Cyclists push for a Cycling Advisory Committee in London, Ont.

Cycling groups have requested London, Ont., city hall to consider developing a Cycling Advisory Committee (CAC) to help encourage future cycling. City hall staff, however, have suggested that including cycling more in the existing Transportation Advisory Committee might be the better route.

“If we as a city want to encourage cycling, we need to plan for the ‘yet-to-be’ cyclists. For the people who would be willing to ride if it was safer and more convenient,” said Daniel Hall in a Metronews.ca report, “let’s plan our city for this group of people and everyone will benefit.”

The CAC would represent cyclists’ unique needs in planning and transportation issues, as compared to motorized vehicles. It would help London meet its commitments to active transportation and complete streets, and promote a more environmentally sustainable form of transportation.

Backers of the proposed CAC also believe that additional safety standards and infrastructure for cyclists on the roads will help promote healthy and active living. “Heavier traffic, soft, narrow shoulders and a lack of bike lanes or pathways put cyclists in harms way daily,” Shelley Steel said in the report.