The latest and last Downsview Area Secondary Plan Review Community Meeting was held at North York Civic Center Council Chambers on September 14.

SUMMARY OF THE PLANNED CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE

1. Bike path along the proposed Transit Road extension. If built, this extension would butt right up to the existing airport lands in the park. The Right -of-Way (ROW) diagram for the road shows the following usage of the roadway:
   1. DND Bombardier boundary (i.e., the road butts right up to the airport lands)
   2. 2.65m of planting and furniture
   3. 2.10m sidewalk
   4. two 1.60m bike lanes (the bike lanes are side-by-side, so they may simply consist of a 3.2m width strip of asphalt)
   5. 2.65m planting and furniture
   6. four lanes of traffic (two lanes each direction with no median)
2. The December entry mentions the City would not be extending Grand Ravine east of Keele Street. However, the current plans show a proposal for a 4-lane road from Keele to the proposed subway/GO station. Bike lanes are planned for both sides of the road. Grand Ravine already exists running west of Keele.
3. A wide multi-use pathway is planned along the southern and eastern perimeter of the actual parklands. This pathway would be physically separated from the road and would be shared with other forms of active transportation such as walking and roller-blading.
4. There will likely be recreational pathways criss-crossing through the park. But this is determined by the Parc Downsview Parc corporation, not the City of Toronto.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR ADVOCACY

1. Multi-use pathways should be built so that cyclists are physically separated from other forms of transportation (eg. pedestrians, dog-walkers). For example, the final design of the Martin Goodman Trail through Marilyn Bell Park has separate areas for bicycles and pedestrians. Also, the bike lanes are asphalt, and the pedestrian area will be covered with another stone.
2. Development of a bike path parallel to the CN rail tracks, all the way to the Kay Gardiner belt-line trail. Part of this is outside the scope of the Secondary Plan, but still worthwhile pursuing. For now, they could consider building this bike path from Sheppard to Wilson Avenue.

NEXT STEPS:

1. Public review and comment are due October 5th, 2009. You can send any comments you have to this address:
   North York District
   Community Planning Office
   North York Civic Centre
   5100 Yonge Street
   Toronto, Ontario M2N 5V7
   
2. Submission to North York Community Council on November 10 this year.
3. Report and recommendation to full Toronto Council by the end of the year.

You can find more details on the planned Road, Transit, and Pedestrian and Cycling Networks at http://www.toronto.ca/planning/pdf/Downsview_MeetingPanels_Sept14_3.pdf and http://www.toronto.ca/planning/downsview.htm

The Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee (TCAC) will be meeting on September 21, 2009 at Toronto City Hall at 100 Queen Street West in Committee Room 3 on the second floor. The meetings are open to the public. You can download the agenda at the following link TCAC Sept 21, 2009 Agenda

On the agenda is a discussion on the use of e-bikes on city bike lanes and bike paths as well as a recommendation from the Pedestrian Committee that ‘power assisted bicycles’ not be permitted on sidewalks.

Also on the agenda is an update on the 2009 Bike Plan program.

Martin Koob

The Environmental Study Report on the Queen’s Quay revitalization plan goes to the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee on June 2nd, 2009 for their approval. Queens Quay Revitilization Environmental Assesment StudyThis is a significant step towards seeing Toronto’s central waterfront revitalized and Toronto’s signature bicycle path, the Martin Goodman Trail, finally connected through the down town. A continuous Martin Goodman Trail was one of the key goals of the plan. The benefit of this was experienced first hand by Toronto residents when the city unveiled the prototype value was seen in the Quay to the City event in August 2006. A temporary continuous Martin Goodman Trail was created along with a pedestrian promenade and Torontonians flocked to it. A 600% increase in cycling traffic was documented in the area. That initial public support continued as the proposal wound its way through the consultation process conducted by Waterfront Toronto. Thanks to that support the recommended design that is being put forward to the Executive Committee includes the expanded pedestrian areas and a separated Martin Goodman Trail for most of the length of Queen’s Quay. This is a significant step foward in seeing a continuous Martin Goodman Trail from the beaches to the Humber and beyond but at the moment it is a step not quite far enough. This week is an opportunity to press the members of the Executive committee to go the distance.

The one concern with the plan being submitted is that it falls 600m short of its goal to have a continuous Martin Goodman Trail through the central waterfront. In the proposed plan the Martin Goodman trail will only be incorporated on Queen’s east of Spadina Avenue. For the section between Spadina and Bathurst cyclists will be routed onto the existing bike lanes which are along side the existing traffic lanes. For westbound cyclists that means crossing to the north side of the street at Spadina and Queen’s Quay and then crossing Spadina to the bike lane. This also precludes making a separated trail on the section between Bathurst and Stadium Road where the existing bike lanes are continually occupied by parked cars.

