Platform 2006 Review - LEAD

19. Ask Toronto Public Health to collaborate with Transportation Services Division on a report investigating the health benefits of clean air corridors and identification of potential routes for them.

No work has been done on this.

20. Commit to making the pedestrian plan an ambitious, groundbreaking and detailed blueprint for a walkable city by:

  • Ensuring that the pedestrian plan is comprehensive, incorporating all city divisions that affect pedestrians;
  • Including in the plan a strategy for coordinating and leading pedestrian-related work across city divisions;
  • Providing additional resources in staff and budget to the process of developing the pedestrian plan; and
  • Collecting the data and statistics on pedestrians in Toronto that are required to make a comprehensive plan.

The Walking Strategy was developed through an open and consultative process, and was approved by Council in May 2009.

21. Integrate Active Transportation into the City of Toronto's Programs and services by:

  • Increasing the number of employees using bikes in the course of their duties;
  • Increasing the use of bike and foot couriers; and
  • Providing safe and secure bike parking facilities and change room facilities at all City owned buildings.

Staff are currently developing policies for city bike use, including bike parking in City buildings and encouraging bike use by compensating for work trips taken by bike. Safety and liability concerns are the biggest barrier. A staff bikeshare program was launched in 2009.

No official policy on bike parking and change room facilities exists yet, but one is coming eventually. It has been a complicated process involving Facilities & Real Estate and Corporate Services, which would be responsible for implementing such a policy

22. Finish the cycling corridors called for in the Bike Plan that span the City, north to south, east to west and go beyond the Bike Plan to create new pedestrian and cycling supportive active transportation corridors starting with:

  • Bloor-Danforth Bike Lanes
  • Queens Quay Martin Goodman Trail
  • Finch Hydro Corridor Pedestrian and Cycling Path
  • Junction to Downtown Pedestrian and Cycling Path (next to the rail corridor)
  • Pharmacy Avenue Bike lanes
  • Bayview Bike lanes
  • Royal York Road Bike lanes

Bloor-Danforth – This project is on hold until after a full Environmental Assessment process that will include a year-long comprehensive transportation study for the entire corridor from Resurrection Road to Kingston Road

Queens Quay Martin Goodman Trail - The design option for the Queen’s Quay Martin Goodman trail has been approved. This includes a two-way trail in the right-of-way south of the streetcar tracks between Richardson and Spadina, separated from traffic. Between Spadina Ave. and Bathurst St. the design retains an automobile lane in both directions with bike lanes. This still leaves a gap in the Martin Goodman Trail between Spadina Ave and Bathurst St. The go-ahead to start the construction on this project has not yet been given.

Hydro and Transportation Corridor Trails - In 2009 $23 million in stimulus funds were secured under the Recreational Infrastructure Canada (RinC) Program to cover 7 Trail and Pathway projects, including CN Leaside trail, 3 Finch Corridor trail sections and 3 Gatineau Corridor trail sections. The contracts for detailed design for these projects were awarded in 2009, and are to be constructed by the end of 2010. A 10.2 km section of the almost 30 km proposed Finch Hydro Corridor trail received Federal/Provincial stimulus funds and will be designed and built by outsourced consultants. A 10 km section of the 13.4 km Gatineau Hydro Corridor and 3.5 km CN Leaside trail will be completed by December 2010. The completion of these trail projects will result in the largest one-year expansion of the Toronto trail system ever (approximately 30 km). The completion of the full Finch corridor is in the 2010 budget’s 5-year capital plan.

West Toronto Rail Path – The first 2.1 km of this trail (the Northern section) was completed in 2009. The southern section is on hold until the airport rail link plans are finalized; Metrolinx, which is responsible for further planning of the corridor, understands that the preference is to also include a trail in the design.

Pharmacy - The first 3.4 km of this bike lane between Denton and Alvington were installed in 2008. There still remains 7.7 km of bike lane and 1.9 km of signed route to be completed. Also the cycling and pedestrian bridge linking the north and south sections of Pharmacy needs to be completed, but has been stalled by the local councillor.

Bayview North – City staff is working with the local councillor on a possible design, but countless meetings have been called when the project could have been implemented a year ago.

Royal York - In 2008 bike lanes were added to two sections of Royal York Road: Delroy Dr. to Mimico Creek and Cavell Ave. to Manitoba St., for a total of 2.5 km. There are still sections to be completed: Usher Ave. to Ashley Rd. (0.8 km) and Braecrest Ave. to Dixon Road (0.5 km). There is still the section from Mimico Creek to Usher Ave. that has edge lines which are not of sufficient width to be signed as bike lanes.

23. Make it easier to create temporary and permanent pedestrian-only zones.

According to one community group experienced in organizing car-free events, the City has not made the process any easier.