Let’s go ride a bike

By Grace Bauer

Windsor is growing to become a more bike-accessible city one lane at a time, affecting many who rely solely on their bike to get around.

This year’s city budget included a sum of $400,000 to be spent on cycling framework. This money will be put towards projects that are hoped to make Windsor a safer city to bike in – something that many Windsor cyclists have been waiting for.

There are many projects in the works, some of which include widening the paved shoulders of roads such as Cabana and Walker Roads.

“Each year city council allots a certain amount of money for biking infrastructure,” said Josette Eugeni, manager of transportation planning for the City of Windsor. “They have been very generous in giving [the necessary funds].”

In 2013 and 2014 council set an advanced capital funding of $6.8 million for biking infrastructure such as widening shoulders on busy roads in Windsor.

Eugeni said while it is clear the projects were much needed, she has not heard of any complaints from local bikers dealing with poor biking accessibility.

However, Kyle Bezaire, 27, a Windsorite who relies solely on his bike for daily commuting, said he believes Windsor has a lot of room to grow as far as easy bike access goes. Bezaire said he commutes about 20 km each day for work with a total of 100 km per week.

“There’s only so many places in Windsor you can go on your bike without going on the sidewalk,” said Bezaire. “There’s a lot of improvements that can be made and a lot of other cities that we can take examples from.”

Bezaire said he has been biking daily since May 2016 and has come to know the city well from the seat of his bike.

“I didn’t want to have to rely on the bus all the time and [biking] was reliable at the time, so I used that. And then I ended up developing a passion for it,” said Bezaire. “I was forced into it, but it ended up becoming a love.”

Eugeni said if anyone is interested in seeing where new biking trails are popping up, you can view a map on the City of Windsor’s website at www.citywindsor.ca. The maps are also available at any public library or community centre in Windsor.