Rita Dillon, President Bike…

Rita Dillon, President Bike Niagara Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Clubc/o David Hunt P.O. Box 23118, RPO Carlton59 Berkwood Pl. St. Catharines, OntarioFonthill, Ontario L2R 7P6 L0S 1E2 www.thefreewheelers.com www.bikeniagara.org

May 11, 2017 Monica Russell, Senior Policy Analyst Ministry of Transportation, Policy and Planning Division Transportation Planning Branch, Environmental Policy Office (Toronto) 777 Bay Street, Suite 3000 Toronto Ontario M7A 2J8

Re:Identifying a Province-wide Cycling Network EBR Registry Number 013-0190

Dear Ms. Russell: These comments on the above project are submitted jointly from the Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club and its safe cycling affiliate Bike Niagara. Each organization has the same individuals which total nearly 300 members, offer over 400 cycling rides each year and bicycle education courses to our members as well as the public.

The Niagara Freewheelers and Bike Niagara congratulates the Ministry for following up with the above Province-wide cycling network to meet its commitments identified within #CycleON: Ontario’s Cycling Strategy and #CycleON Action Plan 1.0. This project has a long history of promotion from numerous cycling interest groups dating back to 1999 and it is with sincere thanks and appreciation that we see a Provincial Cycling Network taking shape.

Initial work on this project by the Ontario Cycling Association and the Cycle Ontario Alliance (OCA/COA) with subsequent support by many other groups including Share the Road Cycling Coalition, identified a 7,850km on-road network, which compares favourably in terms of length with the 8000km on and off-road network drafted by this proposal. Niagara Freewheeler and Bike Niagara members were involved in these efforts and it is with that project background and our cycling experience that we offer the following comments for your consideration.

Missing Gaps and the Importance of Secondary Links – In general the draft province-wide network provides good coverage of the Province, but there are some large gaps where regions are not connected. These regional omissions are noted below with the intent that they be included with a route connection or considered for inclusion in the future.

Huntsville to North Bay, Highway 11 Corridor – This area is challenging due to the controlled access nature of Highway 11, with many nearby and parallel alternatives being gravel roads not suitable for touring road bikes. However, it does access local municipal centres of Emsdale, Katrine, Burk’s Falls, Sundridge, South River, Trout Creek and Powassan with 4 access points into Algonquin Park to the east, and to the west links nearby Mikisew and Restoule Parks. The nearby gravel roads would also be economically upgradable to a minimal surface treatment or tar and chip hard pack which would be acceptable for road bikes.

North Bay to Nipigon, Highway 11 Corridor – This is a long route link that has an obvious alternative to the south being the along the Highway 17 corridor which serves more people and is adjacent to the scenic Great Lakes system with all its related attractions. However, the northern Highway 11 route was included in the OCA/COA network because we did not want to leave this vast area unconnected and it is flatter with lower traffic volumes. It also links ten Provincial Parks and numerous local municipalities.

Shabaqua Corners to Kenora, Highway 17 Corridor – This is the northern east/west alternative to the included route to the south along Highway 11. The Highway 17 route offers a more direct east/west route and would have more services, but with a higher traffic volume. It is noted that the three areas above are recognized as being or having nearby secondary links to the Provincial Network. The secondary links here as well as in numerous other areas where they occur should be given special consideration for funding support due to their connectivity enhancement of the province-wide network.

Network Flexibility – Whatever network is finalized, it will be desirable to embrace a flexible approach for future alterations to accommodate route changes to unforeseen circumstances. Conditions such as cycling demand, traffic volumes, opportunities for off-road infrastructure may all change in the future to support either adding, modifying or eliminating specific routes within the network.

Network Review – To recognize the need for the above flexible network, it is recommended that a review period be established at least every 5 years, to identify future network modifications and improvements.

Route Descriptions – We have several suggestions and questions in relation to the following route description names:

Route Limit Locations North shore of Lake Ontario around golden horseshoe to Niagara-on-the-Lake – The origin point location should be named for this link, otherwise it is not known where the limits end on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

Use Canadian Location Points or include them with the American cross border location Along US/Canada border, Niagara-on-the-Lake down to Buffalo – replace Buffalo with Fort Erie or use Fort Erie/Buffalo North Shore of Lake Erie, Buffalo around to Detroit – replace Buffalo with Fort Erie or use Fort Erie/Buffalo, and replace Detroit with Windsor, or use Windsor/Detroit Detroit up to Sarnia – replace Detroit with Windsor, or use Windsor/Detroit

Questionable Location? North side of Ottawa River, Quebec Border to Ottawa – Is the north side of the Ottawa River correct, since that side would be in Quebec? This type of description would also benefit from defined limits with locations.

Numbered Route Links It may also be helpful for planning locational purposes to number the route links. Some routes were difficult to locate with their existing locations.

International Boarder Crossings - The network should recognize connections with American border locations facilitating cyclists. Niagara has 3 of the 4 bridges available to cyclists for entering New York State and this information can be found on the recently published Niagara Region Cycling Map. Similar information should be provided on those route links that connect to bridge or ferry crossings into Michigan in the Detroit region, or from the Sault and likewise for border crossings along the St. Lawrence River and in the Northwestern Region with Minnesota. It should also be confirmed that the new Gordie Howe bridge in Windsor/Detroit have bike lanes or other suitable facilities to allow access for cyclists.

Bicycle Friendly Services – Bicycle friendly services can be important factors to cyclist’s enjoyment especially for long distance touring and may have been included in the route selection criteria. An example where this can be provided within Ontario’s control and applied at the implementation stage, are Provincial campgrounds which should guarantee long distance cyclists camping rights (for one night; multiple nights should inclement weather strike).

Thank you for the opportunity to provide our thoughts on this important project to support safe cycling and promote cycle tourism in Ontario. Please feel free to contact us for any questions or points of clarification.

Yours sincerely,

Rita Dillon, President Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club

David Hunt, On Behalf of Bike Niagara

Cc Niagara Freewheelers Bicycle Touring Club Board Bike Niagara Founders and Instructors

[Original Comment ID: 209279]