Public statements from other supporters
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Leshia Knopf says,
Bike lanes are a win on every level. They make cyclists safer, which increases the amount of cyclists, which helps our environment, our health, and our communities. Now is the time to put a lane on Cannon Street - between PanAm, the GO Station and the Bike Share program, there is no better time. The city has already declared it a priority, but has attached no timeline. If we don't get a lane for 2015, it may be 10 years before Hamilton will have a safe East-West corridor for cycling. It's good for our health, it's good for our city, and it's good for the environment. There is no downside! Yes We Cannon - Bike Lanes 2015!
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Kevin Makins says,
My dearest Hamilton City Council,
Bike lanes are the simplest step we can take to make Hamilton a safer and more sustainable city. Can we do it?
... you're damn right we Cannon.
Please give us all another reason to be proud of our great city and work with the city to create bi-directional bike lanes on Cannon Street.
Also: think of how progressive, green, and hip we'll look to all our Pan-Am visitors?
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Matt Willard says,
I have recently started to take up cycling again and as someone who lives in the East end but frequents James street north it is vital to me that we have safe convenient routes to get from east to west using active transportation. As a city we need to support this, we need bike lanes. Yes we Cannon!
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Reuben Vanderkwaak says,
East/west bicycle access in the north end of the city is desperately needed. On no other major street would it be so simple to integrate significantly useful cycling infrastructure as it is on Cannon.
As blogger Elly Blue recently stated: "The bike infrastructure debate is officially OVER." (see: http://bit.ly/13JTGxJ)
There is nothing left to argue. It is time.
Cannon is ready. The citizens of Hamilton are ready. Lets make this happen and take another step to improve our city.
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Cindy Stover says,
I live on Cannon Street, and also bike to work. Bike lanes are extremely important to me both because of accessibility for my chosen mode of transportation, (as I don't feel safe biking on Cannon as it is), and for traffic calming in the area. The 3 lanes make the traffic too fast (even with a streetlight only a block away, cars speed up very quickly), and the noise is loud enough to wake up people whose bedrooms face the street. I believe that bike lanes will help calm the traffic by having a visible reminder of needing to share the road, and will also make my commute to work much safer.
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Matthew Sweet says,
Excellent initiative and concept. Cannon is chronically underutilized and can easily accommodate existing traffic volumes with fewer travelled lanes. The street is ideal for a two way cycle track as called for in the petition, as there are limited driveway accesses and excellent sight lines.
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Evan Fusilier says,
I ride on Cannon Street regularly and will feel much safer if a bike lane is put in.
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Sandy Reynolds says,
Like many other people in the GTA, the transformation of Hamilton is something I am watching closely. Our family is seriously considering moving from Burlington to the Hamilton core this year. Moving to a city where we can live in a community without relying on a car to get around is an important factor in this decision. Bike lanes are essential to provide a safe way for people to explore all that Hamilton offers!
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Tina Fetner says,
I support bike lanes on Cannon. Why in the world not?
- Adam Bentley supports this.
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Ben Robinson says,
Hamilton is a dangerous place to be a cyclist. As it stands the city is focused almost entirely on car traffic. Considerations like this need to be made for cyclists and pedestrians.
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Eric Brown says,
Great for the city, great for the people.
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Justine Lodder says,
Hey I lived in Toronto for a year and biked ALL the time. Felt unsafe on the roads there only once in a while, even in heavy traffic and snowy weather. Maybe that's because drivers in Toronto are much more accustomed to sharing the road with assertive bikers. There's just not as much space on Hamilton roads to share, and drivers can't share as easily while navigating one-way streets and other distractions as well. NOT that Hamilton needs to be more like Toronto, but if a congested city like Toronto can be working toward bike-friendly roadways, then a beautiful city like Hamilton has no excuse for sidelining bikes. With the addition of designated bike lanes on Cannon, Hamilton would be so much more accessible by bike. Let's do this!
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Meaghan Makins says,
This is an amazing idea. I feel so unsafe biking on Cannon and this would be the ideal way to get across the city. Yes We Cannon!!
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Tyler Roach says,
As an avid cyclist in the city I think it's important that we have as many safe avenues to cycle as possible. It's a struggle at times to safely navigate east-west in the city due to the lack of infrastructure for cyclists along that corridor. Having a two way bike land on Cannon St would be a massive improvement for cycling in Hamilton offering cyclists a safe and convenient route to travel through the north end of the city.
