Ministry of Transportation…

Ministry of Transportation Public Consultation on Cycling Program
Comments/feedback provided from Public Health and Transportation Management/Sustainable Mobility

Plan to Improve Commuter Cycling Networks

1)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?
•Better commuter cycling networks with separated bike lanes and paved shoulders and multi-use paths that are safe, convenient, connected; also including protected intersections.
oMore specifically we need to start with quick implementation of protected bike lane networks on direct routes in downtown areas of cities like what was done in Calgary. Also consider prioritizing cross border connections between municipalities where appropriate.
oTarget routes with high-commuting volumes
o“Protection” can vary from painted buffers in lower volume collectors to bollards and flex curbs on minor arterials and to full concrete curb separation in higher volume arterials
(as pointed out in the discussion paper “One third of Ontarians have a daily, one way commute of less than five kilometers – a distance that an average adult can cycle in 30 minutes or less – so increasing and supporting cycling can help reduce GHG emissions and manage congestion” (p. 6) and “... 67 per cent of Ontario residents say they would be more likely to ride a bike if their community had more and better cycling infrastructure, such as physically separated bike lanes and paved shoulders”(p. 6, 7).3
•Secure, protected, well-lit bike parking for visitors
•Secure, indoor bike storage for tenants/residents or employees – need to seek more effective partnerships with employers, schools, developers and property management corporations
•Bike share programs should be considered in most urban areas to connect to local transit and higher order transit as well as provide options for those who have no ability to store bikes in small living areas or do not want to deal with bike theft.
•Bike share provides efficient first/last mile connectivity to transit, multi-modal integration and activates complete streets.
•Connections that cross provincial highways (i.e. QEW at Centennial Parkway)
•Wayfinding signage and cycling signals giving cyclist priority.
•Prioritize filling in existing gaps in the cycling networks, such as bridges that have bike infrastructure on either side by not on the bridge, or cycle tracks that have gaps due to on-street parking issues, etc.

Need quick implementation of protected bike lane networks on direct routes in downtown areas of cities (i.e. Calgary). The network needs to connect people to jobs, education, health services, retail, cultural heritage and entertainment areas, and recreational trails. Infrastructure connecting municipalities is also needed.

2)What evidence can demonstrate the impact of cycling infrastructure investments on the number of cyclists and on GHG emissions?
•Bike share ridership data (where it exists)
•Comprehensive bike counting program using tube counters, loop counters and video/camera counters as well as infrared technologies to obtain longitudinal counts of cyclists in major corridors using “screen line” techniques
•Observational studies and intercept surveys
•Use of “app” data such as Strava, Social Cyclists, Toronto Cycling app, Map My Ride, etc that passively track the movements of cyclists through gps technologies on smart phones and can be used to understand cycling trends
•Overall modal split using stats can and TTS data
•Vehicle km travelled and/or reduced car ownership
•Smart Commute employer survey data across the GTHA and Travel Wise employer survey data in Waterloo Region
•Smart Commute tool (explore.smartcommute.ca) cycle tracking statistics
•Smart Commute School Travel Planning data on cycling to school using “hands up” classroom surveys and “windshield” surveys
•BikeMonth.ca, Bike to Work and School week pledge data and participation at events
•Health care savings due to increased physical activity, reduced traffic emissions, and reduced injuries and fatalities, and improved mental health.
•Injury prevention – road safety statistics (collision history, severity, etc)
•Increased physical activity – chronic disease prevention as measured through self-reporting data through various surveys
•CO2 emissions and air quality as measured through anti-idlying activities at school sites as well as Bicycle Air Monitoring (BAM) programs (such as the one conducted by Environment Hamilton)
Potential supporting evidence (which may be more difficult to measure)
•Access and equity for those who cannot (or by choice) for various reasons drive a car (age, ability, affordability)
•Connected communities – create a multi-model transportation network that is accessible for all ages, abilities, income in order to access services, work, education
•Mental health benefits
•Economic development- Attracting talent, businesses, and tourists
•Calgary’s quick implementation of a protected bike network in its downtown.
Local Cycling Infrastructure

