PLAN TO IMPROVE COMMUTER…

PLAN TO IMPROVE COMMUTER CYCLING NETWORKS
Question: What infrastructure should be prioritized to make cycling in Ontario safer and more convenient to support commuter cycling between residential communities, major transit stations, employment areas and other destinations travelled to on a frequent basis?
Answer: The Province should work with local and regional governments to improve cycle route crossings of 400 series highways. In our city of Brampton cycling infrastructure on local roads, where it intersects with a provincial highway right of way, is inconsistently managed. There are many examples where bicycle facilities simply disappear without warning at the approach to a 400 series bridge only to reappear on the other side. Cyclists are left to determine the best way to cross. In some places there isn’t even a contiguous sidewalk for the cyclist to dismount and walk across. This leads to unsafe, uncomfortable or inconvenient conditions which deter many cyclists from using these routes. Brampton has a large number of provincial highways running through or around its borders. These highways currently represent a significant barrier to the implementation of local cycling networks.
The Province should also work with local governments to install or upgrade cycling infrastructure in and around school zones. According to traffic studies parents driving their children to and from school represent more than 20% of the morning and afternoon rush hour vehicles on the road. Cars park and sit idling while waiting for pick-up. Many of the children being driven live within an easy walking or cycling distance from their school yet parents still drive because of concern about road safety. These unnecessary car trips contribute to road congestion, carbon emissions and also create unsafe conditions for children wishing to commute by active transportation.
A third priority would be for the Province to work with local governments to define and build cycling networks to connect people where they live to places where they want to go, be it places of work, schools, places of worship or places to shop or have fun. Providing, safe and convenient on-street bicycle facilities will encourage more people to use bicycles for utilitarian purposes thus reducing motorized vehicular load and making cycling a normalized behaviour for routine daily transportation.
Question: What evidence can demonstrate the impact of cycling infrastructure investments on the number of cyclists and on GHG emissions?
Answer: Reducing GHG emissions will occur by having fewer cars on the road or, at the very least, reduced growth in car usage when compared to population or economic growth. Therefore, Provincial investments in cycling infrastructure should be prioritized based primarily on their ability to encourage and support mode shift away from personal vehicles by getting more people using bicycles for transportation. Significant mode shift is required; it will not be sufficient for the percentage of cycling trips to simply double. Cycling must become a normalized mode of travel. Mode share growth to 7-10% of daily traffic flows , (excluding Provincial highways), should be the target within the next decade The fallout from achieving these targets will be improved air quality, increased economic growth for retail business, reduced healthcare costs, reduced traffic congestion and increased tourism spending.

LOCAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Question: For local cycling networks, what types of cycling infrastructure would best support commuter cycling between residential communities, major transit stations, employment areas and other destinations travelled to on a frequent basis?
Answer: Encouraging more utilitarian cycling means cycling infrastructure must be safe, convenient and predictable. Safety means reducing risk to vulnerable road users as much as possible. Convenience means proximity of cycling infrastructure to destinations. Predictability means well signed and signalled infrastructure with clearly marked hazards, and minimal breaks or unnecessary detours. These priorities will conflict on occasion so building appropriate cycling infrastructure often involves trade off decisions. Appropriately designed infrastructure reduces risk and increases comfort levels for vulnerable road users thereby encouraging more cycling. Infrastructure that is overdesigned, for safety, however, can lead to reduced convenience resulting in infrastructure being underutilized. Where possible bicycle infrastructure should be barrier or grade separated from other traffic but sometimes, for the sake of convenience, bicycles will be required to share the road with other vehicles. In these cases, steps should be taken to minimize speed variations and improve car bicycle interaction.

PROVINCIAL CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Question: What types of cycling infrastructure on provincial highways would best support commuter cycling between residential communities, major transit stations, employment areas and other destinations travelled to on a frequent basis?
Answer: Wide paved shoulders with appropriate bike route signage should be sufficient to meet the needs of the majority of commuter cyclists using provincial roads. Consideration should be given to providing barrier separated infrastructure on heavily travelled routes.

BICYCLE PARKING
Question: What types of bike parking facilities (e.g., bike racks, lockers, fee-based enclosures) are needed to support cycling for commuting and other frequent trips?
Answer: For commuting trips, where the bicycle could be left for hours at a time, bicycle parking should be secure, physically safe, well-lit and protected from the elements.
Question: What types of government-owned, publicly accessible facilities should have bike parking?
Answer: All government buildings including Service Ontario stores should have sufficient bicycle parking to accommodate the needs of both employees and clients. All provincially funded education facilities including schools, colleges and universities should have bicycle parking for students and staff.
Question: What types of transit or transportation stations should have bike parking to support improved cyclist access (e.g., GO Stations, LRT stations, bus terminals)?
Answer: All transit and transportation stations should have on-site or nearby available bike parking that is physically safe and well-lit.
Question: What types of private facilities could potentially be eligible to receive provincial funding for bicycle parking facilities?
Answer: Provincial funding for bicycle parking could be provided to private sector organizations as part of local BIA streetscape projects to establish walkable and bikeable complete communities or as incentives to businesses looking to establish an active transportation commuting program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

[Original Comment ID: 202090]