Nick Cameron, government liaison of Saint John Cycling, cycling with his daughter. (Photo: Submitted/Nick Cameron)
A Saint John cycling advocacy group is hopeful about the city’s plans to improve accessibility for cyclists, despite it receiving mixed reactions from councillors.
MoveSJ is a multi-year project aiming to provide a plan for improved transportation options for all residents of Saint John.
A recent presentation to city council focused on the plan’s cycling strategy and suggested an increase in investment into cycling facilities and infrastructure.
Nick Cameron, government liaison for Saint John Cycling, says he is “cautiously optimistic” about the plan, and he’s now looking forward to the upcoming community feedback component.
One of the pieces of criticism levied during Tuesday’s presentation came from Councillor Blake Armstrong, who argued the cost of the project would far exceed the number of cyclists in the community.
Cameron says as far as cycling infrastructure goes, if the city builds it, cyclists will come.
“The fact is if we don’t provide the facilities there won’t be as many people out there,” he said. “If we were trying to build an arena, you wouldn’t ask ‘how many people are using the arena?'”
Last August, Cameron presented his own active transportation plan to council. Chief among Cameron’s suggestions was the adoption of ‘road diets’ on some city streets – a slimming down of motor vehicle lanes to allow for cyclists and pedestrians to share the space.
While MoveSJ has not adopted all of the suggestions in Cameron’s presentation, he was pleased to see some aspects, including reducing lanes on University Avenue, on the city’s list.
The project will come before council in its final form after staff complete the third phase later this year.
One factor the final report will need to consider was a concern shared by several council members overspending on items like bike lanes.
In addition to Armstrong, Deputy Mayor Shirley McAlary and city manager John Collin also questioned the final cost of the project.
Collin pointed out that while there is a sizable fund in the city’s budget for road servicing costs, 90 per cent of those funds are for maintenance, not new developments.
Cameron contends that while the city has approximately $15 million for roadway improvements, that money doesn’t specifically need to go towards benefitting motor vehicles.
“That’s a decent sum of money. Is there a wiser way to spend it that’s a benefit to everyone?” he asked. “Not just cyclists. When you make that road more narrow, it’s a safety benefit for everyone using the road.”
Safety was among the concerns Saint John Cycling heard when it previously reached out to community members for feedback. One of the group’s key findings was that parents were hesitant to let kids take up the hobby.
“(Parents) don’t allow their kids to go out and play in their neighbourhood, or bike to their friend’s house, because they don’t feel that the streets are safe,” Cameron said. “This isn’t going to be fixed overnight, it’s going to be a long-term effort.”
Despite the concerns of councillors that MoveSJ would propose an expensive project which only benefits bikers, Cameron contends that a well-prepared plan could factor health, economics, and social mobility into a holistic approach for future spending.
“In New Brunswick, we have one of the highest obesity rates in the country, and that is a strain on our healthcare system. Healthcare costs are the highest costs in New Brunswick. If we’re not doing preventative care it’s just going to be further strain on a system that doesn’t need those strains right now, with the pressures of COVID-19.”
