The Meaford Independent

QUEEN’S PARK – Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Murdoch criticized the Transportation Minister  yesterday for banishing bicycle lanes from the Highway 6 resurfacing project.

After years of lobbying the province for funding, Murdoch said he was pleased about the long-awaited facelift but disappointed about the government’s double-speak on increasing bicycle lanes on Ontario roads.

“The people of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound have been told that the ministry of transportation is committed to encouraging active forms of transportation like cycling, but no such commitment was delivered on March 31^st,” Murdoch read from his prepared statement in the House today.

The Bruce Peninsula is a major eco-tourism destination, thanks to the well-developed Bruce Trail, and national and provincial parks, he said.

“We’re talking about lost tourism dollars. We’re also talking about dangerous traffic conditions as there is a variety of users of this road,” he said, adding that there are now more touring bicyclists sharing the road with cars and large trailers.

Murdoch said the local support is there to make Peninsula a cycling destination.

“For this reason, I would like to remind the Minister that bike lanes can add to the durability and lifetime of rural and northern roads. And more importantly, they can add to your life expectancy too,” Murdoch said.