'Council doesn't have the guts,' cycling advocates say after politicians defer bike lane debate
'We bike, we walk and we vote'
A Windsor cycling advocate says city council's decision to defer debate around bike lanes on Wyandotte Street shows councillors don't "have the guts" to do anything other than the status quo.
Bike Windsor Essex executive director Lori Newton said Monday's council meeting left her and the other cyclists in the city feeling "disappointed, disheartened and frustrated."
"I think council and mayor Dilkens don't understand what an active transportation plan is," she said. "I think they lack vision. I think they have no idea what this community needs and wants for safe cycling and pedestrians on our streets."
Council slammed the brakes on what was expected to be a spirited discussion about whether bike lanes should run along Wyandotte Street East or take a zigzag detour. But before debate had a chance to get rolling, the politicians deferred their decision until a larger transportation plan could be completed.
Mayor Drew Dilkens said the deferral happened because more study is needed before making changes that would have a "significant impact" on a road meant to be a major thoroughfare.
"You can't have a knee-jerk reaction because there are thousands and thousands of cars that rely on that road every day and we don't want to create vehicular chaos," he said, adding a recent report on the proposal put forward by bike advocates left him with "grave concerns."
Newton argues bike lanes would be a traffic calming measure that would be good for both drivers and pedestrians.
She said council's decision to delay the discussion left 11 delegates, including five from BIAs who spent days preparing to talk the issue over, hanging.
It's a move she vowed won't be forgotten when the next election rolls around.
"They're fearful of change and doing anything that hasn't been done here before," she said. "Well, we bike, we walk and we vote. The decisions by this council will be taken into consideration going into that election."