Draft Province Wide Cycling…

Draft Province Wide Cycling Network: Comments

Engineering Standards:

Ontario has no consistent engineering standards for bikeways that is universally followed. Some municipalities use their own guidelines. Others use the Canadian (Transportation Association of Canada – TAC) or American (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – AASHTO) standards.

CROW standards should be considered as the minimum standard for Ontario. Here is a reference to it: https://www.crow.nl/publicaties/design-manual-for-bicycle-traffic This means that for example, the minimum width of a bike path should be 2.5 metres. CROW has also recently developed bicycle expressway guidelines: https://www.crow.nl/publicaties/inspiratieboek-snelle-fietsroutes?page=1&searchsort=date&pagesize=1 0

For a provincial cycling network, a high standard must be maintained, which even present day Waterfront Trail does not conform to. Sections of waterfront trail are contained on roads with high traffic and no paved shoulders, narrow bridges, paved shoulders that end abruptly, etc. Shoulders are often not cleaned thus making biking dangerous on those shoulders, forcing the cyclist back onto the road. Often this is in competition with trucks, tandem trailers, mobile homes and wide loads.

These standards should include specifications for the design of the general types of bikeways used: Shared road usage (various types), paved shoulders, bicycle expressways, paved bike paths shared with pedestrians and others, and unpaved bike paths also shared with others. Standards could include the quality of surface and drainage, traffic count that is safe for a shared road to be available to a bicycle, and the maximum enforced vehicle speed of traffic if the paved shoulders are used. Standards should include maximum slope, or signage that would warn of steep slopes. On maps and on-line, it is essential to include information on elevations.

These standards should include and pay particular attention to safe road crossings, and sight lines and appropriate means and signage for those crossings. For example, when should pavement colouring be used, when should bike boxes be used, when should cycle crossing signals be used, and how do these new methods and signage fit into Ontario's Highway Traffic Act?

These standards should include maintenance standards. Unsafe conditions on the paths should be signed or blocked immediately both on site and if possible on maps and interactive on-line data. These should include alternative routes if available.

Signage Standards:

Standardized international signage should be used familiar to the cyclist around the world. Refer to Velo Quebec's maps for various standardized signs found both on the maps, literature and on site.

Wayfinding signage could be standardized to improve the image of various municipalities that will fit into the Province Wide Cycling Network. This will play an important role in tourism promotion. This could include branding, and sub-branding as the Waterfront Trail and Velo Quebec have successfully done. For example 'sub-brands' of Velo Quebec include naming all of the routes clearly such as 'Veloroute des Bleuets', Le P'tit Train du Nord".

Route Verte has certified bicycle friendly accommodations, with unique bienvenue cyclistes signs that are recognizable, and guaranteed tent accommodation with no booking. Much of the information is now available on-line. Other essential information includes transport and retailers, tourist information and road hazards.

Tourism Standards:

Provincial standards need to link in with other existing and planned tourism initiatives. These include inter-provincial and interstate initiatives, as I suggest below.

In adjacent jurisdictions, Route Verte exists in Quebec: http://www.routeverte.com/ and New York Parks and Trails Erie Canal Trail exists in New York: http://ptny.org/cycle-the-erie-canal/trail-map. with links to the Hudson Valley Trail. Michigan has the Iron Belle route: http://www.midnr.com/Publications/pdfs/ArcGISOnline/ironBelleWebApp/index.html a 791-mile bicycle route (64 % complete) with interactive map and standard signage, and a Great Lake to Lake Trail from Port Huron to Grand Haven (incomplete). Minnesota, the fourth best state for bicycling, has portions of Lake Superior shoreline as bike trails., as well as many inland bike trails such as the Willard Munger State Trail http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/maps/state_trails/willard_munger.pdf These could be linked to Thunder Bay via Highway 61 route. Baudette and Warroad Highway 11 could be a way into Manitoba from Rainy River.