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Stephen Siemens says,
Bikers need a lane. By giving them one, this city instantly becomes a more desirable place for everyone but more importantly, it makes Hamilton a safer place.
Bike lanes will connect neighborhoods and will help with growth, local business, and awareness (to see what's happening in our own backyard). Additionally, this bike lane (and others like it) can encourage physical health. There are as million benefits. We have everything to gain so let's give it a shot! -
Nolan Grupe says,
Bike lines on Cannon please, any east west (especially two-way) routes would greatly benefit cyclists. Barton St poses unique hazards, including potholes and rushed drivers, which could be avoided by using Cannon as a bike-safe road.
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Kyle Ford says,
I support this both as a cyclist and a motorist.
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Alison Witt says,
I would LOVE to ride my bike safely along Cannon St. Having a bike lane along Cannon St. would make it possible for me to safely commute to and from work on my bicycle. I say a resounding YES to bike lanes on Cannon!
- Michael Hutchings supports this.
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Steve Miles says,
Hamilton is in DESPERATE need of an east-west cycling corridor across the city.
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Andrea Harvey says,
I don't bike, but I want to! And I think it's really important for cyclists to be safe and to feel safe!
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Matt Grande says,
Cannon Street is deserted half the time, and has traffic moving way too fast on it the other half. It's over built and dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and the children who attend the several schools in the area.
Let's calm the street. Let's make it safer. Let's show the our visitors in 2015 how progressive we are, and how great we can be. Let's accomplish the goals we set for ourselves in Changing Gears. Let's add a bike lane to Cannon!
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Matt Dunn says,
It's ridiculous that Cannon Street doesn't have bike lanes already. I find it embarrassing that this is even an issue that requires signing my name to a petition, and not something that could be accomplished through the proper channels designed to improve the city.
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Wendy Milne says,
Downtown Hamilton is attracting the young and energetic, optimistic and practical to live and work in the community. We need to provide environmentally friendly, sustainable transportation solutions now. This is a simple solution to one piece of a very complex problem. Hamilton, let's not wait to act.
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Jill weber says,
I would love to cycle to work but my route is Cannon and presently I do not feel safe cycling there.
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Laura Herbert says,
I just bought my first bike and started using it to get to work and downtown Hamilton, from where I live in the east end near mount albion rd I try and stay on the sidewalks because cars just don't care that bikers are there, I have to take my bike on a bus to avoid the stretch of road from albion to parkdale because drivers just aren't looking and there is not safe are for bikers to bike except the sidewalk, which I've heard is illegal if your an adult? Would love to see cannon more bikeable, as well as the rest of Hamilton. I used to live in China and the bikeability there is astounding, bike lanes everywhere with medians to protect the bikers from cars.
- Dawn Mcilmoyle supports this.
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James Arlen says,
Hamilton's North End was the engine of growth in the last century. The road infrastructure for high-speed / heavy traffic has been built around the city. It is time to begin returning the inner city infrastructure to the neighborhoods, the people and the future.
Near the beginning of May 2013, Mayor Bratina publicly stated that the Hamilton of the future will be built upon innovation.
Definitionally, innovation requires that we do things in a way that is different than before.
Stop placing all of our focus on moving cars around the city and start focusing on moving people around our city. People travel best by foot, cycling, transit and then personal automobiles.
Many of today's decision-makers do not see alternatives as worthy, based largely on their own self-focused opinions. It will not be long before many of those decision-makers will be unable to use personal automobiles due to age and infirmity. Of course they will be the loudest voices for alternative transportation methods.
Supporting Yes We Cannon is a tangible way to prove to the many young Hamiltonians that our civic leaders are capable of thinking about tomorrow, or at least beyond the date of the next municipal election. And when you realize that the city is already spending untold millions on public works projects centered on Cannon (stadium and high school) it is reasonable to spend a few thousand more and finish the job properly.
Ambitiously yours,
James Arlen
#HamOnt usual suspect
@myrcurial -
Julia Soderholm says,
Active transportation such as biking should be encouraged by the City of Hamilton because it makes for a healthier and happier city and community. Bike lanes on Cannon St. would make cycling downtown easier, safer, and a more feasible option for many commuters!
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