Cornwall's Bike Path wins Silver Award

The City of Cornwall has a comprehensive network of about 40 kilometers of recreational paths that allow people to walk, bike and rollerblade along the St. Lawrence River and throughout the city.

The largest part of the recreational path spans the entire waterfront, offering great views of the St. Lawrence River. This part of the recreational path is also part of the Waterfront Trail, which stretches from Niagara-on-the-Lake to the Quebec border.

Cornwall has made the list as one of just five winners of the silver award for its efforts in welcoming cyclists.

“City staff and our community partners are delighted to receive this national award,” said Mayor Bernadette Clement. “Cycling has always been a priority for our community. Recent investments towards infrastructure, public education, and cycling tourism have really pushed our city into the spotlight.”

The Silver Award recognizes the improvements Cornwall has made to enable and promote cycling over the last four years and follows a Bronze award in 2016. The award comes from Share the Road Cycling Coalition. This year, Cornwall is one of only 10 award winners, making it one of almost 50 designated Bicycle Friendly Communities in Canada.

To be considered for a Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) award, a community must demonstrate its achievements in areas such as: bicycle path infrastructure, signage, promotion and maps, youth and adult education, traffic safety, and overall community planning.

“There are many paths to becoming a bicycle friendly community for residents and visitors,” said Dr. Subha Ramanathan, Bicycle Friendly Communities Manager at Share the Road Coalition. “Our award program helps communities track their progress, learn from one another, and gain public acknowledgement for their efforts.”

Quick Facts

Cornwall has 85 km of off-street recreation paths and 42.24 km of dedicated bike lanes (double the distances in 2016).

Cornwall’s Riverside Trail is traffic-free and part of the world-famous Waterfront Trail.

There are bike racks on 100% of Cornwall Transit buses (up from 10% in 2016).

Cyclists can quench their thirst at 6 public water bottle filling stations.

Cornwall is home to one of the longest competitive BMX tracks in Ontario.

New mountain/fat bike trails (10km+) have been added to the Trails at Guindon Park.

Cyclists can choose from 19 adventure tourism bike routes to explore local history, food and drink establishments, and nature.

The City of Cornwall spends between 10-15% of its annual Transportation budget on cycling infrastructure development (6x the budget from 2015).