Safe Streets on Pause: Why BC Must Reinvest in Active Transportation | HUB Cycling: Bike Events, Education, Action in Metro Vancouver

A group of three cyclists, all wearing helmets, ride through a quiet street intersection, with a large black semi-trailer truck and several cars nearby. Prominent green bikeway signs indicate that the local bikeway ends here and direct cyclists to Guildford or the city centre, while another sign points left and right for bike routes. Trees and bushes line the roadway, and the area appears overcast.

Imagine this: a parent wants to bike safely to school with their kids, a teenager hopes to walk to school without dodging traffic, or a person who can’t afford a car relies on rolling, cycling, or walking to get to appointments and groceries. For years, communities across British Columbia have been building the infrastructure to make this possible, including sidewalks, bike lanes, and multi-use pathways, with support from the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant (BCAT) program.

Now, that support is on pause. The BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit recently announced it would temporarily halt BCAT funding while reviewing climate and transportation plans.

⬇️ Click here to download the Press Release

Safe Routes to School and Work Are Now on Hold across British Columbia

When the Province paused the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants program, dozens of shovel-ready projects across British Columbia were suddenly put on hold, from small-town sidewalks to urban bike networks. These aren’t just paths and lanes; they’re lifelines that help families save money, connect communities, and keep people safe on their way to school, work, or the grocery store.

The Backbone of Safer, Healthier Communities

The BCAT program has been around since 2001 — originally called BikeBC — and has helped Indigenous and local governments plan and build active transportation networks. Since 2017, nearly $130 million has gone to more than 400 projects across the province. That’s sidewalks for kids walking to school, bike lanes for commuters, and trails that connect communities.

Transportation is now the second-largest household expense in Metro Vancouver, and for some families, it costs more than housing. When people can walk, bike, or roll safely, they save money, reduce reliance on cars, and enjoy a healthier, more connected lifestyle.

Communities Are Ready, But the Funding Isn’t

The BCAT program is consistently oversubscribed — meaning communities want to build, but there isn’t enough funding to go around. Active transportation projects currently represent less than 1% of the Ministry’s spending, yet they bring enormous benefits to public health, local economies, and climate action.

Pausing this funding puts years of progress at risk. Imagine a community planning a new bike lane to connect people to work or school, only to have it delayed for months — or worse, years — because of a funding pause.

Why HUB Cycling is Speaking Up

HUB Cycling has long called on the provincial government to make active transportation funding predictable and permanent. Our 2026 Budget Recommendations urged the Province to:

Dedicate at least 50% of the Ministry of Transportation and Transit’s capital budget to sustainable, active transportation projects.
Invest $80 million annually to close cycling network gaps under provincial jurisdiction.
Increase municipal cost-sharing funds for active transportation infrastructure to $100 million per year.

We’ve been advocating for this consistently, through previous submissions in 2025 and 2023. The pause in BCAT funding undermines these long-term goals and threatens equitable access to safe transportation for everyone.

People Come First

Every project represents real people. Kids biking to school, workers rolling to their jobs, families walking to community centers. Active transportation isn’t just infrastructure — it’s part of the social fabric of our communities. Investing in it is investing in people, health, and local economies.

It’s time for BC to bring back BCAT funding and ensure that communities can continue building safe, connected, and equitable transportation networks.

⬇️ Click here to download the Press Release

Join Our Advocacy Effort

HUB Cycling is bringing together local governments, Indigenous partners, and advocacy organizations to call for the reinstatement of BCAT funding. If your organization wants to add its voice, collaborate on advocacy efforts, or share how paused projects impact your community, we’d love to hear from you.

Contact Us

For media inquiries, please email Navdeep Chhina, Director of Campaigns and Inclusion, at media@bikehub.ca.

Support Safe and Sustainable Transportation

HUB Cycling is a charitable non-profit working to make cycling safer and more accessible for everyone in Metro Vancouver and across BC. Your donation helps us advocate for the networks, funding, and policies needed to build safer, healthier communities.

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Our Current Supporters

City of New Westminster
Careful review of programs is important in a time of economic uncertainty, but I am confident any review of BCAT will show it returns orders of magnitude more value to British Columbians than its cost to the province. If we want to meet our shared climate action, affordability, and road safety goals, the program should be expanded, not suspended. - Patrick Johnstone, Mayor
Chawathil First Nation: Chowéthel
Walking, canoeing, and running have been the ways First Nations people travelled since time immemorial. With the rise of highways and freeways, these traditional modes of travel have become more dangerous, underscoring the urgent need for safe active transportation pathways to connect our province. These projects are not frivolous spending—they are investments in connecting British Columbians to the land, strengthening communities, and creating environmentally responsible ways to travel through our beautiful region. We call on the Provincial Government to lift the pause on this program and commit to supporting both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in safely accessing and celebrating the beauty of our shared home. - Aaron Pete, Chief of Chawathil First Nation
BC Cycling Coalition
This very small investment reaps multiple benefits squarely aligned with this government’s goals: affordability, health care cost savings, economic development, First Nations partnerships and improved mental health. Saving and expanding rather than cancelling these grants should be a priority. - Peter Ladner, Board Chair
Trails Society of BC (TrailsBC)
It is a well-established fact that investments in active trail infrastructure lead to a reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is ludicrous to suspend funding for active transportation projects when the Province has 42% of B.C.'s total emissions coming from the transportation section. BC needs to make it easier for communities to be connected with greenway trails for active walking, rolling and bicycling. - Ciel Sander, Board President
David Suzuki Foundation
British Columbia communities have been building critical active transportation infrastructure to make our air cleaner and neighbourhoods more accessible and inclusive. These pathways not only reduce our global heating emissions, they are essential for creating more healthy, safe and resilient neighbourhoods and to provide inexpensive transportation options. To ensure we have livable, affordable communities the BC government must continue the BCAT programme that supports this necessary infrastructure. - Cameron Esler, Manager Sustainable Communities
Better Environmentally Sound Transportation (BEST)
As advocates for seniors’ mobility and walkable communities, we are deeply concerned about the pause to British Columbia’s Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program. Access to safe transportation options is foundational to both individual and community well-being. For seniors in particular, the lack of safe and accessible active transportation infrastructure, such as sidewalks and pathways, can become a barrier to accessing essential services, social connection, civic participation, and health care services. - Laura Jane, Executive Director
Spinal Cord Injury BC
The BC Active Transportation (BCAT) program has been critical in enabling communities to remove barriers and create these inclusive transportation spaces for everyone to move safely. Through this program, local governments have been able to build smooth, continuous, and accessible routes that benefit people with disabilities using handcycles, wheelchairs, walkers, mobility scooters, as well as pedestrians with strollers and handcarts. - Jocelyn Maffin, Associate Director, Service Delivery
Movement
"Investments in active transportation have broad public support. They make communities more family-friendly. No one wants to live in a community that is unsafe for their child to walk or bike in, yet that is the reality for most British Columbians. We can do better, and it starts with this funding program." - Denis Agar, Executive Director, Movement
Capital Bike
Modo Carsharing Co-op
Movmi - Your Shared Mobility Expert
Regional District of Central Kootenays
Vision Zero Vancouver