This diagram from the recommended design shows the intersection that Westbound cyclists will have to cross to continue their journey. I have indicated the bike lanes and MGT in orange. You can see all pages of the recommended design at the following link Queen’s Quay Recommended Design (Click the image to see a larger version.).

The above plan does not show how cyclists will have to make the double crossing to move through the intersection. There will have to be a clumsy workaround to try and ensure they can navigate the traffic lanes and streetcar tracks safely. This will be an obstacle that will inconvenience experienced cyclists but it may be a barrier to less experienced cyclists and families cycling with children. The goal of waterfront revitalization should be to make a waterfront accessible to all. The continuous Martin Goodman Trail is one of the priorities in the waterfront plan that helps to realize that goal. A separated Martin Goodman Trail continued between Spadina and Bathurst and then on to Stadium Road to join up with the existing Martin Goodman Trail should be in the final plan.

If the design for Spadina to Bathurst stays as it is, it will be a part of the waterfront the City will have to draw a curtain around when showcasing Toronto’s waterfront to the world. It will have to couch its descriptions of its new waterfront, ‘Martin Goodman Trail, Toronto’s quasi-continuous waterfront trail’. Toronto’s Bold Moves on the waterfront should not become a series of half-hearted half-measures done half-assed. The plan being proposed up to Spadina is a bold move that will be something that Toronto residents will truly be proud of. The Executive Committee should press to take the final step and ensure the final section of this plan is included in that bold move. You can let your opinion be know by making a deputation in person or in writing and by writing to the Mayor and members of the Committee. You can find all of the contact information at the following page Toronto City Council - Executive Committee.

On March 25th, 2009 Waterfront Toronto, the entity responsible for revitilizing Toronto’s waterfront held a public consultation to finally reveal the preferred option for the redesign of Queen’s Quay. To this point a design which would make room for a continuous Martin Goodman Trail along Toronto’s central waterfront by removing two traffic lanes among the several options being considered, but in my mind seeing the Toronto Waterfront choose such an option was by no means a certainty. After the meeting it was apparent that we are a big step closer to realizing that goal but we are still not quite there yet.

The formal presentation started with introductions and the outlining of the agenda, then a review of the consultation process to this point, then outlining the five options that had orignially been considered. I sat nervously as the presentation dragged on, waiting for the big announcement. Next the evaluation of the three short listed alternatives on a number of different criteria. Then finally, on slide 62 of the powerpoint, without any fanfare the option which retained the traffic lanes on the south side of the transit right of way was eliminated.

During the next slide the presenter made it official. The preferred technical option was 4, well and 5, “but we are leaning to 4″. Actually the technically recommended alternative was “Southside Transit” which is in fact a huge step. This means that the two traffic lanes south of the Transit right of way will be removed and in its place will be “Generous pedestrian boulevards” a ‘Continuous off-street Martin Goodman Trail, completing the Lake Ontario Trail.” This decision should give cyclists cause for celebration but after looking at the details of the plan it became clear that there is more work to do to.

The difference between the two options is primarily is that how the two remaining traffic lanes will be used. Option 4 has two way traffic and option 5 has one way traffic. However another significant difference between the designs is that in Option 4 the Martin Goodman Trail will not be continuous. Between Bathurst and YoYo Ma lane there will be on street bike lanes leaving a gap in the Martin Goodman Trail. Option 5 has the continuous Martin Goodman Trail right from Parliament to Bathurst.

These photos of the section of the Queens Quay redesign options show the difference for cyclists between the options. The Martin Goodman Trail is indicated as the thick red line. (Click on the image to see a larger version)

Aside from the fact that the option 4 does not achieve one of the primary design goals of creating a continuous Martin Goodman Trail it creates a bottleneck for westbound cyclists who have to cross the street to the north side bike lane at YoYo Ma Lane. In the designs this is shown as a pedestrian activated signal with cyclists crossing with pedestrians in a crosswalk. Given the huge volume of cyclists that will be using the trail this will create many dangerous situations for cyclists and pedestrians.

Option 4 creates a hazardous situation for cyclists by directing Martin Goodman Trail users to the west bound bike lanes on the north side of the street. The trail is indicated by the thick red line.

