{"id":22550,"date":"2020-07-30T12:56:06","date_gmt":"2020-07-30T12:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/regional\/hamiltons-embrace-of-bicycles-marks-the-beginning-of-a-new-era\/"},"modified":"2022-11-28T19:54:27","modified_gmt":"2022-11-28T19:54:27","slug":"hamiltons-embrace-of-bicycles-marks-the-beginning-of-a-new-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/hamilton\/hamiltons-embrace-of-bicycles-marks-the-beginning-of-a-new-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Hamilton\u2019s embrace of bicycles marks the beginning of a new era"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brought to you by <\/b>Forge & Foster Investment Management<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a vehicle that is currently revolutionizing local travel, both in Hamilton and worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s smaller than a Smart Car. The maintenance is minimal. It won\u2019t soak you for $50 of gas money every week. Riding it isn\u2019t just good for the environment; it’s good for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Oh, and it\u2019s also over 200 years old.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no denying it: bicycles are back and better than ever, and their popularity in urban centres like Hamilton is only growing stronger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Part of this new surge of cyclists can be attributed to the current unprecedented realities of the COVID-19 era. As car-less commuters seek safer ways of getting around during the pandemic, bicycles have stood out as a compact, eco-friendly, reliable, and affordable mode of transportation that not only cuts down on carbon emissions, but also provides the safety and flexibility needed to navigate a city in the modern era.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nowadays, Hamiltonians can\u2019t get enough of these timeless two-wheeled transporters, and there\u2019s no stronger evidence for that than the citywide backlash that emerged as SoBi, the city\u2019s popular bikeshare program, suddenly faced <\/span>possible extinction<\/span><\/a> after its parent company, Uber Inc., announced that it would be halting operations and maintenance of the program by June of this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With SoBi\u2019s clock suddenly ticking loudly, a swift <\/span>community uprising<\/span><\/a> \u2013 which included action from city staff, local advocacy group Cycle Hamilton, and a growing list of over 26,000 local bike share users \u2013 ended up raising enough money through fundraising to <\/span>revive SoBi<\/span><\/a> and support it for at least the next year under the operative hand of not-for-profit group Hamilton Bike Share.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, with SoBi bicycles <\/span>back on the streets<\/span><\/a> and ridership on the upswing, Hamilton is doing more to support a bike-forward vision for the city\u2019s transportation infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
One of 130+ SoBi bike hubs located in Hamilton.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the COVID-19 era sees more and more people prone to pedalling their way around, the city is investing just under $50,000 into <\/span>improving its existing bike lanes<\/span><\/a> with the addition of measures such as bumpers, curbs, and barriers that will keep cyclists safely separated from vehicular traffic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The construction of the <\/span>upcoming Jay Keddy Trail<\/span><\/a> along the Claremont Access \u2013 a new multi-use trail that will connect cyclists and pedestrians through a continuous route between the escarpment and lower city \u2013 is a prime example of City initiatives being put to work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Pegged at $6 million, construction for the project <\/span>began July 6th<\/span><\/a> and will open by November, both unifying our city\u2019s geographical elevations and providing some much needed safety barriers for cyclists and pedestrians alike. In fact, the trail pays tribute to Jay Keddy, a cyclist who was killed by a motor vehicle while riding up the Claremont access in 2015.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s even the possibility of an extensive, bidirectional bike lane getting temporarily added on a stretch of King Street West between Locke Street and Highway 403; and if bicycles become even more popular in the near future, it\u2019s not unlikely we\u2019ll see Hamilton become increasingly bike-friendly as time goes on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For prominent Hamilton cycling advocates like Jay Krause, who co-chairs local group Cycle Hamilton, the reasons for a rise in biking are clear; especially relative to this particular moment in time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Dedicated bike lanes along Cannon Street.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt has been clear that COVID-19 has been a massive driver for increased numbers in walking and biking trips,\u201d says Krause. \u201cEarly on, the City reported massive drops of 60 to 90% in public transit and driving & parking numbers, while cycling trips were stable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, according to Krause, the health implications of cycling go beyond simply avoiding potential exposure to COVID-19 on other modes of local transportation; they\u2019re also a key part of the new ways countless urban residents are adjusting to life and self-care in the middle of a pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI live in a small apartment in downtown Hamilton with no outdoor space and work from home full-time. Being able to get out on my bike has been an essential part of my new routines to maintain my physical, mental, and emotional well-being,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Those health implications are even larger than some may immediately realize. In fact, <\/span>a report published this year<\/span><\/a> by Toronto Public Health explains that around $1.6 billion of Canada\u2019s annual health care costs are directly related to health issues stemming from physical inactivity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Dedicated bike lanes along Bay Street.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With cycling shown to reduce the risk of potentially fatal conditions such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, as well as improve general physical health & wellness, the impact of a rise in biking could potentially save Canada\u2019s healthcare as much as $150 million annually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, then, Hamilton <\/span>isn\u2019t the only Canadian locale<\/span><\/a> expecting a bike-forward future. Neighbouring municipalities like Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Newmarket are also investing in developing transportation infrastructure that better accommodates cyclist and pedestrian traffic, building bike lanes and centering bicycles as an unprecedented transit priority.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n

This trend isn\u2019t just region-wide or nationwide, either: the cycling revolution is becoming a <\/span>worldwide phenomenon<\/span><\/a>, with cities across Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Hungary, and beyond reporting significant spikes in cyclists for 2020 and responding by pouring resources into building cycling infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the world adjusts its approach to transportation, places like Hamilton can <\/span>keep the wheels turning<\/span><\/a> by investing further in bike lanes safely separated from vehicular traffic, ensuring the city\u2019s bike network is properly maintained and usable during the harsher winter months, and even incentivizing biking through measures such as reducing insurance premiums for cyclists or tax deductions for related purchases.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
A bike box is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection that provides bicyclists with a safe and visible way to get ahead of queuing traffic during the red signal phase.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hamilton has lots of work to do before any of this is made a reality, but local cycling advocates like Krause believe the impact could be substantial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur top priority remains developing a protected and connected cycling network,\u201d he says. \u201cIn the short term, there is a massive opportunity for the City of Hamilton to follow the lead of cities such as Toronto, Brampton, Montreal, and now countless others, which have undertaken meaningful initiatives to rebalance streets and find opportunities to develop new infrastructure to meet the immediate need and will continue to pay dividends in the long-term.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brought to you by Forge & Foster Investment Management. There\u2019s a vehicle that is currently revolutionizing local travel, both in Hamilton and worldwide. It\u2019s smaller than a Smart Car. The mai...","protected":false},"author":258,"featured_media":22556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8065],"tags":[425,2475,426,19,20],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Hamilton-bike-lanes-02.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22550"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/258"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22550"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22550\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22555,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22550\/revisions\/22555"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cekan.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}