A cycling strategy should be part of Canada’s joined-up transport infrastructure, according Jagmeet Singh. The New Democratic Party (NDP) leader says that a national strategy is urgently needed to make cycling safer for everyone. To promote this aim, Singh recently led a cycle tour of downtown Ottawa.
To kick off the cycling tour, Singh tweeted: “Hey Ottawa #ottbike family! I’m doing a community bike ride today to kick-start our announcement of a National Cycling Strategy – we’re determined to make it easier & safer to ride.”
Singh began his tour of downtown Ottawa, kicking off at a bike shop in the Parliamentary district.
The cycle tour was designed to highlight NDP MP Gord Johns’s private member’s bill, which is to become before Parliament to set out the development of a national cycling strategy. The strategy would require Ottawa to put in place targets for taking its current cycling infrastructure and expand it, creating more safe spaces for cyclists.
The legislation would also require the government to put in place promotional schemes designed to encourage more Canadians to use bicycles and to support this through the creation of a public-education campaign centered on cycling safety for cyclists and motorists.
The measure can also assist with traffic congestion. According to website Post Millennial, Toronto residents spent roughly a weeks worth of time stuck in traffic annually. Montreal residents spend around six days, while those out West in Vancouver spend more than four days. To add to this, Statistics Canada data says about 7,500 cyclists are injured in Canada every year.
