Toronto cyclists, help plan TO's bike paths

Toronto cyclists, here's your chance to have a voice in how the City plans the bike paths in town.

The City of Toronto's Transportation Services division is in the process of developing a new 10-year plan for Toronto's Cycling Network. Toronto residents and businesses are being asked to provide their input by commenting on the draft Cycling Network Plan map.

A technical analysis has been undertaken to design the draft map which shows how Toronto's cycling network could be expanded and improved. More than 10,500 individuals from across the city completed the phase one survey and 3,600 individuals used the City's smart phone app to submit data from over 59,000 cycling trips. Input received from phase one consultations has been used to inform the draft map that is now being circulated as part of the second phase of consultations.

Phase two online consultation is now underway, and is available until July 31 at torontocyclingnetwork.metroquest.ca

The information collected from the online consultation will assist City staff in developing a report to Council on proposed cycling network projects to be implemented over the next 10 years.

On the draft Cycling Network Plan map, some major corridors have been identified as candidates for opportunities to create city-wide cycling connections. On these major corridors (Yonge Street, Bloor Street, Danforth Avenue, Kingston Road, Midland Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard in Etobicoke) it is recognized that to achieve any cycling network link, a Major Corridor Study would be needed to properly assess traffic impacts and work with all interested stakeholders.

Aside from allowing respondents to rank potential projects identified by the Transportation Services division, the online consultation allows residents to identify which existing cycling routes need upgrades, as well as which routes they think should be added.

The next step for the project is the phase three consultations involving drop-in consultation events, featuring conversations in motion for interested stakeholders who wish to cycle with City staff and discuss specific locations and routes on site.

Information from each phase will assist staff in developing a report to City Council on the proposed Cycling Network projects to be implemented over the next 10 years.

More information is available here.