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Region of Waterloo Budget Analysis: 2019 and 2020

Posted on January 8, 2020January 10, 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.

The Region of Waterloo is responsible for an extensive network of roads, including some of the most direct routes to get around, particularly for those with longer commutes. But many of them are wide, with high speed limits, which makes safe cycling infrastructure on regional roads really important. We also need safe crossings where our best cycling facilities—such as the Iron Horse and Spur Line Trails—cross regional roads.

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

Region of Waterloo’s 2019 budget

It has been difficult to discern the significance to cycling of many items in the Region’s 2019 budget. Our election pledge called for $7.7 million in spending per year. What we saw in the budget was $8.4 million. Hopefully, going forward we will be better able to report on how that money is being spent wisely toward a coherent minimum grid of safe cycling infrastructure.

Project2019 budget
Active transportation engineer new hire$101,000
Iron Horse Trail Improvements$500,000
Active Transportation with Reconstruction and Major Rehabilitation:
• Ottawa St – Pattandon Ave. to Imperial Dr
• Highland Rd – Fischer‐Hallman to Highland Hills Mall
• Swan St – Hilltop to Stanley and Northumberland/Stanley – St Andrew to CP Railway
• Ottawa St S – Fischer‐Hallman to 100m W of Trussler
• King St – railway tracks to Central and Erb, King to 100m E of Caroline
$1.6 million
Infill Active Transportation Constructed as Separate Projects:
• Waterloo Protected pilot
• Homer Watson multi-use pathway (MUP)
• Lackner – Ottawa to Keewatin
• Lackner – Zeller to Ottawa
• Erbsville – Keats Way to 200m south of Keats Way
• Courtland at Stirling
• Lancaster – Bridgeport to Bridge
$4.4 million
Highland Road widening$500,000
iON/Traynor crossing$400,000
Health Benefits of Active Transportation study$10,000
Pedestrian & Cycling Countermeasures$280,000
Active Transportation improvements during Rural Resurfacing projects: Sawmill Rd and Gingerich Rd $565,000
Total $8.4 million

Without a doubt, the most significant improvement of the past year in the Region is the protected bike lane pilot in Waterloo, almost completed in 2019. The signalized crossing of Bridgeport by the Forwell Trail was also a Regional project. The multi-use path along Homer Watson is a very significant addition and should be finished early in the spring. We’re not really sure of the breakdown of who is funding what for the Iron Horse Trail but the wider surface and new lighting on parts are very welcome changes, also to be finished in the spring.

We are not sure of the significance of many other projects on the list, but perhaps those reading will recognize a local street and can comment on it.

We are actively engaged with Regional staff to get better insight into projects and their status going forward. We are emphasizing the need to provide safe connections and fill in gaps.

Region of Waterloo’s 2020 budget

Project2020
Bridgeport Road/Caroline Street: King Street to Erb Street$100k
Dundas Street: Franklin Blvd to Hespeler Road $150k
Highland Road: Fischer-Hallman Road to Highland Hills Mall entrance$77.5k
Notre Dame Drive: Erb’s Road to St. Ann Avenue$205k
Ottawa Street North: Nottingham Avenue to King Street and Weber Street from Sheldon Avenue to Borden Avenue$230k
Sawmill Road: River Street to Snyders Flats Road $425k
Victoria Street North: Kitchener/Woolwich Boundary to Bruce Street$3.6M
Weber Street: Blythwood Road to Northfield Drive$215k
Weber Street: Forwell Creek Road to Blythwood Road$820k
Hespeler Road at Highway 401 cycling facility$1.9M
King Street East: Freeport Bridge to Freeport Hospital entrance$110k
Lackner Blvd: Ottawa Street North to Victoria Street North$950k
Listowel Road: Timber Trail to Arthur Street $450k
Study: New pedestrian bridge over the Speed River (Preston)$450k
Bleams Road at Fischer-Hallman Road$75k
Erb Street: Gateview Drive/Beechwood Drive to Erbsville Court and Ira Needles Blvd to Wilmot Lane$400k
Franklin Blvd: Myers Road to Highway 401$3M
Highland Road West: Highland Hills Mall entrance to Ira Needles Blvd$250k
South Boundary Road: Water Street to Franklin Blvd$910k
Total$14.3 million

The total spending for 2020 is impressive and well above our election pledge. It includes some exciting projects such as the new multi-use path along Victoria Street North. We are optimistic that in the coming year we will enrich our engagement with regional staff, including the new Active Transportation senior engineer, to ensure the Region is working toward a grid of safe, connected infrastructure.

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

  1. Send a thank you message to your regional councillor, to all of them, or to the Regional Chair, to let them know you appreciate the investments in cycling and trails!
  2. Fill out the EngageWR survey on the protected bike lane project (along University Avenue, Columbia Street, King Street, Albert Street and Erb Street).
  3. Join our mailing list to ensure you get calls to action in 2020 such as showing up at council for important decisions.

Think we missed something? Send your comments and feedback to hello@cyclewr.ca.

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CycleWR
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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