3)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?
•See #1 – most of this question is answered there however, for re-emphasis:
oBuild a back-bone network of physically separated bike lanes connecting all major destinations in the city (as was done in Calagary), similar to major transit routes and major arterial road networks or highways
oInvest in end of trip facilities including: secure, card-accessed long-term bike parking at major destinations and workplaces; showers and lockers at work sites; and municipal bike racks at all municipal buildings, institutional buildings, parks, recreation centres, BIAs, schools, etc
oInvest in public bike share networks as a way to connect effectively to transit, reduce first/last mile connectivity issues and remove barriers to cycling such as issues with bike maintenance, theft and lack of bike storage.
oConnect on-street cycling networks seamlessly to off-road trails, recognizing the trails importance as a commuter corridor and not just for recreation uses.
oDevelop complete streets policies and implementation plans that use routine accommodation techniques to build streets that are for people of all ages and abilities.
Provincial Cycling Infrastructure

4)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?
•Off road multi-use paths on high-volume provincial highways
•Paved shoulders on lower volume provincial highways and roads
•Active transportation bridges to connect local cycling networks
•Protected bike lanes over provincial highways (i.e. Bridge over QEW at Centennial Parkway) connecting cycling networks.

Bicycle Parking

5)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?
•Secure bike parking facility options along with traditional bike racks at key locations to support multi-modal trips – should be in a visible location, protected from elements, well-lit (short-term facilities), monitored through CCTV and be key card-accessed
•Lockers at transit stations for long term bike storage
•Major bike parking facilities with showers, lockers and wifi
•Secure, indoor bicycle parking storage spaces for residents/tenants/employees – long-term storage (in partnership with developers)
•Bike racks at businesses for customers and at apartment/condo buildings for visitors.
•Bike racks in pedestrian predominant precincts
•Provisions for public bike share stations at key transit stops, business districts/BIAs, high density residential nodes, etc.

6)What types of government-owned, publicly accessible facilities should have bike parking?
•Bike parking needs to be at all of these facilities to support AT and demonstrate leadership in changing the culture, additionally to support access and equity for people of all ages, abilities, and income;
oThis includes: city-owned facilities such as buildings, tourist destinations, parks, recreation centres, transit/mobility hubs; and
oinstitutional partners such as colleges, universities and hospitals
•All provincial and federal buildings and major transit stations/mobility hubs.
•Schools should have secure bike parking for staff and bike racks for students.

7)What types of transit or transportation stations should have bike parking to support improved cyclist access (e.g., GO Stations, LRT stations, bus terminals)?
•Bike parking needs to be at all of these facilities; with both covered short term parking and covered and secure long term bike parking facilities . This should be coupled with shower and lockers.
•Public Bike Share stations should be built at all of these nodes and integrate seamlessly with the public bike share network

8)What types of private facilities could potentially be eligible to receive provincial funding for bicycle parking facilities?
•(Long-run?) Instead of making private facilities eligible for funding why not look at changing the by-laws so that private facilities need to include a certain amount of cycling infrastructure just as they are required with vehicle parking requirements
•Small and medium size businesses; non-profits in the short run
•Institutional partners: colleges, universities, hospitals, etc
•Potential extension to providing infrastructure for Smart Commute employer partners

Other Considerations:

•Pg. 10 Support for cycling can take several forms:
oRecommend adding a bullet about budgets, “Municipal, Provincial, and Federal Budgets.
•Funding needs to focus on/encourage separated facilities.
•Physically separated cycling facilities need to become standard practice in all cities, not just “nice-to-haves - this is especially on minor and major arterials as well as high volume provincial highways
•Fully integrate, plan for and fund public bike share systems – data from Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and Hamilton show that there is extremely high potential to attract non-cyclists to cycling through highly convenient access to bikes; furthermore, the data collected from the use of the bike share can be used to enhance cycling infrastructure planning processes and monitor their success.
•Partner with the Ministry of Education to build cycling education into the mandatory curriculum

[Original Comment ID: 203053]