A lot of people moving and living downtown don’t have cars, so this gives them other options.”