Option 4 should be eliminated from consideration on this part of the design. For criteria A.3.3 East West Connection (MG Trail) of page 55 of the evening’s presentation: Queens Quay EA and East Bayfront EA Public Forum #3 - March 25 2009 (pdf) both option 4 and option 5 are evaluated as being equal in this regard. In fact Option 4 should be rated poor which I think should tip the overall balance in the evaluation towards Option 5.

So, the final decision has not been made there is still time to have your input into the designs to ensure that the design approved by City Council this July truly keeps with the original goals of the project. The public can comment until Friday April 17th, 2009. You can see the presentation which includes information on the designs at the following link PRESENTATION: Queens Quay EA and East Bayfront EA Public Forum #3 - March 25 2009 (pdf). The comment form which includes the contact information is at the following link: WORKBOOK: Queens Quay EA and East Bayfront EA Public Forum #3 - March 25, 2009 (pdf). You can also e-mail your comments to central@waterfrontoronto.ca.

While ensuring that the trail is a continuous off-street trail is a major concern there are other parts of the design that deserve comment. One is about the design of intersections and connections to other Bikeway Network routes. There are 4 streets with bike lanes shown in the designs that will intersect with the redesigned Queens Quay and the Martin Goodman Trail: Lower Simcoe, Yonge street, Lower Sherbourne Street and Bay street. There needs to be be a look at how these intersections will be designed to handle the flow of cyclists turning from the Martin Goodman Trail north onto the bike lanes and the flow of cyclists turning east and west onto the trail from the south bound bike lanes. The intersections should incorporate bike boxes for cyclists in the southbound bike lanes who are waiting to turn cross over to the trail and a similar queuing area for cyclists turning north from the east and west bound lanes of the trail. Bike Boxes are now a part of the TAC Bicycle Pavement Markings guidelines and should be incorporated in the design of this project. You can see an explanation of bike boxes on page 31 of a presentation from TAC at the 2008 ProWalk-ProBike Conference. New Lines on the Road: Canadas Guidelines for the Design and Application of Bikeway Pavement Markings.

Intersections need to be designed to ensure cyclists can safely and easily move from the north south Bikeway Network connecting routes to the east west Martin Goodman trail.

Another pavement marking that should be incorporated from the above guidelines is the ‘Elephant’s feet’ crossings which designate where cyclists on an off-street trail should cross a roadway. You can see an explanation of these on page 16 of the New Lines on the Road: Canadas Guidelines for the Design and Application of Bikeway Pavement Markings

At the locations where cyclists cross streets that run south of Queen’s Quay there should be separate bike crossings marked with the Elephant’s feet pavement markings.

A final concern is the loosing of the connection between the Martin Goodman Trail and the intersection of Queens Quay and Parliament Street. Currently you can ride from the Queens Quay bike lane or the Martin Goodman Trail to the short section of trail that runs on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd. between Parliament and Cherry Street. This provides a direct connection to the Lake Shore East bicycle path via the bicycle pedestrian bridge over the Don River. It is also a direct connection to the popular Distillery District. In both designs the streetcar turn loop is a barrier preventing the connection. A connector path should be made east of the loop from the Martin Goodman Trail to the south east corner of Queen’s Quay with a bike crossing with ‘elephant’s feet’ markings across Lake Shore Blvd to the path.

The removal of the bicycle lanes on the eastern portion of Queen’s Quay and the planned re-alignment of Queens Quay will remove a direct connection for cyclists to the Lakeshore East path. The designs should include a connector path to keep that connection.

Hopefully with enough public comment the balance will tip to Option 5 or Option 4 will be reworked to have the Martin Goodman Trail run between YoYo Ma Lane and Bathurst Street. Ideally the next step would be to have the section between Bathurst St. and Stadium road changed from the current on-street bike lanes to a separated two way path on the south side of the road to make the Martin Goodman Trail a truly continuous off-street trail from Humber Bay Park in the west to the Beaches in the East. As a City we get one chance to do this right. Half measures shouldn’t make the cut. So send in your comments to make sure that the plan that Waterfront Toronto recommends to the City of Toronto’s Executive Committee on June 2nd, 2009 makes cycling the waterfront a wonderful experience for Toronto residents and visitors.

There are still several steps of this ongoing environmental assessment process that have to be completed before the plans get the final seal of approval and work can start. The Mayor and the Executive Committee of Council will have the report on the agenda of their June 2nd, 2009 meeting. There will be an opportunity for deputations at this meeting so this is your chance to comment on the final recommendations for the revitalization of Queens Quay. From there it will go to Council on July 6th for approval. After that the Environmental Study Report will be filed in August and there will be a 30 day comment period in September of 2009.

