As energy costs continue to rise, traffic congestion increasingly causes bottlenecks and pollution from automobiles continues to grow as a major environmental concern, the future for bicycling as an alternate means of transportation continues to look more promising. However, for the profile of bicycling to grow among the general population, two major changes must occur: education about the benefits of bicycling must become more widespread and bicycling infrastructure must be significantly improved to accommodate the safe and practical travel of bicycles on roadways, many of which were designed with little or no regard for cyclists. In the case of the City of Greater Sudbury, both of these factors will play a major role in increasing the safety and practicability of bicycling as a means of transportation, however infrastructure remains the biggest limiting factor to an increasing in bicycling traffic. This document briefly overviews the recommendations of the City of Greater Sudbury Bicycle Advisory Panel for infrastructure improvements necessary for cycling to be a safe, practicable alternative means of transportation in the City. These recommendations are based upon successful bicycling blueprints from other North American jurisdictions, which should prove useful in achieving similarly successful results in the City of Greater Sudbury. A bicycle is a vehicle unlike any other. It is both a form of transportation and recreation. It is a quick and efficient way of navigating an urban area. Bicycles are a means to a cleaner environment since they do not emit air pollution and have negligible greenhouse gas emissions. They are a means to improving an individual’s and the community’s overall health. Moreover, bicycles are easily accessible and very cost-effective. Currently, as of 2010, the City of Greater Sudbury only has two dedicated bicycle along the Howey, Bellevue, Bancroft corridor, totalling 7.5 kilometres. Also, there is a 600-metre use path along Paris Street from Ramsey Lake Road to York Street. Lastly, there are a network of off-road trails, some of which are navigable by bicycle. More information on these off-road trails is provided by Rainbow Routes in their trail map, available online at <http://rainbowroutes.com/>. In comparison to Ontario cities, Sudbury substantially lags behind. Burlington, roughly the same population as Greater Sudbury, has 42 km of dedicated bicycle lanes as of 2009. Many other cities, including Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and North Bay have considerably more kilometres of bicycle infrastructure per capita than Greater Sudbury.
As energy costs continue to rise, traffic congestion increasingly causes bottlenecks and pollution from automobiles continues to grow as a major environmental concern, the future for bicycling as an alternate means of transportation continues to look more promising. However, for the profile of bicycling to grow among the general population, two major changes must occur: education about the benefits of bicycling must become more widespread and bicycling infrastructure must be significantly improved to accommodate the safe and practical travel of bicycles on roadways, many of which were designed with little or no regard for cyclists. In the case of the City of Greater Sudbury, both of these factors will play a major role in increasing the safety and practicability of bicycling as a means of transportation, however infrastructure remains the biggest limiting factor to an increasing in bicycling traffic. This document briefly overviews the recommendations of the City of Greater Sudbury Bicycle Advisory Panel for infrastructure improvements necessary for cycling to be a safe, practicable alternative means of transportation in the City. These recommendations are based upon successful bicycling blueprints from other North American jurisdictions, which should prove useful in achieving similarly successful results in the City of Greater Sudbury. A bicycle is a vehicle unlike any other. It is both a form of transportation and recreation. It is a quick and efficient way of navigating an urban area. Bicycles are a means to a cleaner environment since they do not emit air pollution and have negligible greenhouse gas emissions. They are a means to improving an individual’s and the community’s overall health. Moreover, bicycles are easily accessible and very cost-effective. Currently, as of 2010, the City of Greater Sudbury only has two dedicated bicycle along the Howey, Bellevue, Bancroft corridor, totalling 7.5 kilometres. Also, there is a 600-metre path along Paris Street from Ramsey Lake Road to York Street. Lastly, there are a network of off-road trails, some of which are navigable by bicycle. More information on these off-road trails is provided by Rainbow Routes in their trail map, available online at <http://rainbowroutes.com/>. In comparison to Ontario cities, Sudbury substantially lags behind. Burlington, roughly the same population as Greater Sudbury, has 42 km of dedicated bicycle lanes as of 2009. Many other cities, including Waterloo, Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton and North Bay have considerably more kilometres of bicycle infrastructure per capita than Greater Sudbury. use