Ben Cowie has announced his resignation from the City of London’s cycling advisory committee after what he calls “zero progress” in addressing vehicle emissions and controversial changes to Dundas Place.
Cowie, a cycling advocate and owner of the London Bicycle Cafe, made the announcement on his website Friday.
“We’ve seen zero new progress on transportation emissions in two years since the City of London declared a climate emergency, where we need a 50% reduction in all emissions by 2030 to give today’s kids a fighting chance at a future,” Cowie wrote in a post.
Cowie said there was “near-total inaction” and time was wasted debating parking in the downtown core.
On April 13, London City Council will look at proposed changes in Dundas Place which would see the street temporarily converted into a single lane street with bicycle lanes on either side.
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The proposed changes would be temporary and in response to incoming construction and road closures along King Street, which city staff say could increase traffic along the flex street.
But the move to create cycling in both directions, not separated by barriers is one that cycling advocates have criticized in the last month.
“The recent Dundas Place fiasco was the last nail in the coffin, where it became abundantly clear that city staff (who still have no trained active transportation planners on their team) value motorist convenience ahead of the physical safety of people walking and cycling on the City’s only ‘flex’ street,” Cowie said.
When asked about Cowie’s comments on Dundas Place and work being done to reduce emissions, the City was not able to immediately comment but did provide Global News with a short statement.
“The City is in receipt of Mr. Cowie’s resignation and will continue to work with the remaining members of the committee to make London a better city for cyclists,” a city representative said.
“We appreciate the contributions and commitment Mr. Cowie made to the community through his role as a Member of the Cycling Advisory Committee.”
For Cowie, he writes the time he spent preparing for meetings “will be much better spent working on your bikes this spring.”
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