Arielle Mayer…

Arielle Mayer
Senior Policy Advisor
Ministry of Transportation
Policy and Planning Division
Transportation Planning Branch
Environmental Policy Office (Toronto)
777 Bay Street, Suite 3000
Toronto Ontario
M7A 2J8

Dear Arielle Mayer:
I am a resident of Burlington, Ontario and a member of Burlington's Cycling Committee, a citizen advisory committee providing advice on matters pertaining to bicycling in the City of Burlington. I wish to provide the Ministry of Transportation with feedback regarding the proposed Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP).
It is greatly encouraging to see the Ontario provincial government propose significant funding to support the development of Ontario's bicycle network. The benefits of this investment are numerous, in terms of reduced pollution, increased mode share for cycling, lower health care spending and reduced impact from motor vehicle congestion in the Province.

Plan To Improve Commuter Cycling Networks
The improvement of commuter cycling networks is an essential part of developing a provincial cycling strategy. Personally, I am a daily commuter, cycling 5km from my home to the GO Transit station here in Burlington.
The majority of trips taken by bicycling are less than 5km in length, which encompasses more than half the trips taken in the Greater Toronto/Hamilton area. Important criteria for commuter travel are directness (people do not want to take meandering or indirect routes to work), and safety (routes are low risk and provide comfortable separation from fast moving cars & trucks).
As a priority for commuter cycling networks, I would recommend emphasis on links between higher-density communities or nodes, and major employment centres and transit stations. In a suburban context like we have in Burlington, this would take the form of major arterial roads. In some developing areas, there may be space available in major corridors (e.g. hydro corridors) to provide direct routes off-street.
In order to maximize the use of these facilities, protected infrastructure is essential. In Burlington, even when on-road bike lanes are provided on arterial roads, their usage is very low because of the close proximity to motor vehicles, and the higher speeds typically observed on these routes. Physical separation, and high visibility for cyclists at intersections (including driveways) are features that are required in order to encourage more than nominal growth in the number of cycling commuters.
There is certainly a link between cycling infrastructure and greenhouse gas emissions. Since the trips replaced by cycling are typically short in distance, a 5% shift in modal share may equate to approximately a 2% decrease in total transportation-related emissions. However, the net cost of investment in cycling is negative (due to a substantial payback in terms of provincial health care expenditures and long-term municipal costs to maintain roadway space), and as a result, a win-win scenario is achieved, where citizens, Ontario taxpayers, municipal taxpayers and the environment all derive positive result from these investments.

Local Cycling Infrastructure
I see the support of local cycling networks as the most significant opportunity for municipalities in Ontario. Most cycling is local in nature, and includes both work/school trips as well as trips to shopping and service areas.
While commuting is important, less than half of all trips made in the GTHA are to/from work. Therefore, cycling networks that connect key destinations such as schools, recreation centres, shopping and city centres are of equal importance to the commuter network. In Burlington, most of these facilities are located in arterial corridors as are the major transit stations, and therefore require cycling infrastructure which is protected by a physical buffer to provide significant changes in the modal split.

Provincial Cycling Infrastructure
For the most part, reductions in GHG emissions would stem from increases in local cycling within the municipality. However, provincial routes may also be beneficial in the case where such routes connect nearby communities (for example, Burlington / Hamilton). In addition, provincial highways often present a significant barrier to local cycling. In Burlington, officials including our MPP, our Mayor and Council members, our Transportation department and our Cycling committee have raised this issue with the Ministry on many occasions over the past 10 years. Even with recent bridge reconstruction on Appleby Line and Burloak Drive, we have failed to address these significant barriers that the 403/QEW highway presents to cycling in our city. The experience has been similar for new highways in the region such as 407 East, which have resulted in reduced ability for people to use cycling as a mode of transportation. It is clear that such barriers will need to be addressed as a priority in order for the strategy to be successful in limiting GHG emissions. To date, the Ministry of Transportation has blocked any meaningful progress on addressing these barriers. That must change.

Bicycle Parking
Convenient bicycle parking can also reinforce the choice of cycling as a mode of transport. From my experience, the parking situation in suburban areas like Burlington is quite good, however significant increases in mode share will require further incremental investments in bicycle parking. One of the challenges we face, is that the availability of free car parking at GO stations acts as a deterrent to both active transportation and public transit within our city. GO riders who park a car receive a very valuable benefit. Charging a fair price for parking and reducing the cost of train fares to offset the price of parking would encourage substantial numbers of commuters to switch to cycling or transit.
Cycle parking in general, should be secure enough that any bicycle can be attached securely (ring / post anchored in the ground) and be accessible and located in easy public view. Parking lots should be designed to prioritize cycling and pedestrian access to the facility. This was not done well in the recent Metrolinx parking lot revitalization at Appleby Go (North side) where pedestrians have to walk on a muddy berm, and cyclists have to navigate through a dangerous lane of parked cars to get to the station and the bicycle parking areas.

In closing, I would like to thank you for providing the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed Climate Change Action Plan. I hope to hear more concrete details about the plan in the coming months and would be happy to work together with the Ministry of Transportation and our MPPs, Eleanor McMahon and Indira Naidoo-Harris in support of its implementation.

[Original Comment ID: 203376]