May 16, 2017…

May 16, 2017

Monica Russell Senior Policy Analyst Ministry of Transportation Policy and Planning Division Transportation Planning Branch Environmental Policy Office (Toronto) 777 Bay Street Suite 3000 Toronto, OntarioM7A 2J8

Dear Ms. Russell,

Re:TRCA comments on MTO’s Draft #CycleON Province-wide Cycling Network (EBR Registry Number 013-0190)

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the draft province-wide cycling network as prepared by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to support the implementation of #CycleON Action Plan 1.0. Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) would like to commend the MTO on undertaking this exercise and providing the opportunity for interested and invested cycling partners to gain valuable insights into the development of the system, as well as to comment on the draft network of trails.

TRCA has secured over 18,000 hectares of greenspace in the Toronto Region (7.2% of our watershed jurisdiction) and manages over 600 kilometres of trails on these lands. We provide numerous trail experiences to a variety of trail user types. Our trails include year-round multi-use and single use, as well as several biking-only trails. We have numerous trail management agreements that allow trail associations to manage trails on our behalf. In addition, TRCA staff is well versed in the planning, construction, monitoring, promotion, day-to-day maintenance, long-term management and communication of trails and their associated infrastructure. We pride ourselves in contributing to Ontario’s world-class system of trails and it is because of this vast experience that TRCA is well qualified to provide insightful comments on the draft #CycleON province-wide cycling network.

Attached are comments on the draft province-wide cycling network, as posted to the Environmental Registry (EBR Registry Number 013-0190). These comments represent those collected from TRCA staff members who are involved in the planning and implementation of cycling trails within our greenspace system, including land and trail planning, monitoring and assessment, and park management. In general, TRCA supports the direction of the #CycleON Action Plan and the need for a province-wide cycling network.

Please contact myself or Deanna Cheriton (dcheriton@trca.on.ca) if you require any clarification on and/or would like to further discuss TRCA’s comments.

Sincerely,

Michael Bender Associate Director, Master Planning and Greenspace Conservation mbender@trca.on.ca 416-400-2111

c.c.:Deanna Cheriton, Supervisor, Greenspace Conservation, TRCA Derek Edwards, Director, Parks and Culture, TRCA Kim Gavine, General Manager, Conservation Ontario Carolyn Woodland, Senior Director, Planning, Greenspace and Communications, TRCA

Enclosure (1)

Enclosure: Toronto and Region Conservation Comments on Draft #CycleON Province-wide Cycling Network  Toronto and Region Conservation (TRCA) Comments on Draft #CycleON Province-wide Cycling Network (May 16, 2017)

Comments:

1)TRCA recognizes and supports the decision to include the Humber River Trail, the Lake-to-Lake Trail, the Waterfront Trail, the Greenbelt Route, and the TransCanada Trail as part of the ‘Province-wide Cycling Network’. A portion of the Lake-to-Lake Trail passes through TRCA’s Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve and could be identified as Existing Off-Road in the ‘Province-wide Cycling Network’.

2)There are gaps in existing off-road cycling routes, particularly through conservation areas and other greenspaces within TRCA’s jurisdiction. TRCA would like the opportunity to provide additional data to your team to be able to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information for future drafts of the network.

3)TRCA is interested in how the cycling routes will be identified with signage along the routes. Land and trail managers should be involved in the development of such signage. TRCA suggests that conservation authorities be represented when signage, including branding and wayfinding, are developed.

4)Generally, many of the ‘Province-wide Cycling Network Routes’ and ‘Connecting Routes’ in the TRCA jurisdiction avoid TRCA conservation areas and other conservation greenspaces, with the exception of a few selected properties such as Claireville Conservation Area, Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve, Claremont Field Centre, and Greenwood Conservation Area. As many of these properties currently have, or are in the process of developing multi-use trails, TRCA would like to see a greater number of these properties represented as part of the province-wide network.

5)There are some important off-road cycling routes that are identified in the southern overview map as part of ‘Connecting Routes’ that TRCA staff conceive as being part of the ‘Province-wide Cycling Network’. The Etobicoke Creek Trail System is an important north-south corridor in the Toronto Region. Future plans to lengthen this trail system into the City of Brampton and the Town of Caledon exemplify the importance of this trail system. Rouge National Urban Park is an important part of the Toronto Region’s natural heritage system. As Canada’s first national urban park, it has become a cycling destination for many people, and will only increase in popularity as trail infrastructure is established and expanded within the park.

6)There is an absence of existing and proposed off-road ‘Province-wide Cycling Network’ routes through the City of Vaughan. TRCA has worked with the City of Vaughan on several off-road cycling projects that could move sections of existing on-road routes to existing off-road. As well, plans for high-use off-road multi-use trails developed by TRCA within the City of Vaughan could be considered suitable for Proposed Off-Road Routes. One such area to include as a future alignment is through Woodbridge, Kleinburg and then connecting back into the Existing On-Road Route in Bolton.

7)An off-road “Province-wide Cycling Network’ route could be identified through TRCA’s Bolton Resource Management Tract and Albion Hills Conservation Area in the Town of Caledon. This connects to the system noted in Comment #6.

8)An off-road Connecting Route could be identified in the Oak Ridges Corridor Conservation Reserve in the Town of Richmond Hill. This multi-use trail traverses provincial lands managed by TRCA and connects to the Lake-to-Lake Trail.

[Original Comment ID: 209346]