Bike Toronto has the low-down on the Bike Budget. A report to council [pdf] is recommending the proposed 2006 bike plan budget (red line) would have no increase above the 2005 budget. The result would be a budget that is almost 1/3 of what the original bike plan (green line) recommeneded: “In order to comply with the corporate affordability guidelines issued by Finance.”
This short sighted recommendation is blind to the sustainable economics of cycling. Cycling reduces traffic, smog, parking space, fatal collisions, obesity, and noise. All of which have economic effect far beyond the cost of bike lanes.
There is still time to contact your councillor and remind them to read their own bike plan.
