There’s been a lot of discussion around the council table lately about the future of cycling in Guelph and whether or not staff and council are serious enough about taking on the challenge, and some of that debate centred around the G2G Trail. While the trail is 99 per cent complete, the one per cent of the portion that’s incomplete is exclusive in that second “G” in the trail’s name, Guelph.
The 132-kilometre trail runs a course from Downtown Guelph to the shores of Lake Huron and passing through Blyth, Mi...
There’s been a lot of discussion around the council table lately about the future of cycling in Guelph and whether or not staff and council are serious enough about taking on the challenge, and some of that debate centred around the G2G Trail. While the trail is 99 per cent complete, the one per cent of the portion that’s incomplete is exclusive in that second “G” in the trail’s name, Guelph.
The 132-kilometre trail runs a course from Downtown Guelph to the shores of Lake Huron and passing through Blyth, Milverton, Milbank and Elmira along the way. It follows old rail lines, which is appealing for people looking to enjoy a nice relaxing ride because it’s mostly flat the whole way, and it’s also appealing for more than just a nice steady bike ride. At least until you get to Guelph.
If you access the trail map you will note that much of the Guelph end of the connection is coloured in a dark yellow when the vast majority of the rest of the trail is coloured green. This is why three different cycling advocates last week came to city council and used the presentation of the Future Guelph Strategic Plan to push for the completion of the Guelph end of the trail. Why is it so hard to invest a couple of million dollars and complete the last three kilometres of a potential tourism draw to the area?
To talk about that we're joined by Lorenz Calcagno who is the treasurer of Guelph Cycling Club, president of the Guelph Off-Road Bicycling Association, and a spokesperson for the Guelph portion of the G2G Rail Trail. He will tell us about the history of the G2G Rail Trail, and why it’s so appealing to recreational cyclists and the local tourism picture. He will also talk about the problems with the Guelph end, and why it's been so hard to make progress to finish those last three kilometres.
So let's fig into the G2G enigma on this week's edition of the Guelph Politicast!
You can learn more about the Guelph-to-Goderich (G2G) Rail Trail at their website, including the complete map of all 132 kilometres and ways you can get involved as a volunteer. You can also find them on social media at @g2grailtrail at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, plus @g2grailtrail84 on YouTube.
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