So as this project inches to wards approval and ultimate completion it is more important than ever for cyclists and other trail users to keep involved in the process to show support for the options and the designs that will make this a waterfront that you can get to and through by bike.

Martin Koob

The next meeting of the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee will take place on Monday March 23, 2009. It will take place at 7:00 pm in Committee Room 2 on the second floor of Toronto City Hall at 100 Queen St. West. The meetings are open to the public. You can see the agenda at the following link. Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee Agenda, March 23 2009.

One item on the agenda is a presentation from a community organization, Cycle 26, on improving cycling infrastructure in Ward 26.

Also on the agenda is a presentation entitled 2009 Toronto Bike Plan Program. Hopefully this will include the list of the Bikeway Network Projects planned this year. Seventy kilometres of on street bike lanes have been promised this year. As well Transportation Services has assumed the responsibility for the construction of Bikeway Network trails in Toronto’s Parks. Hopefully this presentation will include plans for this area in 2009. This presentation is currently not online but should be posted after the meeting at the following link 2009 Toronto Bike Plan Program

Martin Koob

The City of Toronto is in the process of debating and approving the 2009 Operating budget and on February 18th the public has their chance to add their voice to the debate. Public hearings are scheduled for 9:30 that day. You can sign up to make a deputation or you can send your written comments into the Budget Committee. You can sign up for a deputation by calling Merle MacDonald, the Budget Committee Administrator at 416-392-7340. You can e-mail your comments to the budget committee at buc@toronto.ca. There are initiatives in the budget that cycling advocates should voice their support for to counter the predictable attacks that will come from the few Councillors who don’t see the need to adequately fund cycling programs. There are also areas that cycling advocates can point to that still need attention in order to fully realize the goals of the Bike Plan and to truly create a great cycling city.

The Toronto Bike Plan figures prominently in the 2009 Operating Budget as ‘completing the Toronto Bike Plan by 2012′ is one of the priorities of the Mayor and Council that is listed as a challenge and opportunity for the next three years for the Transportation Services Division. To meet that challenge the budget proposes to ‘Dedicate staff resources to complete the Bike Plan by 2012′. This commitment to increase funding for staff in the Operating Budget complements the actions taken in the 2009 Capital Budget, which was approved last December, to dedicate funds in the 5 year capital plan to build cycling infrastructure to complete the Bike Plan by 2012.

The details of how the staff resources will be increased can be found in the Transportation Services 2009 Operating Budget Analyst Briefing Notes. There will be a increase of $210,000 for three additional staff. The funds for this increase will come partly from the 2009 Capital Budget and partly from user fees from the Bike Locker program and from new Bike Stations. The documents also state there will also be a fourth new staff position to work on cycling initiatives which has been achieved by reassigning a postion to the cycling unit.

Bike Plan Cycling Positions ($0.111 million gross and $0 net)
Funding of $0.111 million gross and $0 net for a permanent Senior Traffic Field Investigator and a Traffic Field Investigator position is recommended in order to undertake the field investigations, traffic and parking studies necessary to increase the amount of bike lanes designed and approved from 50 kilometers in 2008 to an average of 103 kilometers over the next four years in order to complete the Bike Plan by 2012. The full cost of this new and enhanced service priority in 2010 will be $0.163 million gross and $0 net. These positions are being funded through the 2009 Approved Capital Budget.

Project Lead and Assistant Planner for Cycling Infrastructure ($0.099 million gross and $0 net) Funding of $0.099 million gross and $0 net is recommended for two permanent positions which include a Project Lead and an Assistant Planner to be responsible for enhancing delivery of cycling promotion programs including Bike Month, bicycle lockers and the development of a new Bike Share program. The Assistant Planner position is intended to replace the existing Mail Clerk position which will be eliminated resulting in an increase of one position. These positions will enhance program delivery as part of the Bike Plan and will be funded from recoveries from the 2009 Approved Capital Budget and user fees from the Bike Station and Locker program. The full cost of this new and enhanced service priority in 2010 will be $0.149 gross and $0 net.

This change to the budget demonstrates a further consolidation of the responsibilities for completing the Toronto Bike Plan within the Transportation Services division. In the past the Planning division was responsible for Cycling Safety & Education and Cycling Promotion programs. These programs have suffered from a lack of funds since the inception of the Bike Plan in 2001 with only nominal increases since that point. If these are new positions in addition to the 2 existing staff who were transferred from the Planning Division to the Transportation Services Division, this will mark the first real increase in staffing to deliver these important elements of the Bike Plan. The focus of these two staff appears to be, however, on Cycling Promotion. There is still a need to enhance the funding for Cycling Safety and Education programs.

