Community participation,…

Community participation, climate action, and economic development are key factors in the health, well-being, and longevity of Ontarians and our communities. It is essential that the actions this government takes are evidence-based, responsible, and forward-looking for the benefit of today's citizens and those of the next generations. One important piece of this complex strategy is bicycle infrastructure such as dedicated bike lanes. What follows is a sampling of the literature, policies, frameworks, and projects that support the implementation bicycle infrastructure for increased safety, economic outcomes, environmental measures, health, and equity.

• This October, the Transportation Association of Canada released On the move: Active transportation initiatives across Canada. This report highlights the positive impact that active transportation initiatives – inclusive of bike lanes – have on public health, safety, equity, congestion (i.e., grid lock), affordability, and climate change. Notably, Ontario has been showcased in this report for seven initiatives:
o Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18 – Cycling Facilities
o Province-wide cycling network based on #CycleON: Ontario’s Cycling Strategy of 2013
o City of Hamilton’s Complete Streets Design Manual
o ActiveTO Midtown Complete Street Pilot
o City of Ottawa’s Booth Street Complete Street, Flora Footbridge, and Protected Intersection Design Guide.

• Frameworks, policies, and guidelines are changing internationally, with European countries leading the way, on integrating active travel options onto roadways to increase safety, economic outcomes of local businesses, and equity. Some such changes include those outlined by the Transportation Association of Canada (2024), National Academy of Sciences (2023), and the Complete Street Design Guidelines from the City of Hamilton (2022).

• In a US national study of roadway narrowing (i.e., road diet), there was no increased risk of accidents involving at least one vehicle, and at slower speeds (such as in urban areas) there was a decrease in non-intersection accidents (Johns Hopkins, 2023).

• 2.26x increased likelihood of cycling when cycling facilities are provided on the roadway (Mitra et al., 2021)

• Stuckless Consulting Inc. has a public-facing resource called The Active Transportation Benefits Tracker (2024a). This tracker breaks down the benefits of active transportation into safety, economy, environment, equity, and health. Additionally, they have a public-facing National AT Fund tracker (Stuckless Consulting Inc., 2024b).

• According to the Improving Health by Design report (authored by Medical Officers of Health in the GTHA; Gardner et al., 2015), the annual costs of physical inactivity and obesity in the GTHA is $4 billion, including $1.4 billion in direct medical costs. This figure does not include the economic and social costs of disability, impaired productivity, and reduced quality of life.

References
City of Hamilton and WSP. (June 2022). Hamilton complete streets design guidelines. Hamilton, ON: City of Hamilton. https://www.hamilton.ca/sites/default/files/2023-02/pedpolicies-street-….

Gardner, C., McKeown, D., Mowat, D., and Tran, N. (May 2015). Improving Health by Design in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton Area. 2nd Edition. Retrieved 1 November 2016 from https://www.peelregion.ca/health/resources/healthbydesign/pdf/moh-repor….

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. (November 2023). A national investigation on the impacts of lane width on traffic safety: Narrowing travel lanes as an opportunity to promote biking and pedestrian facilities within the existing roadway infrastructure. Baltimore, ML. https://narrowlanes.americanhealth.jhu.edu/report/JHU-2023-Narrowing-Tr….

Mitra, R., Khachatrian, A., & Hess, P. M. (2021). Do new urban and suburban cycling facilities encourage more bicycling? Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 97. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.102915.

National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). Roadway cross-section reallocation: A guide. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26788.

Stuckless Consulting Inc. (2024a). The Active Transportation Benefits Tracker. https://jamiestuckless.myflodesk.com/at-research.

Stuckless Consulting Inc. (2024b). National AT Fund. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Bx8DKljoNhSHeoROPsLE58B9b8oA7aS….

Transportation of Canada. (October 2024). On the move: Active transportation initiatives across Ontario. https://www.tac-atc.ca/wp-content/uploads/PRM-ATIAC-E.pdf.