London considers $40 million for cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure from unused BRT funds

London, Ont. -

It would constitute one of the largest investments in active transportation ever in London.

In a new report, the city engineer recommends council commit $10.7 million to unlock the $29.3 million of senior government funding remaining since 2019 in the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).

The combined $40 million would fast track numerous cycling and pedestrian infrastructure projects planned across the city

"Anything we can do to accelerate active transportation funding is a massive opportunity," says Jamieson Roberts, Chair of the Cycling Advisory Committee at city hall.

"The big thing missing in London is a minimum viable grid of connected, safe triple-A cycling infrastructure."

The recommended projects include:

• $14M construct new bike lanes
• $11.5M widen bridges for bike lanes Widening Bridges
• $4.5M extend Thames Valley Parkway with promenade along South St.
• $4.3M AODA compliant intersection upgrades
• $4M renew boulevard bike lanes along Wonderland & Adelaide
• $1.5M install new pedestrian crossings
• $200K additional bike parking

"Active transportation networks take a long time to build out," explains Doug MacRae, Director of Transportation and Mobility. "We try to build them as contiguously as possible and that’s part of the strategy behind the projects identified."

The federal and provincial funding is left over from public transit and active infrastructure funding first offered to London in 2019.

At the time, city council considered 10 projects including all five routes of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system, but ultimately did not to advance the north and west routes for consideration.

MacRae says city hall will consider London Transit improvements in those parts of the city when work begins on the Mobility Master Plan later this year.

"The federal one provincial governments have been quite consistent in their support for these kinds of projects, so I see lots of opportunities as we move forward."

Jamieson believes a more equitable distribution of the municipality’s capital funding would better support infrastructure improvements for all modes of transportation.

"Cycling, transit, and pedestrians get a small sliver of the pie,” he laments. “If we choose to spend money on cycling it potentially means we are taking money away from those other forms of transportation."

The city’s share of funding for the $40 million list of active transportation projects will come from within the existing capital budget.

To qualify for the third stream of ICIP funding, projects must be shovel-ready and substantially completed by October 31, 2027.

The Civic Works Committee will consider the list of projects at its meeting on January 11.