As Toronto Bikeway Network expands there will be the need for increased maintenance for the growing number of on-street bike lanes. That is recognized in the 2009 budget as one of the reasons given for increases in the base budget in years 2009, 2010 and 2011 is the increased maintenance for newly created bike lanes.

Winter maintenance of Bike Lanes is also addressed in the 2009 Operating Budget One of the items mentioned as an initiative funded ‘Enhanced winter maintenance for bike lanes including the Martin Goodman Trail, and increased provisions for snow removal.’ Details of this initiative to clear the Martin Goodman Trail and for enhanced clearing of snow in bicycle lanes are outlined in the breifing notes for the Transportation Services budget:

• Increased priority for cyclists to clear on-street bike lanes located on main roads. For a period of 48 to 72 hours after a storm, ploughs are sent out again on the roadway to clear curb lanes, where the majority of bike lanes are located, with instructions to operators to move the snow as close as possible to curb without blocking the public sidewalk in order ensure at least 1 metre of bike lane is open for use.
• For the first time in 2009, there will be winter maintenance on parts of the Martin Goodman Trail providing two bicycle routes into the downtown core from the east from Northern Dancer Boulevard to Sherbourne Street and from the west from the Humber River Pedestrian Bridge to Bathurst Street.

While maintenance of the on-street bike lanes and the Martin Goodman Trail are getting attention in this budget there is still one large part of the Bikeway Network that is not addressed. While much of the responsibility for building new trails through Toronto’s parks has been transferred to the Transportation Services Division from the Parks Forestry & Recreation(PF&R) Division the PR&R is still responsible for the maintenance of trails that are part of the Bikeway New and for repairs and upgrades to those trails to keep them in a State of Good Repair. Looking through the Parks Forestry & Recreation Analyst Briefing notes maintenance of these trails does not get a mention. There is a need for improved maintenance on the trails that make up the Toronto Bikeway network, this includes cutting of the grass along the trails, trimming trees and shrubs along the trails, cleaning of debris on the trails and patching potholes in the trails. Just as trail maintenance was highlighted in the Transportation Services budget, trail maintenance should be given heightened attention and increased funds in the Parks Forestry and Recreation Operating Budget to support the Mayor’s and Council’s priority of completing the Bike Plan by 2012 to ensure all parts of the existing Bikeway Network are in good shape and rideable. Also, just as the Transportation Services division recognizes the need to increase the funds for bike lane maintenance as the number of lanes increases over the next 4 years, Parks Forestry and Recreation needs to build into this year’s and future year’s budgets the funds needed to maintain the new trails built as part of the project to complete the Bikeway Network by 2012. In the next 4 years both divisions also have to build up the capacity to continue to carry out the maintenance on the entire 1000 km plus network in the years beyond 2012.

The State of Good Repair backlog is another issue that needs to be addressed by the Budget Committee. There are many park trails that need to be repaved and upgraded to current trail design standards. According to the 2008 Capital budget there was a $20.48 million dollar backlog to 2006, a $20.075 million dollar estimated need in 2007. Adding to that in 2008 and 2009 was an estimated need of $1.62 million and $2.06 million respectively. That amounts to a $44 million dollar backlog of repairs that should have been done at this point to trails and pathways. (This includes not just Bikeway Network related trails but they make up a large portion of that.) In 2009 only $1.375 million is being spent to address these needs. While the funds for State of Good Repair projects comes from the Capital Budget there still needs to be funding in the Operating Budget for the staff to plan and coordinate those projects.

As the Federal Government and the City of Toronto are looking for “shovel ready’ projects for infrastructure spending under the federal government’s stimulus program they should seriously look at the parts of the Bikeway Network that have already been identified by Parks Forestry and Recreation as in need of repair. An injection of cash to repair this important component of Toronto’s cycling infrastructure would go a long way to supporting the implementation of the Bike Plan. The City should clearly state their attention to do so and a clear way to do this would be to earmark funds for staff to focus on coordinating these projects and state their intention to request the capital funds to complete these projects from the federal infrastructure funding.

