Potential $60M spend seeks to add and improve Hamilton’s bike lanes each year ’til 2028

Hamilton’s director of transportation planning says a recently revealed $60 million pitch to build more bike lanes faster is the result of a council ask to speed up a cycling plan.

Brian Hollingworth says the idea and costs are part and parcel with five years of  “moving projects around and accelerating them” connecting prime destinations and filling gaps in the existing cycling network.

“I think it is the right time,” Hollingworth believes. “Housing costs … are increasing from groceries to housing and the cost of driving, gas in insurance and vehicle ownership. Part of this plan is about … giving people different options to get around.”

The plan looks at adding about 119 kilometres of new cycling facilities in connection with a 2018 goal of having 970 kilometres in all when completed.

Some 60 percent has already been built and Hollingworth suggests they can get to 75 per cent by 2028.

He says $6.6 million is already in place for 23 kilometres worth of upgrades in 2024, including a West Fifth path and a Cootes Drive connection.

“The projects won’t be a surprise to folks, they’re things like multi-use paths in connecting different facilities, projects like York Boulevard which is part of a road reconstruction project and extending the Keddy Trails,” he said. “So there’s a lot of projects that people have been expecting and anticipating, and we’re just looking at how we can best prioritize them and accelerate them.”

Many of the projects are already tied to scheduled road reconstruction, while others still need funding approval from the city.

Federal money is in place to cover about one-fifth of the total cost.

Ward 2 coun. Cameron Kroetsch sees the initiative as an “investment in better infrastructure” that not only addresses “places for cars to drive” but adds to road safety targets in the city’s Vision Zero plan, addresses climate goals and help small businesses.

“I think it’s a wise investment, and frankly, we have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to bike lanes in our city of this size,” he added. “It’s important to look at all of these things in the broader picture, and we are making up for lost time.”