Cash for bike lanes

[projekktor id=’23809′]

In an effort to tackle greenhouse gases, the province of Ontario announced that it will provide nearly $300 000 over the next two years to help create a new bike lane in downtown Hamilton.

Following the province’s announcement to pitch-in about half of the $600 000 to design and install bike lanes along Bay street, local MPP Ted McMeekin couldn’t help but thing really big picture.
“It’s going to help Hamilton become the biking capital of North America, I mean why not.”

The bike lanes will stretch 2.3 kilometres from the Durrand neighbourhood at Aberdeen and Bay all the way down to Bayfront Park and of course, the West Harbour Go station and seeing that the $58 million station averages 30 commuters a day, the lanes could help boost ridership.

Since 2007, cyclists have seen their bike lanes increase in coverage from 70 kilometres to 180 kilometres, but there’s still a lot of work to be done

This is all part of the Transportation Ministers cycling funding tour he’s been on over the last couple of days. On Friday he announced funding to create more bike lanes in Niagara region specifically Fort Erie, Niagara on the Lake and Thorold that’ll cost the province just over $660 000.

The Ministry of Transportation is requiring that the Hamilton lanes be completed and ready to ride by March of 2018.