Bikes vs. cars debate ignites municipal campaign
Coun. Catherine McKenney’s plan to spend big on cycling if elected mayor has jolted Ottawa’s mayoral campaign out of a late summer slumber.
McKenney’s pledge to borrow and spend a quarter of a billion dollars over four years just on cycling grabbed a lot of attention online and on the streets. That is $250 million, just on cycling infrastructure. McKenney says it will fundamentally transform Ottawa into a world-class cycling city.
Candidate Mark Sutcliffe immediately responded by suggesting McKenney’s plan would be focused mostly in the core, at the expense of the suburbs. Sutcliffe’s more modest plan is for $100 million over four years, on roads, cycling and all infrastructure.
Candidate Bob Chiarelli rejected both plans as too expensive and says he will not earmark new money for cycling infrastructure at all. Instead, he is pledging to cancel any new road construction and fix Ottawa's current roads, which he says are in horrible condition.
Some of the cycling projects that were identified as important during public consultations for the city's Transportation Master Plan include work on Moodie Drive, Strandherd Drive eastbound, Wellington Street, Riverdale Avenue, the Trans Canada Trail, connections with the Aviation Pathway and neighbourhood connections in wards 10, 16, 17 and 18.
For a snapshot of what McKenney’s plan might look like in the end, CTV’s Graham Richardson jumped on his bike with a mini camera to look at the patchwork of protection in the east end, and what a major investment in bike lanes might bring.
In a Twitter thread with several video clips, he highlighted different kind of cycling infrastructure, from lanes with reflective vertical strips to fully separated multi-use pathways.
Some Twitter users replied to Richardson’s Twitter thread with opinions on all sides.
Some did not believe the spending was wise.
“I understand the concerns, but there are far more vehicles than bicycles and we have had cycling infrastructure overload, much to the disappointment of other needy groups,” said Donna Mulvihill. "Please don't misunderstand. We need safe cycling but we need safe streets too. Cycling lanes that just end leaving cyclists no where to go but into traffic just doesn't work for the cyclist or vehicle. Before more cycling lanes are added, work on the safety issue first."
Others said improving infrastructure for cyclists will make roads better for drivers, too.
“It also changes things for people on four wheels, even those of us who live in the sticks. More bikes means fewer cars and less congestion,” said Wayne Beaton.
The municipal election takes place Oct. 24. McKenney, Sutcliffe and Chiarelli are three of the 14 candidates seeking the mayor’s seat. Jim Watson is not seeking re-election.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump returns to his campaign facing a warning of jail time if he violates a trial gag order
Donald Trump on Wednesday will use a one-day break from his hush money trial to rally voters in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan, a day after he was held in contempt of court and threatened with jail time for violating a gag order.
Ontario woman surprised after 20-year-old fines suddenly tank credit score
An Ontario woman says that she was shocked when fines from 20 years ago suddenly tanked her credit score last week, but the situation may not be as unusual as it seems, according to at least one debt expert.
Anger can harm your blood vessel function, study shows
Stress and anger can have a negative impact on cardiovascular health, studies have shown. New research points to just how the mechanism may work.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Swarm of bees delays Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles game in Arizona. An 'MVP' beekeeper came to the rescue
Major League Baseball fans had an unexpected buzz on Tuesday after a swarm of bees delayed the Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game for around two hours.
Newfoundland fisherman says police broke his leg during protest that delayed budget
Richard Martin is spending this year's fishing season on land after he says a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer broke his left leg in three places during a protest last month that shut down the provincial legislature.
A 98-year-old in Ukraine walked miles to safety from Russians, with slippers and a cane
A 98-year-old woman in Ukraine who escaped Russian-occupied territory by walking almost 10 kilometres (six miles) alone, wearing a pair of slippers and supported by a cane has been reunited with her family days after they were separated while fleeing to safety.
It's opening day for the $34B Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion
Wednesday marks the official start date of the long-awaited $34-billion Trans Mountain oil pipeline expansion project.
Will an 'out of sight, out of mind' cellphone policy make a difference in Ontario schools?
Ontario’s cellphone ban in schools has been met with mixed reaction, with some teachers concerned about constant policing of kids and experts applauding the change as necessary for student learning.