Yes We Cannon is a local, grassroots movement, gathering Hamiltonians to petition City Council to improve cyclist and pedestrian safety in the lower city by taking one simple step.

The mission: create a bi-directional bike lane, running the full length of Cannon Street, by 2015.

In order to acheive this vision, we need to send a loud, clear signal to Hamilton City Council.  We need the support of thousands within our community when we present the petition to Council this fall!

Sign the Petition!

There has never been a better time than right now to develop an active transportation infrastructure in lower Hamilton.   

Our city has done so much and come so far already, but there's still much more to do. A cycling trip is only as safe as the least safe part of the journey - and currently all trips taken across the lower city are extremely dangerous for both cyclists and the drivers who share the road with them.  Adding bike lanes to Cannon Street provides us an opportunity to make our roads safer, our communities better connected, and our citizens healthier and happier!

Between Bike Share, the proposed James St North GO Station, and the 2015 Pan Am games, now is the ideal time to take a bold step towards safe downtown transportation.

Please lend your support! Sign the campaign, share, like, and tweet away, and let's get this pedal-powered movement started.

Why Bike Lanes?

• Bike lanes reduce cyclist-motorist accidents by up to 90%
• There is currently no designated east-west bike route across the north end of the City, leaving over 50,000 residents without access to safe cycling infrastructure
• More safe cycling routes leads to more cyclists, which means fewer vehicles on the road and less congestion.
• Not everyone can drive! Children, teens, seniors and those that can't afford a car still need safe space on the road to travel.

• Its central location is ideal for a cycling corridor through the lower city
• Cannon has been designated to receive a bike lane in the City's Shifting Gears Bicycle Master Plan
• Part of Cannon is being resurfaced during construction of the Pan Am Stadium
• Traffic volume is still significantly lower than many other streets in Hamilton, even if one or two lanes are removed

• The Pan Am Games in 2015 will bring thousands of visitors into Hamilton, yet there is no active transportation route from the GO station to the Pan Am Stadium.
• All-day GO Train service to the new James Street North Station will begin in 2015 and a bike lane will provide an easy route for cycling commuters and tourists
• The City is establishing a Bike Share program and Cannon Street would be viagra prijs apotheek belgie an ideal corridor to deploy many of those bikes along. 

The Petition

Whereas The City of Hamilton “recognize[s] the benefits of the cycling network that will present a “pay back” to the community. This fiscal return ranges from the financial spin-offs related to increased tourism and increased interest in the City of Hamilton as a place to locate a business or residence, through reduced health care costs and related expenses due to a more physically active (and thus healthier) population. This financial return further supports the commitment of the City of Hamilton, “To be the best place in Canada to raise a child”.

Whereas, the City of Hamilton has recognized that "Cycling, as a means of transportation, helps address environmental issues such as pollution and climate change, and it also improves your personal health through increased physical activity."

Whereas there exists no safe cycling infrastructure from Walter Avenue to Victoria Avenue, and from Stinson Street/Lawrence Road to Burlington Street, an area of approximately 16.8 square kilometers in the City’s downtown core, home to approximately 50,000 residents.

Whereas people without access to a vehicle - including Children, Seniors and persons with disabilities - are identified as important Stakeholders in the City of Hamilton’s official Plan, yet no infrastructure currently exists to provide for safe, effective mobility for these populations.

Whereas reducing the number of vehicular lanes and installing a bike lane on Cannon is identified as priorities numbers 20 (Ferguson to Victoria), 30 (Ferguson to Queen), 45 (Gage to Kenilworth) and 55 (Sherman to Gage) in the City of Hamilton’s 2009 Shifting Gears Bicycle Master Plan.

Whereas Cannon Street is one of only 3 continuous streets, including King Street and Barton Street that run from East to West through the lower City - making active transportation travel on side streets from East to West in the lower city impossible.

Whereas, The City of Hamilton has endorsed the Hamilton Climate Change Action Charter, and has been recognized as one of the “Top 10 Cities in Canada tackling Climate Change”, demonstrating the City’s commitment to reducing its community GHG emissions.

Whereas the commencement of GO Train service to James Street North Station provides a tremendous opportunity for Hamilton businesses and residents, providing a transportation hub and new links to the entire GTHA region.

Whereas The City of Hamilton has endorsed establishing a Bike Share program in Hamilton, providing an amazing opportunity to establish new connections between the various parts of the City.

Whereas The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board is planning to build a new secondary school at the corner of Cannon Street East and Melrose Avenue North that will bring students from both East and West, yet there is no safe cycling routes to the school.

Whereas the Pan Am Games in 2015 will bring thousands of visitors into Hamilton, providing the City with an opportunity to showcase its communities, its businesses and its people – yet there is no plan for those people to be able to get from the GO station to the Pan Am Stadium via active transportation.

Whereas the Share the Road Cycling Coalition has recognized Hamilton as a Bicycle Friendly Community – Silver level certification

Whereas, part of Cannon Street is tentatively scheduled for resurfacing as part of the construction of the Pan Am Stadium;

Whereas Traffic volume counts on Cannon Street have shown that the daily vehicular use on Cannon Street is much lower than comparable streets in Hamilton (moving only 2300-2600 vehicles per lane per day, compared to roads like Mohawk and Garth Streets carrying 6600-9850 vehicles per lane, per day), indicating that lanes can be easily removed with minimal impact on vehicular travel times.

 

Therefore:

Be It Resolved: (a) That Cannon Street be prioritized as an active transportation route, to be completed in time to accommodate the influx of visitors that will be coming into the City for the Pan Am Games in 2015. (b) That Hamilton City Council agrees to install bidirectional bike lanes along Cannon Street from Kenilworth to Queen Streets, creating a cycling spine in the lower city and providing accommodation for all road users. (c) That traffic calming measures be introduced along Cannon Street to ensure increased compliance to the posted speed limit of 50 km/h (d) That Cannon Street be showcased during the Pan Am games as an example of a complete street in Hamilton, providing an active transportation route from the James Street North GO Station to the Pan Am stadium and introducing thousands of visitors to Hamilton's ever growing Active Transportation network