April 26, 2017 (Toronto, ON) – Our government is thrilled to support the rapid growth of cycling in Ontario by taking important steps to make Ontario a friendlier, more accessible province for cyclists. Recently at the Ontario Bike Summit, we spoke to cyclists, advocates and government leaders about our most recent plans to support #CycleON in its mandate to improve cycling infrastructure, promote safety and awareness, and increase tourism and commuting opportunities across the province.

We spoke about Ontario’s first Cycling Tourism Plan: Tour by Bike, which will leverage the successful relationships and tools already in place from our Strategic Framework for Tourism in Ontario and position us to offer more to people looking to explore our province by bike – read more here.

Cycling visitors already spend $428 million annually in Ontario as part of a $30 billion tourism industry. Our Cycling Tourism Plan will help cycling to grow and seizes an opportunity for government and industry to work together.

We also spoke about our integral investments and our progress on the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program, the Cycling Training Fund and the Climate Change Action Plan.

Together, these programs assist in improving commuter cycling at work places and high-density residential locations. They work to better promote cycling through enhanced networks, with more facilities and bike parking at key locations such as transit stations. And they enhance on- road cycling lanes, off-road cycling and walking paths, cycling specific traffic signals and signs as well as active transportation bridges and bike racks.

Ontario is home to an extensive cycling and trails network that stretches across the province, connects our communities and offers unique views of our urban and rural landscapes, which is why we further announced both the public consultation on our draft province-wide cycling network, which is now online here and the plans for a cycling internet portal that will be a hub of information for all things cycling here in the province. We look forward to releasing that in the near future.

Our cycling infrastructure offers so much opportunity for Ontarians and beyond – we are very enthusiastic about these collective steps and look forward to working closely with the cyclists, advocates and municipalities to move these initiatives forward.