Bold ideas are welcomed - needed!

Mayor Dave in Mississauga

Madison, Wisconsin
We share the same latitude and the same cold, snowy winter (actually Burlington has warmer winter highs, fewer snowy days & less snow) but we are miles apart in attitudes towards cycling. 

This week, former Madison Wisconsin mayor, Dave Cieslewicz spoke at the Share the Road cycling summit in Kingston.  Mayor Dave reminded the crowd, cycling friendly cities attract a creative class.  He also said the ciclovia event and the resultant culture of cycling was the most popular thing he ever did!

At a similar event in Mississauga, Cieslewicz warned his audience to expect controversy, saying, "People will imagine all kinds of horrible things, like the end of the free world, just because you're installing a bike lane or a bike box and it will be very controversial. But the truth is once you install these things, people love them. You need to get over that initial political hump."   Not content to rest on its laurels as a gold rated bike friendly city, Madison will be implementing a 100 recommendation plan, spending millions over 5 years to improve existing cycling infrastructure!

The cycling mayor, Boris Johnson

London, UK

Meanwhile in London, England, the mayor announced his cycling vision promoting a plan to spend $1.4 billion over 10 years.  “Cycling will be treated not as niche, marginal, or an 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.”  Boris Johnson, Mayor of London.

New York City

In New York city, Mayor Bloomberg's vision is similar - "Cyclists and pedestrians and bus riders are as important, if not, I would argue more important, than automobile riders."  During his tenure, under the guidance of transportation commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. bike lanes and a bike sharing program has bloomed, along with the necessary angst from motorists.

Chicago

18 months into his first term as mayor, Rahm Emanuel introduced a protected, bi-directional bike lane running directly through the heart of its downtown.  Chicago choose a high profile street because of the message it sends to its citizens - cycling is important, cycling matters!  In Chicago, the committee advising city council is  known as the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Council.  Overnight, Chicago  has become the envy of cycling friendly cities such as Seattle, New York and even Portland.

Toronto

Finally, in Toronto, even on blustery winter days, nearly a third of travel in downtown Toronto is now by bicycle or on foot. Chief planner Jennifer Keesmaat wants to make the streets safer for cyclists.  “It’s a much more cost-effective way to move,” Ms. Keesmaat said. “Does it mean every trip will be on bike? Absolutely not. But some trips will, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing, if more trips were.”

Does the rest of the world know something we don't?  If Burlington aspires to be a true cycling friendly city, Burlington needs more boldness.  We need to get over the political hump Mayor Cieslewicz referred to. We need a council that heeds the well researched, advice of its hard working citizen's cycling committee.  The cycling committee must be more than just window dressing.

Turn Off the Dark - it's happening in new New York City

Invigorated by another long weekend with friends in the city that never sleeps, I've come to love NY - the new, New York!  Each time we experience NYC, there are more cyclists and definitely more people walking and enjoying the streets.  It's becoming an urban cyclists' & pedestrians' haven. It's changing and it's changing for the better, fast - faster than the timid pace here in Burlington.

Below is a "Steetsfilm" video showing the growth of cycle tracks and bike lanes in NYC.  The video is a great one to watch with fabulous shots of green bike lanes, cycle tracks and people enjoying their city.  It's 11 minutes.  If you don't have the time, I'd recommend 3 very short segments:
1. 30 second mark shows the transformation of Times Square from a roadway dedicated to cars and its current state.  It's remarkable!
2. 50 second mark - Gridiron Sam states that a city planners and managers are thinking differently about road use bringing back more life to the city.  (We need that thinking in Burlington!)
3. 2:40 second mark - a 73 year cyclists enjoying the new & improved Columbus.

Complete Streets: It's About More Than Just Bike Lanes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Cycle tracks in Burlington?  At this point in time, in the Cycling Master Plan, no where else.

As for the new & improved $65 million & counting Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark, its better suited for Atlantic City rather than Broadway.  See Wicked instead - and don't forget to experience Burlington's 1st summer streets event, coming this September.  

Opportunities don't last forever

Some think it takes too long for things to get done in Burlington.
Comfort levels are difficult to leave, change is hard to accept.  We all know the bigger things are the harder they are to change.  Gigantic cruise ships don't turn on a dime.  767s require longer runways, hummers bigger garages.  Change by the bureaucracy in the Big Apple must move at a snail's pace. 
  
Surprise, surprise, surprise!  It's harder to get cycling infrastructure done in Burlington than it is in New York City.  Really!
How is this possible?  The answer lies in the questions champions ask.  From Portland's Mia Birk to NYC's Janette Sadik-Khan and the world's Gil Penalosa, champions are more concerned with opportunities to get it done rather than reasons why it can't be done!

NYC Summer Streets

Sadik-Khan (SK) is not hesitant to act, consequently things get done.  "When you use capital funds for a project, you need approval from a few different places, and it takes months, sometimes years. So she takes a bunch of guys already painting double lines and gets them to dot a bike lane with the extra paint."  SK is also big on pilots. With a pilot change, you don't necessarily need community permission, since the idea is that you may end up just taking it down.  Like Mikey in the cereal commercials, SK found, once exposed to change, they like it! A former NYC traffic commissioner remarked that SK "has done more in the past few years than anyone did in the past fifty."  You can read the article here.
According to Janette Sadik-Khan, "If you can do it here," she says with a smile, "you can do it anywhere."

Virtue Moir Olympic Gold

Contrast that with the 2007 proposed bike lanes between Lakeshore Road and New St. on Guelph, Walkers & Appleby Lines.  After public consultations, it was decided that a pilot project on Guelph Line was needed before the 2007 project could be considered.  Bike lanes will eventually be added but it shouldn't take 5 years!
  

Bilodeau reached for Gold

We need that going for Olympic Gold attitude in Burlington!  We need champions at all levels at city hall to actively seek out  opportunities to make things happen & Burlington even better than it already is.  
Opportunities don't last forever and they seldom come around again.