Bikes, bikes, bikes

[TheRitsman]

Previous cycling committee chair here; we all have no idea what's going on. A new committee (not just ours) wasn't chosen after the previous council ended, and so they've been placed on pause until that entire thing can be figured out. I figure there's a good chance they'll be shelved completely. Staff liaisons didn't know what was up either. We've been told to wait and see 🤷♂️

[StuffedPouch]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

Random Question: I notice that the last cycling committee agenda has a "communications" item stating "Cycling Committee to pause", without any additional information. And sure enough, there has not been a meeting since September and none are on the calendar.

Does anyone know why? I used to enjoy pulling the cycling project update sheets out of the committee agendas to get an idea on what cycling infrastructure is upcoming.

The Ward 1 Councillor brought forward a motion pausing all non-statutory advisory committees to conduct a review against the city’s priorities and values last spring. Hamilton has more advisory committee than any other Ontario municipality, which eats up a significant amount of staff time. I believe the crux of the review is if there’s still value. For instance, a number of advisory committees have failed to meet quorum more than 70% of the time each year. Those meetings typically take a large amount of time to prepare for, and having to wait around for 30 minutes before it can be cancelled. It’s all been announced publicly and you can find the motion and initial staff review framework online.

Given that Council is still sitting on their hands, and haven’t filled all the statutory committees yet, it’s liking a stalling move since these things are usually done within 6 months and they’ve been in office for basically a year now. This Council likes to talk but not take action.

[SteelTown]

McMaster Student Union is voting on a discounted Bike Share program. If they accept it'll be $22 + HST annually, access to the bikes will be for 90 mins a day. Voting closes March 7th.

[SteelTown]

McMaster University students to get daily Hamilton Bike Share access for about $25 a year
Students can opt out of the fee at the beginning of the year

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...0e62cacd2.html

Students at McMaster University will have daily access to publicly shared blue, basket-toting city bikes for a nominal annual fee starting in the fall.

A student-led referendum to include to a Hamilton Bike Share pass in student fees was met with an “overwhelmingly positive response,” said former health sciences student Rhea Saini, 23, who launched the initiative with fellow student Paris Liu before graduating last year.

[StuffedPouch]

Stoney Creek is at it again! Cllr. Beattie has a motion at the next Council meeting directing staff not to install protected bike lanes along Dewitt, despite planning and design work going into it for the past 3+ years and being included in the recently approved Accelerated Delivery Plan.

Beattie has got a bunch of residents to send in letters of support. It’s disappointing.

[ScreamingViking]

Bike Share is being extended from Ottawa St. to Kenilworth.

https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...9eb0a8d8a.html

Albeit with just 4 new hubs, one of which is a block east of Ottawa:

The new hubs will be located at R.T. Steele Park; A.M. Cunningham Parkette; A.M.​​ Cunningham Elementary School; the intersection of Main and London streets; and the intersection of King Street Street and Graham Avenue South.

I can see this being expanded further east and onto the mountain too.

You can map the hubs and "out of hub" bikes on the website, but just for the coverage area. Does anyone know if/where bikes have been found beyond it?

[matt602]

Originally Posted by ScreamingViking

Does anyone know if/where bikes have been found beyond it?

I've seen them a few times at Woodward and Melvin and all the way out at Eastgate Square before, definitely would have been nice if they'd extended to Parkdale Ave tho. Dunno about any farther East than that, there really isn't too many safe bike routes beyond there except for the Red Hill Valley trail.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by matt602

I've seen them a few times at Woodward and Melvin and all the way out at Eastgate Square before, definitely would have been nice if they'd extended to Parkdale Ave tho. Dunno about any farther East than that, there really isn't too many safe bike routes beyond there except for the Red Hill Valley trail.

Our "suburban" municipalities have not been given that kind of attention yet. I think the previous post about Beattie says a lot in that regard.

Lower Stoney Creek in particular is an extension of the core Hamilton urban area... you'd think it would be more natural to have bike routes there that connect to those in the central lower city.