The Bike Plan got a lot of support at the Capital Budget hearings today, November 13th, and it came from both sides of the table, from the people making the deputations in the morning and from Councillors who worked later in the day to respond to the points raised in the deputations earlier.

I was not there first thing in the morning but when I arrived in the afternoon I heard that in the morning several people showed up to make deputations to the Budget Committee in support of putting the funding in place to ensure that the Toronto Bike Plan can be completed by 2012. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation (TCAT) submitted their deputation which included an analysis of the Capital Budgets of the Parks Forestry and Recreation Division and the Transportation Services Division. It found that the 2008 - 2012 five year capital plan as proposed would not achieve the goal of completing the Bike Plan by 2012. You can read their deputation on the TCAT website: 2008 Capital budget submission. In the afternoon as I watched the budget meeting deliberations it was clear that the deputations of TCAT and others did have an effect.

During the day Councillor Gord Perks Ward 14 Parkdale-High Park, a member of the Budget Committee, worked to ensure that the funds to complete the capital projects in the Bike Plan were in the 2008 - 2012 time frame. This work took the form of questions to staff regarding the points raised by the deputations, request for formal reports from staff to get more detailed information on the climate change related budgets, and a request that all the funding for bike plan related Parks Forestry and Recreation trail projects be moved forward from the 2013 - 2017 5 year plan into the 2008 - 2012 time frame. This last request has to be introduced formally as a motion at the budget committee tomorrow, November 14th. If it is passed this will address one of the big obstacles which has been preventing the moving forward on the Bikeway Network trails in parks.

Councillor Perks, satisfied that the Parks issue was going to be dealt with, then focused on the Transportation Services cycling infrastructure budget. The point had been raised during the deputations that while there was $30.1 million in the 2008 - 2012 time frame for cycling infrastructure there was still $38 million in the 2013 - 2017 budget needed to complete the Bike Plan. The Councillor asked the staff if this further $38 million was a current and accurate figure of what was needed to complete the Bike Plan. The answer from staff was that beyond the $30.1 million there was actually a further $20 million that would be needed to build trails in the hydro and rail corridors and along watercourses but that these projects would be done as part of the Sustainable Transportation Initiatives and that the city was hoping to use Greater Toronto Transportation Authority funds for this purpose. The Sustainable Transportation Initiatives were proposed as part of the city's Climate Change, Clean Air and Sustainable Energy Action Plan. (See Previous Article). Further action will be needed over the next few months to ensure that these get the go ahead.

Today's efforts don't mean the funds for the Bike Plan are in place yet. Councillor Perk's motion relating to Parks will have to be voted on at the Budget Committee tomorrow and then if passed will be part of the budget that will then have to be approved by the Executive Committee and then City Council. Councillor Joe Mihevc Ward 21 St. Paul's will also introduce a motion that could have a positive impact on the Parks' Bikeway Network projects. He will move that options be looked at to increase the overall captial budget envelope for Parks Forestry and Recreation for the period 2009 - 2013. This motion will also have to make it through the budget process. Continued support from residents who want to see the Bike Plan implemented will help to ensure that the measures proposed make it into the 2008 capital budget and 5 year Capital plan.

The fate of the cycling related Sustainable Transportation Initiatives, the $20 million for corridor trails, will not apparently be decided in this budget. They will have to wait until the reports on the various proposals are presented to the relevant Council standing committees in 2008. These reports were requested when these initiatives were approved in principle by Council on October 23, 2007 . Council Decision Document- Oct. 22nd, 23rd 2007 - see page 47. This is one area that the cycling community will have to monitor in 2008 to ensure that this $20 million in funding is obtained and work can start on trails in the hydro and rail corridors.

One of the reports requested by Councillor Perks will help the Councillors and interested residents determine if the 2008 budget does have the funds in place to implement the recommendations in the Climate Change Plan, including those relating to cycling infrastructure. He asked for a report on whether each of the recommendations in the Climate Change Plan will or won't be met in the proposed capital and operating budgets. He asked for that before Council debates the Capital budget. This will be a report to watch for.

I felt encouraged watching the proceedings at Budget Committee today. I think that the people who spoke today made an impact and thanks are due to those who came out and to the Councillors who listened to their concerns and took action to address them. Councillor Adrian Heaps Ward 35 Scarborough Southwest, the chair of the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee (TCAC) approached me at one point during the afternoon as I sat in the gallery and said "We're making progress". I think we actually are. It doesn't mean though that the cycling community can relent in keeping on the pressure to see action on the Bike Plan, but rather feel re-energized to keep pressing on.

Martin Koob
info@biketoronto.ca