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@019 & 2020-2022 City of Waterloo Budget Analysis

City of Waterloo Budget Analysis: 2019 and 2020-2022

Posted on December 17, 2019January 11, 2020 by David Trueman
Posted in: Advocacy

It’s budget season! Municipalities are starting to release draft operating and capital budgets for the 2020 fiscal year. We’ll be posting our analysis of both the 2019 budgets and the draft 2020 budgets for Waterloo Region municipalities as they’re released. Find them all on our Budget Advocacy page.

In recent years, Waterloo’s cycling infrastructure has been ahead of the rest of the Region with the Laurel Trail, Forwell Trail, the Central Promenade through Waterloo Park, their own sections of the Iron Horse and Spurline Trails and more. With the near-completion of the Region-funded protected cycling pilot in Waterloo, that trend has continued even though Kitchener has been giving them a run for their money in the past year.

Read on to see how cycling fared in Waterloo’s 2019 budget and what’s coming up in the 2020 budget.

Waterloo’s 2019 budget

It has been difficult to discern the cycling-dedicated spending in Waterloo’s 2019 budget. The election pledge called for $961,940 in spending per year. What we saw in the budget was anywhere from $651,000 to $2.6 million. The latter figure is what the city quoted for “multi-modal transportation” but the former figure is what we can find that is unambiguously investment in cycling.

Project2019 budget
Bicycle parking$32,000
Trail counters $11,000
Refuge islands $53,000
Trails and Bikeways Master Plan implementation$555,000
Subtotal: definitely cycling-related$651,000
Road widenings and intersection improvements$42,000
Active Waterloo report$12,000
Traffic calming$186,000
Station area planning $1.3 million
Total $2.6 million

Without a doubt, the most significant improvement of the past year in Waterloo was the signalized crossing of Bridgeport by the Forwell Trail, but this was a Regional project. Second, was the new refuge island where the Spurline Trail crosses Union—a big improvement until Union Street is reconstructed in 2021 when we hope for a better solution. We also saw improvements to the trail in Moser Springer Park and the addition of a small pump track (fun!). Multi-use trail construction was planned on Colby Drive, Lexington Court, and Dutton Drive.

We haven’t been able to determine in more detail what has been actually spent or accomplished in 2019, partly because a recent retirement left Waterloo short-staffed in active transportation. We are encouraged by the attitudes of the Council towards cycling and active transportation expressed in the discussions about the upcoming Transportation Master Plan.

Waterloo’s 2020-2022 budget

The City of Waterloo uses a one-year/three-year budget cycle where 2019 was for one year and now the budget is for three years. So, it is even more important that it reflects our priorities.

Project202020212022
Trails & Bikeways Master Plan Implementation1$400k$400k$400k
Hydro Corridor Trail – South of Columbia St $68k$500k
Trail lighting$25k$60k
Wayfinding signage$486k
Trail connecting King to Weber on former Waterloo Inn Lands $1.535M
Bicycle parking $30k $30k $30k
Trail counters $10k
Market Trail (along Parkside from Bearinger to Northfield)$670k$330k
Active Waterloo report $12k
Crossing of Highway 85 (location TBD)$200k
Trails in New Development Areas – NW Waterloo $250k$250k$250k
Total: definitely cycling-related$2.818 million$2.146 milllion$1.119 million
Station area planning implementation2$3.017M$2.063M$2.063M
Refuge islands3 $49k $49k $49k

Notes
1. Down from $555k in 2019!
2. Unclear how much of this will benefit cycling.
3. Some of these will likely benefit cyclists.

The total spending for 2020 is impressive and well above the election pledge. It includes some exciting projects such as the brand new trail connecting King Street to Weber on the former Waterloo Inn lands—this will be a welcome addition for those who cycle in this area. We love the attention that Waterloo pays to the details like bike parking and signage (although $486,000 seems like a steep price to improve already very good signage).

We are concerned about the cutback in spending to implement the Cycling Master Plan, particularly when other capital spending drops off in 2022. Our recommendation would be to increase 2022 spending to similar levels as prior years, either by increasing the funding for implementing the Trails and Bikeways Master Plan or by bringing forward projects now planned for 2023–24.

