{"id":340792,"date":"2025-12-12T16:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/340792\/"},"modified":"2025-12-12T16:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T16:38:08","slug":"this-ontario-town-isnt-plowing-bike-lanes-this-winter-that-aint-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/340792\/","title":{"rendered":"This Ontario town isn\u2019t plowing bike lanes this winter: That ain\u2019t good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cyclists in <a href=\"https:\/\/cyclingmagazine.ca\/sections\/news\/another-city-considers-removing-bike-lanes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Guelph, Ont<\/a>. are bracing for a slippery winter after the city council approved a budget that removes winter maintenance from on-street, raised and protected bike lanes. Multi-use paths will still be plowed, but only to sidewalk standards.<\/p>\n<p>The decision, passed 7-6 at a special council meeting on Nov. 26, means all painted bike lanes, curb-protected lanes and boulevard cycle tracks will be closed each winter via bylaw, with no snow or ice clearing until spring. Signs will be posted to alert the public.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates respond about the risks for winter cyclists<\/p>\n<p>The move drew criticism from cycling advocates and legal experts who warn it could increase safety risks. \u201cForcing cyclists out of bike lanes and into motor vehicle traffic in winter conditions will increase conflict.\u00a0 And the likelihood of serious injury,\u201d said David Shellnutt, a.k.a. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebikinglawyer.ca\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Biking Lawyer<\/a>, in a letter to Mayor Cam Guthrie and council.<\/p>\n<p>Shellnutt also questioned the council\u2019s assumptions that cycling is merely seasonal.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cyclingmagazine.ca\/sections\/news\/bike-lane-backlash-greets-montreals-new-administration\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bike lane backlash greets Montreal\u2019s new administration<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNotwithstanding these assumptions, the city may face liability if a cyclist or other vulnerable road user is injured due to bike lanes not being properly cleared, salted or maintained,\u201d he said, citing the municipality\u2019s obligations under Ontario\u2019s Municipal Act.<\/p>\n<p>Budget contsraints to blame<\/p>\n<p>City officials said the $650,000 cut was necessary due to budget constraints, and that winter maintenance will continue for main roads and sidewalks. \u201cMinimum Maintenance Standards under provincial regulations do not apply when bike lanes are seasonally closed,\u201d the city noted.<\/p>\n<p>Still, advocates say the decision undermines years of investment in cycling infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCycling isn\u2019t just recreation\u2014it\u2019s a mode of transportation,\u201d Shellnutt said. \u201cTreating it as optional in winter is short-sighted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Guelph cyclists say they may seek alternate routes or switch to cars this winter, a change that could increase congestion and counter the city\u2019s climate and public health goals.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, cities like Montreal, typically get about 210\u202fcm of snow annually, while Guelph averages around 160\u202fcm (63\u202finches), have become famous for their winter riding. In fact, the city sometimes plows its bike paths faster than its streets. Montreal has been leading the way for lots of infrastructure for cyclists. It\u2019s not just roadwork for riders\u2013it has a pilot project for winter bike shares, trailers, and impressive bike lanes. Much is the legacy of former Mayor Val\u00e9rie Plante, who took office in 2017. However, a new administration has made it clear that some of the current and future projects may be revisited, or cancelled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cyclists in Guelph, Ont. are bracing for a slippery winter after the city council approved a budget that&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":340793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[33276,49,48,635,149153,905,44340,82,149154],"class_list":["post-340792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-bike-lanes","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cycling","tag-guelph","tag-ontario","tag-road-safety","tag-sports","tag-the-biking-lawyer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=340792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/340792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/340793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=340792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=340792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=340792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}