Ontario Government Helps City Promote Alternatives to Car Use

KITCHENER — The Province of Ontario is supporting the City’s plans to get more Kitchener residents cycling. A provincial grant will allow the City to develop a Cycling Master Plan to provide better cycling facilities for commuting and recreation.

The City will receive $21,205 for the project through the Ontario Transportation Demand Management Municipal Grant Program. This program was created to support municipal programs that help reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions by making it more attractive to use alternatives to driving alone. Forty-five applications were received for the grants. Kitchener is one of 13 communities across the province to receive funding.

The City’s goal is to double the number of bike trips taken by 2016. Kitchener is already a bike-friendly municipality, with more than 145 km of trails and 16 km of bicycle lanes. Local buses all offer bike racks, and the Region has committed to building bike lanes on arterial roads.

“Kitchener is a wonderful city to explore on two wheels, and this grant will help encourage more people to cycle,” said John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre. “This program is just one way our government is supporting sustainable transportation and healthy communities.”

“Of course we want to create alternatives to driving. It makes sense that, as we plan more pedestrian friendly areas in the city, we add more options for cycling, too,” said Carl Zehr, Mayor of Kitchener. “We need to give people more reasons to get out of their cars and onto their bikes.”

Ontario's Sport and Physical Activity Strategy encourages Ontarians to look for enjoyable ways to make physical activity a regular part of their daily lives. Walking or cycling instead of driving is a great way to work physical activity into your day!

Ontarians are using public transit in record numbers. In 2007, we took almost 786 million trips on public transit.