What you can do to help get adequate funding for cycling infrastructure in Waterloo:

  1. Fill out the Waterloo budget survey on EngageWR before January 11.
  2. Send a thank you message to your city councillor to let them know you appreciate the investments in cycling and trails!
  3. Join our mailing list to ensure you get calls to action in 2020 such as showing up at council for important decisions.
  4. If you don’t live in Waterloo, but bike through the city, you can still email council to let them know you appreciate the work that’s being done or send an email of thanks to the mayor (mayor@waterloo.ca).

Stay tuned for our analysis of the rest of the Waterloo Region municipalities as they release their budgets over the next month. Think we missed something? Send your comments and feedback to hello@cyclewr.ca.

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Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 Join us online on Thursday, January 21, from 7:30 – 9:00pm for a look at what we accomplished in 2020 and what’s coming up for cycling in the region in 2021 and beyond.

Active transportation leads from the three cities and the region who will be joining us:
 
• Lisa Chominiec
Sustainable Transportation Coordinator, City of Cambridge
 
• Liz Christensen
Design & Construction Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Darren Kropf
Active Transportation Planning Project Manager, City of Kitchener
 
• Louise Finlay
Project Manager, Bikeways, Trails and Greenspaces, City of Waterloo
 
• Kornel Mucsi
Manager, Transportation Planning, Region of Waterloo

Check the link in our bio for meeting instructions.
Are you curious about winter biking or determined Are you curious about winter biking or determined to give it a try this season? Our next Virtual Folks & Spokes welcomes Elysha and Sarah-Beth to share their winter-biking experience! 

Join us online on Thursday, November 19, from 7:30 – 8:30 pm. to learn about biking in cold weather, bike maintenance tips, and more. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions and for other participants to chat about their winter-biking experience, too.

---

Meet Elysha

I'm Elysha! (she/they)

I'm a winter cyclist. I couldn't decide on adjectives for that because sometimes it's fun and sometimes it is horrible, but I always do it anyway. I've been riding my bike through the winters for around 10 years. You also may know me from my mending and upcycling project, @beyondrepair519, where I share my textile artwork.

On Thursday, my partner Scott will be joining me as a model for some of our winter cycling tips. He works more closely with bike stuff in the region—mostly cycling education right now, but he was also a mechanic for a long time. We have been loving the recent heat wave but don't want to be caught off guard when winter hits!

Join us and share what you know/learn more about how to get your bike ready for winter.

---

Meet Sarah-Beth and Ryan

Sarah-Beth (she/her) and Ryan (he/him) have been biking with their kids - ages 8 and 5 - for the past 4 years. You may know Ryan from being featured on Instagram as part of our #WinterRiders storytelling last year. He was a first-time winter bike rider last year. This year, Sarah-Beth is hopping on the bandwagon and they're bringing their kids along with them. They'll share their experiences figuring out how to prepare for the cold months ahead, and how to keep their kids interested and safe along with them. 

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We use Zoom video conferencing to host Virtual Folks & Spokes. It works on most computers and modern mobile devices.

If this is your first time using Zoom, we recommend joining a few minutes early.

Visit the link in our bio to launch the Zoom meeting.
The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on T The next Folks & Spokes will be hosted online on Thursday, October 15 at 7:30 – 8:30 pm.

We will kick things off with special guest Kornel Mucsi, the new Transportation Planning Manager at the Region of Waterloo. Kornel will share some of his experience from leading the Active Transportation program in Ottawa for the last decade as well as his early impressions and directions for Waterloo Region.

After question and answer with Kornel, we will continue with a casual discussion of anything and everything biking.

To participate, find the Zoom video call link in our bio!
Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with Cycle Cycling into the Future, in cooperation with CycleWR, STSWR and ClimateActionWR is offering one or more cycling training sessions for students ages 5 and up. 

Please indicate your interest and availability with this form:

https://bit.ly/2ZWGDxw

These practical sessions will cover various components including:

* Tips for teaching how to ride for beginners
* Proper helmet fit
* Bike handling skills
* Hand signals and road signs
* Bike lane etiquette
* Parent session: how to coach kids while riding with them
* Simple bicycle maintenance
* Tips for riding in fall and winter

The sessions will be held in a parking lot with an optional on-road session for grades 4 and up. Parents must accompany their children, and all participants must practice social distancing with non-family participants.
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