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Budgets: priorities made real

Posted on January 18, 2019June 19, 2019 by David Trueman
Posted in: Advocacy

This is a key time of year for cycling advocacy. Through municipal budgets, we can discern the true priorities of our local governments. We need to ensure that investments are being made into safe cycling infrastructure.

We’ve gathered together information on the budgets within the region and particularly how you can provide input. It can’t be emphasized enough the impact of citizen input, particularly when you contact your representatives directly.

Region of Waterloo

The Region’s budget page is the starting point for delving into what is planned for 2019. We were very pleased to see a request for a new full-time position dedicated to Active Transportation. However, we have pored through the many detailed documents and found relatively few initiatives for cycling, representing well below what our pledge called for and indeed what the Region says is needed to implement the Active Transportation Master Plan. It is possible we have missed something and are happy to hear that staff will be pulling all the initiatives into one document.

Take a look at what CycleWR Chair Emily Slofstra and Mike Boos (on our Steering Committee but representing TriTAG) had to say in a delegation to the Budget and Finance Committee. Mike starts around 35 minutes and Emily at 54 minutes.

Right now, you can provide your feedback through Engage Waterloo until February 8th. Stay tuned for plans for the next public input session on February 6th!

Update January 24, 2019: Regional staff have stated that $50-million has been allocated for cycling and active transportation projects for the next five years, and another $50-million for the following five years ($100-million from 2019-2028). Staff will be providing CycleWR with more information by mid-February. The protected bike lane pilot is still slated for 2019 with a budget of $1.435-million.

City of Cambridge

Update January 24, 2019: Cambridge has released their draft budget in brief. The Engage Cambridge budget survey is open until March 4.

The city is advertising public input sessions starting as follows:

Budget Info Series
Monday Jan. 28, 2019, 6-8 p.m.
Preston Auditorium – Hall, 1458 Hamilton St.

Budget Info Series
Wednesday Jan. 30, 2019, 6-8 p.m.
Old Post Office (Galt) – Main Level, 12 Water St. S

City of Waterloo

The City of Waterloo has a number of budget papers and they can all be found through the main budget page. You may want to start with the Budget in Brief paper to get the big picture, but you won’t find anything about cycling infrastructure in there.

Where you will start to see the investment in active transportation and cycling infrastructure broken out is in the Capital Expenditures by Strategic Priority where on the first page you will find $2.6-million being spent on “Multi-modal transportation.” This term covers quite a few areas, though, with about $600,000 on strictly cycling initiatives. There is another $1.3-million for ION Station Area Planning which includes (among many other things), “Establish a network of cycling routes leading to and from each station.” This sounds good, but we’ll see as plans emerge.

Most importantly, you can provide your feedback on what you see at Engage Waterloo It is very important to comment on what you like, to support staff and Council allies, as well as what you don’t like.

City of Kitchener

We are very pleased with the cycling initiatives in the City of Kitchener draft budget. Road safety and cycling was called out as a strategic investment with a budget of $2.5-million for protected bike lanes, a Dutch roundabout, improvements to the Iron Horse Trail and traffic calming measures.

But, we have to get them into the final version. We are calling on all of you to come out and support our speakers at the meeting on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7pm.

Update January 24, 2019: Read about the public input session in The Record article, Cyclists come out in force to urge Kitchener to invest in bike infrastructure. Watch Emily, Mike and several other delegations here (Finance & Corporate Services Committee Special Meeting – Public Consultation from January 21).

Township of Wellesley

The township has a draft budget which contains a line item for $38,500 for multi-use trails and they have given notice of their intent to approve it at their regularly scheduled meeting February 5, 2019, commencing at 6:45pm in the Council Chambers, 4805 William Hastings Line, Crosshill. Should you wish to address Council or if you require further details or information, please contact Grace Kosch, Clerk, Township of Wellesley at (519) 699-3946 or email: gkosch@wellesley.ca.

Township of North Dumfries

The township has published their draft budget and questions pertaining to it can be directed to the Treasurer/Director of Corporate Services at 519-632-8800 ext. 123. 

Township of Wilmot

The township does not appear to have published the 2019 budget yet. The next meeting of their budget committee is January 31st, 5-7pm. You can call 519-634-8444 for more information.

Township of Woolwich

The township has not published the 2019 budget or process on their website. Inquiries can be made at 519-669-1647 ext. 6004.

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