Crossing Thunder Bay through the Intercity area by bicycle is dangerous. While riding on the sidewalk is illegal and accounts for 63% of cycling collisions in Thunder Bay, riding on a 5-lane street in traffic is not much better and poses a huge barrier for many people. See Andrew Brigham’s Cycling & Pedestrian collision pages for details. However, increasing active transportation and cycling, particularly along the May-Memorial-Algoma corridor, would have many benefits economic, environmental, and lifestyle benefits for the City of Thunder Bay. Cities around the world have realized that these benefits are worth pursuing and places like Ottawa, Montreal, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, and even Grand Marais have built separated bike lanes to create safe cycling routes that encourage people to get around by bike while addressing safety concerns. The Memorial Link is a perfect opportunity to bring this tried-and-tested concept to Thunder Bay and make our City better.
WHY IS THIS BEING PROPOSED?
LOCAL ECONOMY
The memorial link will benefit the local economy by increasing non-motorized transportation. According to the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (2004), increased non-motorized travel improves community cohesion, security and aesthetics. The positive association between income and pedestrian safety has been recorded in many American cities. Surveys conducted by the University of Waterloo have found that cyclists…
SAFETY
The memorial link will increase safety. Separation of cyclists and pedestrians from traffic is strongly associated reduced crashes and injuries. Cycling and Pedestrian collisions are very high along the proposed Memorial Link route as tracked by Andrew Brigham. Sidewalks and protected areas for walking and cycling can help reduce collisions between vehicles and pedestrians and…
HEALTH, ACCESSIBILITY, AND EQUALITY
The memorial link will improve health, accessibility and equality. By changing the way we plan and build our roads, we can make them safe and accessible to everyone. A survey shows that 82% of Canadians have expressed an interest in walking more regularly, and 66% of Canadians have indicated a desire to cycle more, however, safety…
LIFESTYLE
The memorial link will attract and retain young professionals by creating a beautiful, vibrant, livable, and sustainable city. Promoting good cycling infrastructure is an economic driving strategy. Good cycling and pedestrian infrastructure attracts young professionals. Four in five millennials say they want to live in places where they have a variety of options to get…
The Memorial Link 