Martin Koob

The Downsview Area Secondary Plan Community Meeting on December 8 consisted of about 20 to 30 booths showing plans for housing, transportation (including cycling infrastructure), and green space. Members of the public could roam from booth to booth and ask questions. As a cyclist, one of my objectives is to avoid a north-south link through the Park for automobiles. This is also the objective of City Planners, however, they are also cognizant that long term projections to 2031 show existing arterial roads around the Park will certainly be insufficient to meet traffic volumes. If a north-south link through the Park is required, extending Dufferin Street through the Park may be a preferred option because it can be built with relatively low impact to cycling links.

I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Councillor Howard Moscoe. I put forward my case for building a bike path beside the CN Rail lines all the way down to the Kay Gardiner Beltline trail, just north of Eglinton Avenue. I was pleased to hear from the Councillor that this is also part of his vision for the future of cycling paths in the area. Councillor Moscoe also emphasized a couple of times that he was the Councillor responsible for having pushed to have the Kay Gardiner Beltline trail extended westward all the way to the CN tracks.

Grand Ravine drive runs west from Keele street about half-way between Sheppard and Finch Avenues. There had been talk of extending this road east towards the northern most part of Downsview Park, about half-way between Keele and Allan Road, but this idea was shelved due in part to community opposition. I suggested extending Grand Ravine but for Cyclists only, and City Planners were certainly receptive to the idea.

City Planners are looking for input on where to build bike paths through the Park - this would be an opportunity for interested cyclists to provide input. You can email commments / suggestions for bike lanes directly to Adam Light, Planner, City of Toronto at alight@toronto.ca.

There will be another Community meeting in March/09 before the Plan goes to Council in June/09.

Sam Bootsma

Waterfront Toronto’s consultation meetings last week revealed how the plans for the Martin Goodman Trail along Toronto’s downtown waterfront are taking shape. It is exciting to see we are moving closer to see some major improvements in the cycling infrastructure in this area of the city. Final designs have not been chosen yet and among the options some are definately better than others. Now is your chance to have input and help to ensure that the best options are chosen and that any design issues with those options are pointed out before the plans are finalized.

For those of you who were not able to attend the Public Meetings on the Queen’s QuayRevitilization EA and the Lower Donlands EA the presentations and display panels are now online. Also on line are comment forms that you can send in by December 19th, 2008. The Queen’s Quay Revitalization EA and the Lower Donlands EA web pages have pdf versions of the the presentations, display panels and a workbook form for you to submit your comments. You have until December 19th to submit your comments. You can e-mail in your comments. Send your comments on the Queen’s Quay plans to central@waterfrontoronto.ca and send your comments for the Lower Donlands plans to lowerdon@waterfrontoronto.ca.

Page 78 of the Queen’s Quay presentation shows the South Side Transit: Martin Goodman Trail 1 way option you can see the entire document at the following link Queen’s Quay Revitiliation Presentation Dec. 8, 2008

I attended the Queens Quay consultation where three preferred options were presented in addition to a ‘do-nothing’ option for comparison. Two of the preferred alternatives had the east bound lanes of traffic removed south of the street car tracks removed and replaced with a continuous off-street Martin Goodman Trail. This was what was previewed in the Quay to the City Event in August of 2006. These were referred to as the ‘Southside Transit: Martin Goodman Trail’ options. The difference between the two Southside Transit: Martin Goodman Trail’ options was what would happen to the car traffic lanes north of the Streetcar Tracks. The options were to have two way or one way traffic. The third option was called ‘Center Transit: On Street Bike lanes’. This maintained the current automobile lanes on both sides of the tracks reduced them to one lane each way and added on street bike lanes.

I was surprised to see the option with the On Street Bike lanes presented at this point. It didn’t support one of the primary goals of this project which was to have a continuous Martin Goodman Trail through the central waterfront which would link up to the existing trail in the east and west. I was worried that there was opposition forming to removing the road south of the street car tracks. After the presentations was the opportunity for the participants to discuss and comment on the options. I was heartened by the fact that participants, the majority of whom lived in the area, overwhelmingly supported the ‘Southside Transit:Martin Goodman Trail’ options, there was some debate on whether the road north of the tracks should be 1 way or two way. You still have a chance to weigh in on this before December 19th.

The difficulty with the centre Transit on-street bike lanes option was that where the bike lanes would run along the curb of Queens Quay, especially on the south side of the street, the bike lanes would soon be filled with illegally parked buses and cars pushing cyclists back into the traffic. In other areas where the bike lanes would be along parked cars the dooring hazard would face cyclists. This is one route in the city that an off-street trail should be constructed so cyclists of all skill levels and ages can travel to and through the central waterfront area. This option falls well short of the vision of creating a aesthetically pleasing boulevard along the waterfront that was foreshadowed with the Quay To the City event when the asphalt was covered with grass and flowers.

