It is with interest that the Sudbury Cyclists Union (SCU) heard that the proposed Vitys Lands subdivision in Chelmsford was approved by the Planning Committee on November 25, 2013. Staff reiterated the same thing that they’ve been saying for a while now – that any possible cycling infrastructure would only be determined after the Transportation Study is completed. Conditions for approval did not include provisions for specific cycling infrastructure, as they did for sidewalks.
All development approvals should include a provision for the costs of appropriate cycling and pedestrian infrastructure. Until the Transportation Study is completed and an approved Active Transportation Network is determined, the City should consult the Sustainable Mobility Plan, the Sustainable Mobility Advisory Panel, and cyclists who use the infrastructure to determine what should be implemented.
Since the Sustainable Mobility Plan was presented to Council in 2010, we’ve lost numerous opportunities to implement active transportation into new road works and new developments. New cycling infrastructure now seems to be dependent upon the completion of the Transportation Study, whose preliminary results have been delayed for over a year. On October 4, 2013, the SCU requested clarification on the process and schedule. We also asked if there would be opportunities for further public consultation. We are still waiting for a response to our questions.
Given the delays currently being experienced, it may be two years or more before we have a plan to implement infrastructure that is critical to the safety of cyclists. Until final plans are in place, we need to ensure in other ways that new subdivisions have proper cycling infrastructure. And that developers are required to pay their fair share for what is required as a result of their developments.
Rachelle Niemela
Member of the Sudbury Cyclists Union
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The Sudbury working-group of The Media Co-op was formed to create independent media in the North, to speak to our issues and outlooks on our communities as well as the world around us. Independent media provides an avenue for people who are wishing to gain critical perspective on the issues that matter most to us, and to give a voice to those people and stories that you won't find in the mainstream media.
The Sudbury working-group site is no longer being updated and has been archived.