Email:
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Website: http://www.charlietaylor.ca
Phone: 613-521-8213
I believe I am unique among mayoral candidates in that cycling is almost exclusively my method of transportation. I don't own a car, nor do I use transit, as cycling is faster, more convenient, and is a great way to live a lifestyle less dependent on fossil fuels. As a life-long cyclist and cycling advocate who logs between 20 and 60 km a day on our city's roads and cycle paths, I feel I have keen insights into the challenges faced by my fellow cyclists on a daily basis.
While other candidates may talk about being pro-cycling, it's clear if you look at their past performance on council that any cycling initiatives are pure public relations. How hypocritical is it to hold a "Bike to Work Week" while forcing all student cyclists to purchase a $290 bus pass? How is this providing incentive for young people to get on bikes? And as we know, the more cyclists on the streets, the safer it is to cycle. Also, traffic calming measures which currently force cyclists to merge with car traffic could very easily have been built slightly differently to allow cyclists to bike straight through the obstacle. This is the kind of thing that career politicians don't think about, but cyclists do.
- Yes. I've already proposed turning either Albert or Slater into a bicycling only street once the LRT is constructed and we can get the buses off the road. Cycling bridges are great because they don't force cyclists to compete with cars (or illegally share the sidewalk with pedestrians) over busy bridges. On top of those proposed, I'd also like to see a continuation of the Percy Street bike path with a bridge over the canal, to allow Carleton university and Old Ottawa South residents a safe path to downtown.
- road markings are great, but I would like to go one step further and suggest we follow the European model of painting the entire bike lane blue, rather than have it simply marked by yet another white line on the road. This makes it much more clear to drivers that they don't belong there. This proposal has been lauded by the PTIO blog: "There are numbers to support Taylor's idea: Spacing Toronto recently wrote about blue bike lanes in Portland, Oregon that made cyclists feel 50 per cent safer, and a Danish study suggested that painted cycle lanes reduced bike-car collisions by 38 per cent."
- Yes. Also, I advocate a rail based transit system which will be much more bike friendly.
- Yes and no. I would like to see undercover police on bikes handing out tickets to motorists who pass too closely or cut off cyclists. As to moving violations, I agree there are cyclists who ride unsafely, give cyclists a bad name, and pose dangers to themselves and others. On the other hand, it needs to be acknowledged that while bikes are not pedestrians, they are also not motor vehicles. A line must be drawn between persecuting cyclists who operate safely within this grey area, and those who inconvenience and endanger themselves and others on the road.
- Yes. Amazing how many stores, malls, and public buildings don't have convenient bike lock facilities.
- Yes. As an all season cyclist I appreciate how difficult it is to have to share narrowing roadways with cars. Plowing bike paths would be a negligible increase in the snow removal budget, and the NCC has already indicated that they would have no objection to the City plowing their pathways.
- Yes.
- Yes. Cyclists should be consulted on all major construction projects. While I'm recommending a four-year moratorium on road construction, I'd like to see expanded bike paths and incorporating cycling infrastructure with any light rail development.
- I have no objection to this, but it seems more symbolic in value. The true sign of success will be when we get more cyclists and fewer cars on the roads!
