1) Cycling/Active…

1) Cycling/Active transportation: The document discusses improving active transportation infrastructure. One of the considerations that needs to be made is how to make cycling routes in particular safe for cyclists and desirable to use. As it stands right now, most cycling infrastructure consists of just a painted line or a section of road shoulder, which leads to conflicts with cars. cyclists need infrastructure that is as separated from the road as possible to make this method of transportation safe and appealing. This should include establishing greenways for walking and cycling between areas in ALL new commercial and residential developments, and replacing sidewalks with two lane multi-use sidewalks. Additionally, there should be resources available to improve rail trails that connect communities to make walking and cycling between towns for feasible. Any plan should put resources towards separate infrastructure for active transportation to make it safe and appealing.

2) Transit: Most places in the region are not navigable by anything but a car. The plan should put resources towards more and cheaper trains along rail lines in the region, and bus systems that connect ALL communities on a regular schedule, not just major urban routes. In particular, extending GO services along the entire lake Ontario shoreline to connect the whole lakeshore by transit would be desirable. But regardless, we need regular, affordable transit between rural communities, and between major urban centers and rural communities. Otherwise, one's only option is to invest in a car, something that is not always feasible. people should be given options wherever they are. This may mean subsidizing transit schemes where it is not profitable, but that may be necessary to provide more people with more transportation choices.

3)Wildlife: it is no secret that the transportation sector is a major cause of wildlife declines and conservation issues, but almost none of the very easy solutions to solve some of these issues have been implemented. Eastern Ontario has many species at risk that would benefit from changes to our transportation infrastructure. When roads undergo maintenance, or new roads are built, they should automatically be upgraded with wildlife underpasses and overpasses to prevent excessive roadkill. These have proven effective in many areas where they've been tried, and would help protect many threatened species at very little additional expense in the long term. This is barely mentioned in this document, and we should be aiming for a far more ambitious plan with respect to designing transportation infrastructure in a way that protects biodiversity.