It’s worthwhile to note when goals are met, and things get done at city hall. This week at Transportation Committee the request for funding of $5 million towards cycle infrastructure on the Maitland Avenue overpass was passed unanimously. This overpass bridge is owned and operated by the province under the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and is due to be replacement in 2025. The province’s original plans would have had no opportunity to accommodate cycling infrastructure. By kicking in $5 million the city will now solve a major connectivity problem for cyclists by ensuring the bridge has separate lanes for people on bikes and a wider sidewalk for pedestrians. There will be 3 more overpass bridge replacements- at Woodroffe, Pinecrest and Richmond. These 3 projects are considered wide enough for the cycle and pedestrian infrastructure without an extra cost to the city. By including space for cycling, the city has entrenched a major improvement to active transportation infrastructure that will help connect those living on either the south and north side of the Queensway to crossover, literally bridging communities. These overpasses are expected to last 75 years so this was good timing!
I want to thank my colleague Councillor Laine Johnson for working with me on this request and to the Mayor’s office for ensuring that the city work with the province to make this active transportation connectivity a reality. I also want to thank our city staff for raising this issue with us so we could act upon it in time to make this change happen. Residents have expressed concern about connectivity to the bridge spans, as well as the on and off ramp approaches. Staff continue to work with MTO to ensure the approaches to the new bridge spans are safe and provide connectivity to the bridge itself, but also neighbourhoods. I look forward to seeing designs from staff on these connections.
This week at the Environment and Climate Change Committee we heard from city staff on plans to work with all multi-residential buildings on installing Green Bin infrastructure and encourage all residents living in these buildings to divert organic waste. This is an effective way of cutting down on waste that goes into our Trail Road landfill. I hope to see a high participation rate on this important initiative. The committee also heard from staff about the roll out communications strategy of the Three Bag limit for curbside collection. It was pointed out that most residents are already limiting their garbage to two bags or less. This policy will come into effect September of this year. More information on this program is included in this newsletter.
