Cambridge councillor says public ‘overwhelmingly’ against plans to add bike lanes in Galt

A report coming to a Regional Planning and Works committee meeting June 4 showcases results from a ban on trucks downtown Galt, and it has some new ideas for revitalizing the city streets.

That includes potentially adding bike lanes to the downtown area.

According to one city councillor, those living in Cambridge are “overwhelmingly” against that proposed plan.

Since last October, a truck diversion bylaw in Cambridge has helped reduce the number of trucks rolling through streets in busy areas.

The bylaw bans trucks on Water Street, Ainslie Street South, Myers Road, Concession Street, St. Andrews Street, George Street, Park Hill Road and Grand Avenue.

Data collected from October until March of this year shows a 56 percent reduction in trucks on Water Street and a 64 percent reduction on Concession Street.

Regional staff proposed a plan that would remove parking and left turn lanes in Galt while adding bike lanes, noting it would help eliminate even more trucks from driving through the area.

Cambridge Councillor Adam Cooper told CityNews 570 he thinks they are two separate issues.

“What we need is education for the truckers and enforcement. How putting in bike lanes and congesting traffic by removing left turn lanes is somehow going to decrease the amount of trucks not complying, I have no idea, there’s no connection there,” Cooper said.

“This is not Toronto. It’s not even Kitchener-Waterloo. This is Cambridge — one thing you kept hearing from the public is we have very few cyclists.”

In the report, regional staff said diverting trucks “supports the Region’s Strategic Plan pillar of Climate-Aligned growth by reimagining the use of infrastructure to foster growth” and it “creates opportunities to reimagine and redesign Ainslie, Water and Concession Street to better support residents, businesses, walking, and cycling.”

During a public meeting last week, Cooper did hear from a few avid cyclists but said most were opposed to the idea by an overwhelming majority.

“During COVID, Coronation Boulevard had a lane taken away in order to make it a bicycle lane. It just caused massive backlash, massive congestion and it was almost entirely unused,” said Cooper.

Cooper added that the downtown already has notable parking issues that Cambridge council has heard repeatedly in the past.

“Before this even came along, the businesses were crying out that there isn’t enough parking for people. And now the region wants to come along with zero to minimal consultation with businesses and take away a whole chunk of the on-street parking.”

Cooper said local businesses are worried that parking in front of the stores would be taken away to create bike lanes that would only be used for a couple months a year.

“It’s a nice little image, that it’s going to be a sunny day and people are going to be riding around bicycles and scooters. But very few people do that here.”

Cooper said he is opposed to the idea and cares more about what the residents in Cambridge want, than what the official regional plan wants.

“All three regional councillors for Cambridge are opposed to it. Most of the city municipal councillors are opposed to it. I’m actually quite surprised at how overwhelming that opposition is and I’m just hoping the region will listen, they seem to just want to steamroll this through.”

The new plan and truck diversion by-law report will be discussed by Regional councillors at 10 a.m. Tuesday.