London’s Budget Committee voted down a motion Thursday to halt work on the city’s bike lane projects and conduct more studies.
The motion, p
ut forward by Coun. Susan Stevenson and Paul Van Meerbergen, requested additional information on the cost and popularity of current and proposed bike lanes. 10 of the 14 city councillors voted against Stevenson and Van Meerbergen’s request to report on the details of future bike lane projects.
“Cycling lanes are something that folks are talking about, and the province is telling us that citizens are asking questions,” Stevenson told other councillors. “I just want to be really open, honest and again, not to say we’re dishonest, but I want to be with the public on this.”
Stevenson said she was not withholding progress, but wished to make sure the 
council was aware of what residents were worried about. Despite that, most councillors argued the city already has the information to move forward.
Coun. Sam Trosow was among those who voted against the motion.
“We’re not pushing anyone off the road when we improve the cycle lane,” Trosow said. “That’s an extremely sad myth.”.
The vote reflects tensions in city hall over how to split investment in active transport relative to road and transit priorities. None of the existing bike lane projects were cut, but the vote suggests limited excitement on council for slowing the rate of cycling infrastructure deployment.
Some residents have griped about the expense and impact of new bike lanes, but others continue to advocate for safer, cleaner means of traveling in the city.
The topic is set to come back as part of bigger planning for transportation later this year.
