The standing committees of council have heard the Budget presentations from staff last week and then listened to deputations from concerned citizens. This week they will start deciding how much will be allocated to the various projects and programs that the City of Toronto has. As a result of the presentations we now know what is being proposed for the various cycling budgets that go toward implementing the Toronto Bike Plan. In all three cases the initial proposal is less than what is outlined in the Toronto Bike Plan. There has been support expressed for the components of the Bike Plan in the Listening to Toronto consultations that preceded the budget. I searched through the Summary of Participant Input(PDF) and counted over 90 comments supporting bike lanes and paths. This week will be the first opportunity for Councillors to show that they have been listening and make changes to that proposed budget. This is our best opportunity for us to convince them to make those changes.

On Monday, February 9th the Economic Development and Parks Committee will start making their recommendations on the Parks Department Budget. The proposed budget that was unveiled last week has only $500,000 for cycling infrastructure, that is paths and trails in parks. This is less than half of the $1.2 million proposed in the Toronto Bike Plan and is even a decrease from last years budget of $615,000. It is important to put pressure on the councillors and let them know that you want them to budget adequate funds for this part of the Bike Plan. You can see the list of the Coucillors on this committee in the Parks Budget Background Article

On Tuesday, February 10th the Works Committee will meet to consider their recommendations for the 2004 budget. The Works and Emergency Services department has the largest role to play in implementing the Bike Plan. The proposal that was put forward last week by staff was for $1 million. This is only a third of the amount outlined in the Bike Plan and is only a third of what was originally projected for the Bike Plan. This continues the trend of underfunding of the Bike Plan that led staff to report that the current pace made it look more like a 20 year plan of work. This trend can be seen in the graph below.

This shows the comparison to what has been projected for the WES budget compared to what has actually be budgeted. The figure for 2004, in yellow, has not been finalized. Figures are in millions of dollars.

The final committee that deals with a portion of the Bike Plan budget is the Planning and Transportation Committee. Their budget contains the Cycling Safety, Education and Promotion programs. They will meet on Monday, February 16th to consider their budget recommendations. The TCC has recommended that $200,000 be budgeted. The initial proposal is for $150,000. This is the third area where we have to keep up the pressure. You can see more information on this budget and the list of the Councillors on the Committee on the Planning and Transportation Committee Background article

This is the first chance we have to influence the budget process. Once the standing committees make their decisions they will send them on to the Budget Advisory Committee for review. I will post information as to how the Bike Plan budgets fare in the next week. We will then see how much work is left for us for the rest of the budget process.