city cycling staff

Dear Mayor and City Councillors,

We are writing to ask that you support cycling in Hamilton by continuing to fund the Cycling Coordinator position, currently held by Daryl Bender.

As you may recall, TLC has advocated for this city staff position in the past, and after the initial experience with the staff position in place, we think our advocacy was justified.

Prior to the hiring it was our experience that programs and infrastructure for cycling were continually falling years behind schedule, while frequent changes to part-time city staff for cycling issues made follow through difficult. This situation left TLC with the clear perception that there is a strong correlation between having a staff person, and the ability to move cycling support forward.

The position of cycling coordinator fulfills the goals set out in the Transportation Master Plan, "intended to move the City towards the achievement of the objectives of Vision 2020 and are reflective of the 9 Strategic Directions to guide development decisions...identified as part of the GRIDS process, including Direction #6 - Expand transportation options that encourage travel by foot, bike and transit and enhance efficient inter-regional transportation connections," where it specifically states the need for a "permanent full-time staff position for Cycling and a permanent full-time position of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator."

TLC strongly believes that this position should be made a permanent staff position, especially at the time when the city is poised to begin implementation of the significant improvements outlined in the Shifting Gears Cycling master plan.

Transportation for Liveable Communities
(TLC) Hamilton
tlchamilton.org
tlchamilton@gmail.com
905-525-9140 ext. 26026
PO Box 19, 1280 Main Street West
Hamilton ON L8S 1C0

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