I know a lot of questions have been asked of Councillor Heaps in the past few days. I took a moment to ask a few short questions I had on my mind. One issue that seemed to be coming up in online discussion was the idea of where new infrastructure might be placed. Would this lead to more focus on the long neglected suburban infrastructure? Will these changes to the committee make a difference? As Martin Koob pointed out, it's the mayor and council that are responsible for implementing the Bike Plan, not the TCC. I also thought Tammy hit on an important point about the small number of meetings the new committee will have.
Tammy also sent him some questions, so you'll see more here soon. (Do we need to declare an IBikeTO News Alert? Coverage Continues!)
Councillor Heaps first commented:
There is no city committee that has 22 members which equals half of council. The new role of the TCC is to act as an"executive" committee tapping into the diverse expertise of cycling specialists and advocacy groups as dictated by the priorities which will be set by the committee. Under the new City of Toronto Act, committees have more authority to direct and utilize staff, however this means staff have more work to do and therefore we have to be more efficient on how we manage our ration of time and resources. Reducing the numbers does not reduce the responsibilities nor does it reduce the participation. It means that the committee will not be addressing every concern simultaneously which has been an impediment in the past.
How will the changes affect implementation of the bike plan in the
suburbs compared with the core of the city?
The bike plan is a city wide initiative, although it makes sense to add bike lanes where people are most likely to use them. The out lying regions of the city also require lanes to become part of the overall network, and this will be accomplished as we work with the TCC and staff along with individual councillors to create bike lanes in their respective wards.
What mechanism will exist to allow cycling groups like CBN and ARC to
participate in discussions?
Cycling is part of our transportation system, and we need to understand that it has to be woven into the overall transportation vision for the city. I would hope that everyone on the new committee will be an "advocate" for cycling and its role within the city. The committee as mentioned will be operated through delegation of activities and projects to specific members of the committee who will in turn coordinate and work with the relevant advocacy groups and interested parties on that specific project.
Why will there be fewer meetings per year?
Meeting 4 times per year does not mean we sit idle in the intervening months. Staff will require more than a month to report back and plan. The committee and the Chair reserve the right to increase the frequency of the meetings if the need arises. Secondly I expect informal meetings to take place between these periods as various projects [progress]
Does this come with a change in strategy regarding the implementation
of the city's bicycle network in terms of geographic spread or
connectivity?
No
As I mentioned, we will post more information here as we get it.
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