Yesterday, February 25, 2003, City Council was considering the captial budget. It appears that at that meeting Councillor Olivia Chow Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina brought forward several motions to try and increase the funding in the Toronto Bike Plan budget. She managed to have two motions pass that will enable work to start on two projects. One is a project to install secure bike lockers at TTC subway stations. The other was in the Parks budget to start work on a trail on an abandoned rail line that the City of Toronto has acquired. The motions and the resulting votes are listed below.

That $56,700 be taken from laneway reconstruction project in Ward 20 (Simcoe from Nelson Street to Richmond Street West) and allocated to provide bicycle lockers near subway stations in order to generate more cycling and transit users. (Chow)
(22 to 16 carried)

That Parks Department be requested to start planning on an off-road trail that create a north-south link between Wilket Creek and Don Trail system to the south and the East Don Trail and Betty Sutherland Trail to the North; and that funds in the amount of $20,000 be found within the existing budget. (Chow)
( 31 to 4 carried)

Councillor Chow made one other motion to increase the Works budget item for building bike lanes, bike routes and off road trails. This motion would not have resulted in an increase in the overall Works budget nor an increase in the property tax. Its effect would have been to divert .1% of the money spent on transportation projects toward cycling infrastructure projects. This motion did not find enough support at council to be passed. The motion and the result of the vote is listed below.

That $250,000 be added to the Cycling Infrastructure budget to bring it closer to last year's expenditure, and that this fund be found within the existing transportation capital budget (which is $250 million). (Chow) (12 to 26 defeated)

There is one item in the operating budget that hasn't been dealt with. That is the request for $42,000 for the Urban Development Services budget for Cycling Safety and Promotion. This funding would allow for an increase in the number of Road and Trail Safety Ambassadors. I haven't received any news on that item yet. When I get some news I will pass it on.