Great Lakes circle routes need to be developed with adjacent states, to promote tourism throughout the region. Vehicle routes were developed in the 1980s. Melissa Scanlan has proposed a Great Lakes walking circle route http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/05/23/great-lakes-trail-michigan-coastline-hike rs/27848439/, and bicycling could share portions of these. Great lakes Circle Tour http://www.greatlakescircletour.org/ is an organization that promotes circle tours around the great lakes.

Finally, a Trans Canada Bicycle Route needs to be developed as a viable alternative to the Trans Canada Highway. This highway has become illegal for cyclists to travel where twinned (Ottawa to Montreal, Nobel to Waubaushene, west of Sudbury) , and has become extremely dangerous in shared portions. Fatalities occur every year. Zero fatalities should happen. Since the Trans Canada Highway is a federal responsibility, Ontario should lobby for federal support so that cyclists can safely transport themselves through these sections of highway, many of which occur in Ontario. It is important to remember that cyclists were allowed on these roads when they were first built.

The Trans Canada Trail is not a viable option for road cyclists, and should not be considered the answer to the above problem, except for sections that exactly parallel the Trans Canada Highway, and would also pass the correct engineering standards that are so important to safe road cycling.

Route specific comments:

A. Route specific comments, additions/modifications to main route:

Parry Sound to Midland: A major bottleneck occurs where Highway 400 is the only route from Crooked Bay to MacTier, a distance of approximately 20 km. Consider that cyclists want to travel the shortest distance around Georgian Bay. Provide a direct paved path within highway 400 right of way, or elsewhere, fenced from the highway, to bridge this section. This would provide the shortest loop along Georgian Bay. Refer to comments above about Great Lakes circle routes.

Similar issues exist north of Parry Sound where 69 is being widened: Shawanaga River to Sturgeon Bay, crossing the Magnetawan River to Britt, Still River to Bigwood, etc. This area needs safe alternatives to 69.

CRY rail trail Barrie to Collingwood as part of main route. The same reason would apply as the vital connection from Crooked Bay to MacTier. Cyclists want to travel the most direct route from Barrie to Collingwood.

Portion of Highway 48 from Virginia Boulevard to Lake Ridge Road is very busy. Suggest an alternative, such as an off-road path within the highway right of way, for this 8 km. section.

Highway 6 Wiarton to Tobermory is very busy in summer. I suggest shared road signage placed at all hills and major intersections, and an ample wide shoulder cleared of debris. Highway 6 south of Wiarton, like the car drivers heading for the ferry, many cyclists will use Highway 6 Owen Sound to Wiarton as the shortest way, and this route needs to be safe. Highway 6 should be the main route through Clavering, Hepworth to Shallow Lake.

The Big Bay route should be listed as an alternative to main route. It takes at leas a half hour longer, and you could miss the ferry. The portion of abandoned CN line paralleling Highway 6 from Clavering to Wiarton could be paved as an alternative to busy Highway 6. From Shallow Lake, upgrading Georgian Bluff Trail to Owen Sound could be considered, or just using Bruce 17B the Derby/Sarawak Townline as an alternate away from Springmount.

In northern Ontario on both Highways 11 and 17, much more thought needs to be put towards the safety of cyclists. See my comments above about the Trans Canada Highway. These Trans Canada Highway routes become busy in the summers with truck and mobile home traffic, and the safety of cyclists is compromised. Where alternatives exist, such as Sault Ste. Marie to Sudbury, alternatives have already been chosen (except Iron Bridge to Spanish). Thunder Bay to Nipigon could be another place to make a completely alternate path. Share the road signs need to be strategically placed at all hills and intersections, as with Highway 6, and widened pavement at critical junctures such as bridges and hills need to be targeted. If bridges cannot be widened, perhaps a more economical small bike bridges could be constructed, or diversions put through some towns.

B. Route specific comments, alternatives to main route:

Ottawa to Plantagenet: Alternatives to old Trans Canada Highway 17 exist: County Road 26 Plantagenet to Wendover and County Road 55 Wendover to Clarence, and in Orleans, consider Champlain to Rosslyn and the Parkway, instead of St. Joseph (old Montreal Road). These routes could be safer than Highway 17.

