A number of St. Paul's members have been chafing for the opportunity to get out on their bicycles, but winter has got in the way. Last year March included almost summery weather allowing us to get out and about, and even this year we had a few days of "Junuary" with sufficient warmth for a ride or two. But we are recreational cyclists, not serious commuter riders. We know that in Toronto Mayor Ford is appalled at the war on the poor, misunderstood automobile and doesn't really want those annoying cyclists clogging car lanes.
Meanwhile, across The Pond the mayor of London, Great Britain (pictured above) has announced an ambitious and expensive initiative to integrate bicycles into the transportation system, with dedicated and separate bicycle routes. Boris Johnson has already made the bold move of levying fees on vehicles coming into the core of the city in an attempt to reduce congestion and pollution. That created a storm of protest when it was introduced but has proven to be successful. Here is a description of the proposed bicycle program
A “Crossrail for the bike” is to be built across Central London as part of a radical £900 million investment to create a grid of segregated and safe cycle lanes around the capital. Running along key Tube lines and the River Thames, the new lanes – which it is hoped will be completed by 2016 – will be “very substantially segregated” from traffic and will include separated cycle routes along the Victoria Embankment and on the Westway flyover in West London.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, today announced how a decade-long £913 million investment in cycling would be spent in the capital, and described the proposals as “transformative” for the city. The plan will link the existing Cycle Superhighways that currently end in different parts of Central London.
“Cycling will be treated not as niche, marginal, or an afterthought,” he said, “but as what it is: an integral part of the transport network, with the capital spending, road space and traffic planners’ attention befitting that role.”
Can you imagine a Canadian mayor proposing a billion dollar plus program for bicycle corridors? We are addicted to our vehicles and even in towns the size of Bowmanville bikes are just a nuisance. I went to a public consultation on new and replacement bridges over the 401 in Clarington. Guess what? No provision for bicycles at all. The planning and engineering staff outnumbered local citizens but when I asked questions the answers were vague or just wrong.
It can be a challenge to connect the dots between bicycles and faith, but if we say we are agin climate change and fossil fuel dependency because God wants us to care for the planet we better come up with creative alternatives, even expensive ones.
What do you think of London's plan? Just plain crazy, or crazy like an eco-friendly fox?
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