London, Ontario, June 4, 2010 - Ed Holder, Member of Parliament for London West, together with London City Controller Gina Barber, today unveiled the first "sharrow" bicycle symbol on London's Dufferin Avenue. Sharrows are shared-use road markings that help promote road safety among London cyclists and motorists.
The sharrow unveiled today is the first of many that will be implemented on several key cycling routes around the city of London. The sharrow bicycle markings, along with new permanent bike racks, are being funded entirely through $40,000 from the federal Gas Tax Fund.
"This project will promote active transportation, such as cycling, and contribute to safer London streets by educating cyclists and motorists on how to better share the roads," said MP Holder, on behalf of Canada's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure John Baird. "This project is an excellent example of what federal programs like the Gas Tax Fund were designed to achieve."
"Introducing the universal sharrow along London's busy downtown bike paths and providing more bike racks in the core are two fine enhancements for our cyclists," said London Mayor Anne Marie DeCicco-Best. "Another key advantage of this program is the increased safety and guidance provided to cyclists and motorists alike."
Over the past five years, several infrastructure projects, worth more than $1.7 million have been funded in London thanks to the federal Gas Tax Fund. For example, in 2009, $320,000 of Gas Tax funding was invested in the creation of new bike lanes. Other local projects that have benefited from federal Gas Tax funding include the widening of Wonderland and Western roads, major upgrades to bridges on Oxford Street and repair and resurfacing of major roads such as King Street, Horton Street, Highbury Avenue, Baseline Road and Wellington Street.
The Government of Canada extended the Gas Tax Fund to 2014 resulting in $746 million in funding annually for municipal infrastructure in Ontario. On April 23, 2010, the Government of Canada announced that Ontario received an advance payment of $373 million, which enables the province to allocate the Gas Tax funding sooner to municipalities, helping them make the most of the spring and summer construction seasons.
Under the Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada is allocating $12 billion to infrastructure projects across the country. This is further complemented by a previous commitment of making the federal Gas Tax Fund permanent at $2 billion nationally as of 2014. From 2010 to 2014, the City of London will receive over $86 million in federal Gas Tax funding.
For additional information:
Terrence Scheltema
Office of MP Ed Holder
(613) 291-2398 (cell)
Holder.E@parl.gc.ca
Glynis Tucker
City of London
(519) 661-2500, ext. 8436
gtucker@london.ca
Infrastructure Canada
(613) 948-1148