This is an image of the lower Donlands Trail Plan which is on page 25 of the presentation. You can download the full presentation at the following link. Lower Donlands Presentation Dec. 10, 2008

I wasn’t able to go to the Lower Donlands meeting but I have looked over the presentation and it looks like some exciting improvements to the cycling infrastructure could be realized as part of this project. The area for this study takes in the Martin Goodman Trail on the east end of Queen’s Quay, the Martin Goodman Trail along Cherry Street south of Lake Shore Blvd. the southern Terminus of the Don Trail, the western end of the Lake Shore East boulevard path as well as the short bit of the old Martin Goodman Trail north of Lakeshore between Cherry Street and Parliament. If you have ridden through this area you know it can be difficult to navigate the intersections and connect between the trails that converge here. This project will realign streets and redesign the intersections and this provides the opportunity to really improve the trail connections and again improve the off-street paths in the area.

The trails plan is just one part of this overall project, and how the trails are configured will depend on the options chosen for the major initiatives envisioned with this plan, creating a new mouth for the Don River and then realigning existing roads such as the Eastern end of Queen’s Quay and Lakeshore Blvd. as well as planning a new road network for the portlands. You can see the options being considered in the Presentation document Lower Donlands presentation December 10th, 2008. The trails plan is on page 25 of this document. In addition to dealing with existing main trails it is considering adding connecting trails and scenic trails along the new mouth of the Don.

I haven’t had an opportunity to discuss this project with the planners but one thing I see that could impact cyclists is that it appears existing bike lanes on the eastern end of Queen’s Quay will be removed from the street and all cyclists will use the Martin Goodman Trail along Queen’s Quay. In addition the path that extended westward from the intersection of the Don Trail and the Lake Shore East Trail to Cherry Street south of the rail tracks and then extended between Cherry street and Parliament on the old Martin Goodman Trail section north of Lake Shore Blvd is not included. This means that the cyclists who currently use these two routes would be on the Martin Goodman Trail increasing the volume of users in this area. Page 25 of this document shows three panels with the Secondary Plan vision for the area. One of these is the vision for Trails. It shows that the Lakeshore Blvd. East trail would be extended further downtown beyond Parliament creating a direct commuter route. I think that should be added back into this new plan to give cyclists more options. Again you can have your say on this project by reviewing the plans and e-mailing your comments.

There are some general issues to be looked at as the trails are designed. One is trail width. When the Quay to the City Event was held the volume of cyclists increased 600% at times. Improving the connections thru the waterfront will increase trail traffic so the width of the trail should be more than the 4 m being proposed. These new trails should be at least 5 m. They should be more along the lines of the new waters edge trail that was built in Marilyn Bell park. Other issues to be looked at should be road crossings. The latest innovations should be included such as elephant feet crossings in intersections, bike signals and bike boxes for left hand turns to and from north south connecting streets. These were all things being considered by the planners but sending in your comments to show support for these things will help to ensure they make their way into the final plans and onto the ground.

Martin Koob

There are plans underway for the new Downsview Park that could potentially offer cyclists car-free recreational riding / commuting from Sheppard Avenue (between Allan Road and Keele Street) south to Eglinton Street (almost). In fact, the development of the Downsview Park may act as a catalyst for even more extensive bike paths as follows:

• Bike lanes along the Finch Hydro corridor, just north of Finch Avenue
• On street bike lanes from the corridor to the top of Downsview Park, at Sheppard Avenue
• Up to 10m wide bike lanes parallel to north-south rail road tracks (CN Newmarket sub) through Downsview Park to just north of Eglinton Avenue
• Connection with Kay Gardiner Belt-line trail running east-west to Mount Pleasant cemetery

There is an opportunity for you to be involved on December 8th and 16th where the Secondary Plan for this park will be presented and feedback will be collected on the plan and the alternatives contained in it.

Originally, development of these bike lanes and paths were fully described and costed in the late nineties report entitled “Pre-Engineering / Cost Assessment of Trail Opportunities in Rail and Hydro Corridors”.

In addition to cycling infrastructure in the area, there are also plans to build both TTC and GO stations in the northern section of the Park. This development reinforces sustainability in the sense that private automobile traffic is discouraged and cycling, walking, and public transportation traffic is optimized.

The Downsview Lands were previously used as a military base (CFB Downsview) until 1994 when the government announced the closure of the base. Title to 231.5 hectares (572 acres) of the Downsview Lands was transferred to Parc Downsview Park (PDP) in 2006. PDP is an Agent Crown corporation that reports directly to Parliament through its responsible Minister, currently the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities.

