The Government of Canada is now moving toward ratifying the Kyoto Accord on Climate Change. Once the Accord is ratified they will have to start the country on the path of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The government has set out a draft plan on Kyoto that outlines emission reduction targets for industries, governments, businesses and individuals. It also proposes funding programs that will help these different groups meet those targets. The Canadian government has posted this plan on their climate change web site. Draft Plan on Climate Change: Achieving our Commitments Together(PDF).

In part of the draft plan it talks about putting 'Climate Friendly Infrastructure' in place that will support the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. It talks about having a 10 year program for infrastructure through working with the provinces and municipalities. It doesn't mention cycling directly but building the Bikeway Network of bike lanes, off road trails and bike routes would be the perfect project to realize these goals. The report lays out broad catagories for such infrastructure programs such as urban planning and transit. The City of Toronto can make specific requests for specific programs. One of those should be for funds to implement the Toronto Bike Plan.

Having this infrastructure in place will allow individual Canadians to do their part to reach their emission reduction targets. One of the goals laid out is for individuals is to reduce their car use by 10 percent. Cycling would be the best alternative to the car to replace many of the trips by car but it gets almost no attention in the federal government's plan. Cycling is a particularly urban form of transportation and seems to have been left out of the mix of the solutions the federal government is proposing. In fact most of the solutions proposed to reduce emissions from cars still involve the use of cars. Reducing idling of cars, burning cleaner fuels in cars, asking for more fuel efficient cars to be built are a collection of half measures can make fractional improvements but do little to solve the other problems that cars create in a city like Toronto such as gridlock and smog. The City of Toronto has to make the case for cycling as a mode of transportation that deserves be supported and funded by all levels of government.

At its September 23rd meeting the Toronto Cycling Committee passed a motion asking that the City of Toronto make the case for cycling when it negotiates funding programs with the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario. The motion is quoted below:

Advising that the Toronto Cycling Committee, at its meeting held on September 23, 2002, requested the Planning and Transportation Committee to approve the following motion:

“Whereas increasing the cycling modal split in the City of Toronto will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Canada meet its Kyoto targets;

And Whereas the Toronto Bike Plan outlines a clear plan to increase the percentage of cycling trips, and has been approved by Toronto City Council;

Therefore Be It Resolved That the City of Toronto, in its negotiations with senior levels of government regarding funding agreements for transportation infrastructure projects, Kyoto accord implementation, and other jointly funded projects related to transportation and/or the environment, include specific requests for funds to augment the cycling infrastructure, planning and promotions budgets to accelerate the realization of the goals of the Toronto Bike Plan.”

This motion is now on the agenda of the Planning and Transportation Committee meeting on November 4th, 2002. (see agenda-PDF) for consideration. If you would like to see this come to pass please contact the Councillors on the committee. If one of these Councillors is the Councillor from your ward let them know. The opinion of their constituents carries more weight than that of someone from outside their ward.

If you want to find who is your councillor and their contact info the go to this page. and type in your street address.

I have listed the Councillors who are on the Committee below. Click on their names to get their Contact or click on their email addresses to send them an email.

Planning and Transportation Committee
Chair
Gerry Altobello Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest
councillor_altobello@city.toronto.on.ca

Vice-Chair
Pam McConnell Ward 28 Toronto Centre-Rosedale
councillor_mcconnell@city.toronto.on.ca

Lorenzo Berardinetti Ward 37 Scarborough Centre
councillor_berardinetti@toronto.ca

Betty Disero Ward 17 Davenport
councillor_disero@toronto.ca

Joanne Flint Ward 25 Don Valley West
councillor_flint@city.toronto.on.ca

Peter Milczyn Ward 5 Etobicoke-Lakeshore
councillor_milczyn@city.toronto.on.ca

Howard Moscoe Ward 15 Eglinton-Lawrence
councillor_moscoe@city.toronto.on.ca

Kyle Rae Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale
councillor_rae@toronto.ca

If you want to appear before the committee you can contact Christine Archibald Administrator by calling at (416) 392-7039 or e-mail carchiba@city.toronto.on.ca

There are three other items relating to Cycling on the Planning and Transportation agenda that day. One is regarding Bikes on GO Transit buses. (see previous article). The other is a report on Bike Week 2002. This is a chance for the members on this committee to do their part to support cycling in Toronto.