Recommendations to Ministry…

Recommendations to Ministry of Transportation regarding CycleON Strategy

1.While the Ontario Trails Council welcomes the idea of an Ontario Cycling Route, as an original proponent of the route, and whereas the route is promoting heritage experiences, we believe that recognition of the trails, and road trails that the OTC supports must be acknowledged in the marketing of the route; given our historical role as a lead proponent of it.
2.The cycling strategy did not drive the Ontario Trails Strategy as reported in the MTCS CycleON release at the cycling summit, page 1 paragraph 4, in The MTCS Tour By Bike, the OTS has been in effect since 2005 and was driven by OTC and trail leadership group requests since 1978.
3.Roads are roads and trails are trails, no matter how roads are marketed as trails they are still roads.
4. Roads are not as safe as trails, or as safe as road riding in off-road infrastructure or on trails.
5.Roads should be marketed as OBR Routes, the Trails as OBR Trails – sanctioned by the Ontario Trails Council under the authority of the MTO.
6. There is a difference between road riding, gravelling, winter biking, trail riding and mountain biking. Of the uses on the OBR, only road biking is served by primary roads, another (gravelling) by tertiary roads, all 5 uses by trails, to us this means the OTC should be as much a partner in this as OBB, WFT, Share The Road who seem to be the primary focus of the Ministry.
6.The OTC is aware that roughly 1/3 of the posted route is on trails or rail trails, we would welcome the opportunity to discuss with the Ministry of Transportation a Trails Program for the trails portion, in conjunction with the OTC as suggested in the Ontario Trails Strategy Implementation Plan.
7.Only two staff of the identified off-road trails, and none of the road routes, nor staff of the MTO have taken a trails building, trails design, or other trail management course offered on-line through the OTC. We would recommend that the OTS Trail Education Program canvas these trail operators in conjunction with the OTC to ensure the people operating and managing these trails understand what they are doing managing a trail for cycling and take our course to establish a baseline understanding of the operation of trails, as trails are not roads.
8.As far as the trails as part of the network, we are recommending the MTO work directly with the Ontario Trails Council, one on one, or through the MTCS Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee to develop an MTO Trails Policy in support of this identified network.
9.As far as the trails as part of the network, we are recommending the MTO work directly with the Ontario Trails Council, one on one, or through the MTCS Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee to develop an MTO Trails Marketing Policy in support of this identified network.
10.As far as the trails as part of the network, we are recommending the MTO work directly with the Ontario Trails Council, one on one, or through the MTCS Ontario Trails Coordinating Committee to develop an MTO Trails Tourism System rating and Readiness Assessment, and its immediate implementation in support of this identified network.
11.Ontario Trails wishes to assist directly in the definition of 5okm road/trail cycling loops as a tourism product related to this initiative. 12.Ontario Trails also wishes to provide a trail inventory assessment of the trails in the proposed network such that the trails are up to the world class system of trails as identified in the 2005 Ontario Trails Strategy.
13.We would like to see funds applied to trails as well as roads.
14.We wish to work with MTO to facilitate this funding application process.
15.We wish to promote context sensitive design with the MTO in ROW along roads ensuring greater road riding safety on the network.
16. The Ontario Trails Council encourages private sector contractors to prepare "Active Transportation and Trails Master-plans - we would request that the MTO and MTCS be as responsive and involving of OTC in sector improvements as the private sector.
17. A relationship statement between MTO and OTC should be created asap.
18. A relationship statement between MTO/Cycling promotion/Advocacy organizations and OTC should be created asap.
19. The Tour By Bike Plan does not talk to trails, notwithstanding the pictures. A better fit through OTC to this population can be created, and should be created in support of MTO efforts.
20. We are grateful for the initiative, and we look forward to being a participant in its success. In order to do this we need to be resourced to get to AT&T summits.
21. We hope this will be an ongoing topic of discussion at Ontario Good Roads, Trailhead Ontario Conferences and OTCC meetings.
22. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Ontario Trails Council

[Original Comment ID: 209462]