CORNWALL – Spurred by a cycling fatality over the Labour Day weekend, SDG council discussed the ongoing review of cycling in the Counties at their October 21 meeting.
The report to council, from Director of Transportation Services Ben deHaan, focused primarily on cycling in South Dundas and South Stormont.
South Stormont has led the review following the August 30 death of 14-year old Charlotte Light, who was killed in a vehicle collision on County Road 2 between Long Sault and Ingleside. Residents have called for a pathway already in the township’s recreation master plan to be constructed.
The report addressed the legal requirements involving minimum standards and where bicycle lanes fit into that. The Counties has been paving the shoulders of roads for a number of years, which could be used as a designated cycling lane if council approved.
In South Dundas, deHaan said a cycling group has come forward with short and long term suggestions for improving CR2 including painted markings, painting the shoulder a different colour like the bike lanes in Ottawa, and signage improvements. Long term, the shoulder along CR2 west of Iroquois that runs parallel to the decommissioned Galop Canal could be widened.
deHaan said there are options but the canal does form a hard boundary.
One suggestion in deHaan’s presentation was adding painted markings, which South Glengarry has already done on some sections of CR2. One challenge in South Glengarry however are vehicles parking on the paved shoulders. Presently, there is nothing that can be done when parked cars block the shoulder, forcing cyclists on to the road. If those shoulders are designated a bike lane, parked vehicles may be ticketed under the Highway Traffic Act.
deHaan said the real issue is who is paying for what. Pedestrian areas are considered lower-tier, while road infrastructure for the counties is upper-tier.
“Who pays for that and do we want to get into the formalities of agreements,” deHaan asked.
In South Stormont, a challenge has been the CR2 section across the Hoople Creek Bridge. The Waterfront Trail is designated on the Long Sault Parkway, but cycling traffic often travels the shortest distance between Ingleside and Long Sault.
“Hoople Bridge is a pinch point for cyclists,” he said.
SDG and South Stormont are exploring how to get cyclists diverted off CR2 and on to Colonial looking to guide cyclists along Colonial Drive and Manning Road.
deHaan said staff suggested that money be made available in the 2025 budget to pay for safety improvements for the bridge.
Councillor Bryan McGillis said the challenges of extending the multi-use path will take millions to complete.
Councillor Marc St. Pierre (South Dundas) said he was surprised to learn how many cyclists travel through the community in a year.
“We have up to 15,000 cyclists that go through the county system alone,” St. Pierre told council. “We should be identifying some pavement markings and signage.”
St. Pierre said there should be some standards set and costs shared.
“There should be some consistency,” he continued. “Some of the base work should be funded by the counties.”
St. Pierre added that there was a big economic development and tourism component to this, and supported more discussions before and at budget time.
“With 15,000 cyclists travelling through the Counties, we want to get them to stop, to shop locally, eat locally, and not just kind of stop and keep on going.”
Warden Jamie MacDonald cautioned that provincial changes to how bike lanes are designated or installed are coming.
“We are going to have to look at that legislation to see what is coming forward,” MacDonald said.
Councillor Carma Williams (North Glengarry) said she was concerned about pedestrians who also use the shoulder when walking – if those are designated as cycling lanes.
“It could have some consequences,” she said.
Councillor Lachlan McDonald (South Glengarry) said he was concerned about making the improvements and attracting more cyclists.
“Bikes and cars can co-exist but them co-existing side-by-side increases the chance of a tragedy.”
Councillor Jason Broad (South Dundas) was absent from the meeting and no alternate councillor representing South Dundas was in attendance. Councillor Theresa Bergeron (North Dundas) attended the meeting virtually.
Council will continue to examine the issue as they move towards the budget process in early December.