Millennium Trail, Prince Edward County, Consecon to Picton, consider upgrading this rail trail as an alternate route to the busy Highway 33.

Remove Owen Sound to Wiarton via Big Bay from main route and add to alternate route list, if Highway 6 is used as main route.

C. Route specific comments, additions to connecting cycling network:

Kirkland Lake to Rouyn-Noranda is better connected via Trans Canada Ontario Highway 66 and Quebec 117 rather than Highway 101 to Duparquet. Paved shoulders on Trans Canada Highway 66 through Larder Lake, or connect to Route Verte via New Liskeard to Notre Dame du Nord. These possibilities connect better to Route Verte. Please coordinate with Quebec.

Connection from Highway 28 at Bancroft to Hardwood Lake, Schutt Road as a vital connecter route. If Highway 28 is too busy, consider using roads above and below Highway 28 as an alternate, such as Deltor Road to Egan Creek, Bessemer Lane to Child's Mines, McCaw Road and Mayo Lake Road to McArthur Mills, then Highway 28 for 5 km. to Ireland Road and Moccasin Lane Road to Schutt.

Ganaraska Trail and Victoria Rail Trail to Haliburton County Rail Trail. Port Hope to Lindsay is a viable route that can take in most of Ganaraska Trail except through portions of Ganaraska Forest, where road routes need to be designed as alternatives. It would branch off the Port Hope to Peterborough route somewhere near Campbellcroft. and head to Lindsay via Bethany.

Feeder Canal Road East and West from Wainfleet/Dunnville Townline to Welland is an important and safe alternative route directly from Welland to Dunnville.

Nipissing Trail, Rosseau to Seguin Falls could be added as an alternate trail and upgraded.

Old CN line Pembroke to North Bay via Achray, Lake Traverse, Brent, and Kiosk within northern Algonquin Park could become an alternate route instead of Highway 17 Trans Canada.

D. Errors in map:

Amherst Island, roads do not exist on west side of island as presently marked on the map. Use existing road network as on Wolfe Island.

Bayview Escarpment, near Owen Sound, connecting route via Sideroad 22 does not exist from the 11 Line to the Second Concession North at Woodford. Sideroad 24 and 25 Sideroad cannot be used as well since the gap road allowance between 11 Line and St Vincent-Sydenham Townline goes straight up the escarpment. The same connecting route can use more of East Bay Shore Road from Leith to Owen Sound (County Road 15) as well as all of the Owen Sound Rail Trail from Grey Road 18 to Georgian Bay.

E. Additional potential rail trails to consider: Many additional abandoned railway tracks exist in Ontario including ones mentioned above, especially in rural southwestern Ontario. Legislation could protect these tracks from reverting to adjacent owners, thus making them available for future rights of way. Examples of these include:

Bruce County Rail Trail and Saugeen Trail Southampton to Inverhuron via Port Elgin;

Branch CN line London is abandoned above Stratford, Listowel, Palmerston, Harriston Hanover, Chesley, Tara. The portion of this line paralleling Highway 6 from Clavering to Wiarton could be immediately upgraded as an alternative to busy Highway 6.

Branch CN line from Harriston to Mount Forest, Durham and Proton Station.

Branch CN line from Listowel, Brussels, Wingham, Lucknow, Kincardine.

Branch CN line Guelph to Fergus, Drayton, Palmerston, Harriston, Mount Forest and Durham. CP line Tillsonburg to Port Burwell.

CP line Cataract to Erin, Hillsburgh, Fergus, Alma, Drayton, Palmerston, Harriston, Redgrave, Gorrie, branching to Teeswater and Wingham.

CN Branch line St. Thomas to Alvinston via Frome, Middlemiss, Glencoe. This line is abandoned after John Wise Line County Road 45.

[Original Comment ID: 209351]