, 2010
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA AND CITY OF LONDON
INTRODUCE SAFE CYCLING PROJECT
LONDON, ONTARIO, June 4, 2010
– Ed Holder,
Member of Parliament for London West, together with London
City Controller Gina Barber, today unveiled the first “sharrow”
bicycle symbol on London’s
Dufferin Avenue.
Sharrows are shared-use road markings that help promote road safety
among London cyclists and
motorists.
The sharrow unveiled today is the first of many that will be
implemented on several key cycling routes around the city of London. The sharrow bicycle markings, along
with new permanent bike racks, are being funded entirely through
$40,000 from the federal Gas Tax Fund.
“This project will promote active transportation, such as cycling,
and contribute to safer London
streets by educating cyclists and motorists on how to better share
the roads,” said MP Holder, on behalf of
Canada’s Minister of Transport and
Infrastructure John Baird. “This project is an excellent example of
what federal programs like the Gas Tax Fund were designed to
achieve.”
“Introducing the universal sharrow along
London’s busy downtown bike paths and
providing more bike racks in the core are two fine enhancements for
our cyclists,” said London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best. “Another
key advantage of this program is the increased safety and guidance
provided to cyclists and motorists alike.”
Over
the past five years, several infrastructure projects, worth more
than $1.7 million have been funded in London thanks to the
federal Gas Tax Fund. For example, in
2009, $320,000 of Gas Tax funding was invested in the creation of
new bike lanes. Other local projects that have benefited from
federal Gas Tax funding include the widening of Wonderland and
Western roads, major upgrades to bridges on Oxford Street and repair
and resurfacing of major roads such as King Street, Horton Street,
Highbury Avenue, Baseline Road and Wellington Street.
The
Government of Canada extended the Gas Tax Fund to 2014 resulting in
$746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in
Ontario. On April 23, 2010, the Government
of Canada announced that Ontario received an advance payment of $373
million, which enables the province to allocate the Gas Tax funding
sooner to municipalities, helping them make the most of the spring
and summer construction seasons.
Under the Economic Action Plan, the Government
of Canada is allocating $12 billion to infrastructure projects
across the country. This is further complemented by a previous
commitment of making the federal Gas Tax Fund permanent at $2
billion nationally as of 2014. From 2010 to 2014, the City of
London
will receive over $86 million in federal Gas Tax funding.
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