Thank you for the…

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Ontario’s Network of Cycling Routes. I am writing to strongly urge inclusion of the Haliburton County Rail Trail (HCRT) as a key connector link. Please consider these factors:

•HCRT inspired the Toronto to Algonquin Greenway (TAG)

•TAG is a concept route linking existing parks, paths and excursion routes to promote sustainable tourism and recreation between the GTA and Algonquin Park

•TAG is almost entirely away from car traffic, primarily cycling on rail trails, with hiking and paddling sections

•Combined with the Victoria Rail Trail, the HCRT completes the link between the Trans Canada Trail (between Uxbridge and Peterborough) and Provincial Hwy 118

•The TAG route was designed to draw international attention to the beauty of the Haliburton County Rail Trail (HCRT)

•HCRT is a flat, family friendly off road trail through wilderness habitat

•It is identified in the 2008 Haliburton County Cycling Master Plan as a route with untapped tourism and recreational potential

•HCRT terminates at the restored 1878 railway station (now Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre) in the Village of Haliburton

•This is a hub which connects to the Haliburton School of Art + Design, parks and trails, and the Haliburton Highlands Cycling Coalition network of mapped cycling routes

•Ongoing work by the TAG committee is creating the network of partnerships to make TAG “the” Ontario destination for cyclists familiar with international long distance Greenway routes

[Original Comment ID: 209476]