The PDP has developed Sustainable Community Development Guidelines, to provide a framework for the development of Downsview Park. The PDP mandate / vision includes:

• Building an urban recreational green space
• Be self-financing (no annual budget from federal government)
• Environmental, economic, and social sustainability

More recently, PDP has invited the City of Toronto to be a partner in the development of Downsview Park and surrounding area. The City of Toronto is now in the middle of a Secondary Plan Review and Zoning update for the area, and has hired the firm planningAlliance (http://www.planningalliance.ca/) to assist with this review. The secondary plan is expected to be complete by June 2009. As a result of the partnership, the plan will:

• be developed according to the provincial planning act
• have a hearing with the North York Community Council
• be approved by Toronto City Council

The Sustainable Community Development Guidelines describes in detail different possibilities, including cycling infrastructure. Here is what I like and dont like.

SOME GOOD THINGS IN THE DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES

1. Bicycle lanes and generous bike-friendly vehicle lanes are envisioned on every street within Downsview Park. Bus shelters, sidewalk canopies, shower facilities and preferential bicycle parking should reinforce the usefulness of non-motorized modes of transportation.
2. Decision making that affects transportation options should favour modes of travel in the following order:
   1. Walking (including assisted mobility devices);
   2. Cycling and other non-motorized vehicles;
   3. L ocal trains and buses;
   4. Commuter trains and buses;
   5. Carpooling and car-sharing;
   6. Small, fuel-efficient and/or alternative fuel vehicles;
   7. Conventional cars and trucks.
3. The design of streets and paths will prioritize walking and cycling, and will ensure connectivity between neighbourhoods, park blocks and public transit.
4. Cycling should be accommodated in all development plans by providing for dedicated routes and secure bicycle parking.
5. A cycling master plan will be developed in cooperation with the City of Toronto to provide bicycle routes throughout Downsview Park which link up with City bicycle routes.

SOME NOT SO GOOD THINGS IN THE DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES
(I have put my comments in italics)

1. A hierarchy of roads that range from collectors to pathways.
   Collectors have too much motorized traffic. I consider it a bad idea to create a short cut for motorized vehicles that will enable them to bypass congested arterial roads like Keele and Allan Road. The road system in Downsview Park park needs to be designed so it is very fast and convenient for cyclists to use it to pass through and very inconvenient (or impossible) for motorists to use it in the same way.
   
2. Paths should be a minimum of 3.0 metres in width to facilitate walking, cycling, wheelchairs, and snow removal vehicles.
   Most new bike lanes now have a standard width of 4.0 metres and bike trails in Downsview Park should be built with this wider width. We also want to emphasize that cyclists do need their own space. Cyclists need to be separated from walkers, wheelchairs, roller bladers, etc; This is especially true for those who want to use the Park as part of a commute.
3. Innovative public transit solutions should be investigated to link all of the Downsview Park neighbourhoods with the planned subway/GO train station.
   One option may be a bus route operating along the railway right-of-way. One side of the railway right of way should be for cyclists only. The other side can be for buses.

To hear more or to provide your input, you can attend one of two meetings in December about the Secondary Plan in December where City and Downsview staff will discuss Directions for a preferred alternative.

Date: Monday, December 8, 2008
Time: 6:30PM 9:00PM
Location: Downsview Secondary School, 7 Hawksdale Road

You can also provide input by writing to:

Attn: Downsview Secondary Plan Review Team
City Planning
Community Planning, North District
North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario M2N 5V7

For more information on these meetings see:
www.pdp.ca/en/corporate/landsPlan.cfm and the second page of www.pdp.ca/media/CommunityNotice17Sep2008.pdf for times and locations of Community meetings about this Plan. The secondary plan is expected to be complete by June 2009.

More information on Downsview Park and the Secondary Plan can be found at these sites:
www.downsviewpark.ca (main website for Downsview Park)
www.pdp.ca/media/PDPCorpPlanSummary.FinalApril21.pdf (Corporate Plan 2008-09 to 2012-13.
www.pdp.ca/media/SustainableCommEN.pdf (Sustainable Community Development Guidelines)
www.tixhub.com/PDP/e-newsletter/index.html (Downsview Park e-Newsletter) www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2008/ny/bgrd/backgroundfile-11457.pdf (City of Toronto Staff Report, Action Required, March 6, 2008) www.toronto.ca/planning/downsview.htm (Downsview Area Secondary Plan Review)

Sam Bootsma