Ministry of Transportation –…

Ministry of Transportation – Cycling Discussion Paper Comments

Thank you for the opportunity to provide input on the Cycling Discussion Paper. We support the Ministry of Transportation initiatives and recommendations to make Ontario a more cycling-friendly province, to support commuter cycling for travelling between residential communities and for employment purposes. We have reviewed the Cycling Discussion Paper and offer the following staff response, in relation to discussion questions posed in the paper:

Plan to Improve Commuter Cycling Networks

•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?

City of Pickering Response: A complete well connected bike network is required to support commuter cycling between residential communities and other different important destinations. City of Pickering currently has an existing bike and trail master plan, dated 1996, which will be updated in 2017 as part of our Transportation Master Plan. A well connected bike plan is very important within the municipality, however first priority should be given to the bike lanes or multi use paths on arterial roadways for better connection between other municipalities and making sure that these Arterial Roadways are connected to transit stations and employment areas, as well.

•What evidence can demonstrate the impact of cycling infrastructure investments on the number of cyclists and on GHG emissions?

City of Pickering Response: Increased number of cyclists and less vehicular traffic on the roads show the impact of cycling infrastructure investments on the number of cyclists. This can be done by completing the bike and the vehicle counts.
Local Cycling Infrastructure

•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?
City of Pickering Response: For a better connection between municipalities, first priority should be given to the bike lanes or multi use paths on arterial roadways. On local roads connecting transit stations and employment areas, bike lanes or multi-use paths should be preferred, depending upon the existing number of driveways, speed and available funding, etc.
Provincial Cycling Infrastructure

•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?

City of Pickering Response: On provincial highways, parallel fenced bike trails can be provided to support commuter cycling between residential communities. These commuter bike trails should be well connected to the local municipality biking infrastructure. The province should also consider providing the cycling facilities on all 400 series flyovers and interchanges.
Bicycle Parking

•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?

City of Pickering Response: We support providing all types of bike racks, bike shelters and lockers etc. within the municipalities to promote commuter biking depending on the location. These bike parking facilities can be provided in front of all the major government buildings, parks and private buildings such as condominiums, etc. depending on the location and the cycling traffic. The City of Pickering provides bicycle parking at different locations depending upon the requirements and the available budget.

•What types of government-owned, publicly accessible facilities should have bike parking?

City of Pickering Response: All government-owned major buildings and parks should have bike parking. The City of Pickering provide bike parking at different locations depending on the requirement and the available budget.

•What types of transit or transportation stations should have bike parking to support improved cyclist access (e.g., GO Stations, LRT stations, bus terminals)?

City of Pickering Response: To promote commuter biking, it is very important to provide bike parking at GO Stations, LRT stations, bus terminals. Bike parking can also be provided at busy bus stops at major intersections depending on the number of pedestrians and cyclists.

•What types of private facilities could potentially be eligible to receive provincial funding for bicycle parking facilities?
City of Pickering Response: Provincial funding should be prioritized to public undertakings and not be allocated to retrofit or subsidize private sector development

[Original Comment ID: 202491]