The Climate Change Plan that the City has been working on was made public today on the city website. There are several documents that make up the report. I have had time to scan just a few of them looking for how the Bike Plan is incorporated. If you want to read in more detail there are links to the documents from the June 18, 2007 agenda of the Parks and Environment Committee. At that meeting there will be deputations from the public on what they think of the plan that has been developed.

The first opportunity to have input on what the plan should incorporate was back on April 29th, 2007 at the Climate Change Action Forum. The report on the results of this consultation, which was included with today's report, indicated that "During the public engagement process, a large number of participants expressed a desire to see the City move quickly on the development of bikeways and make it easier and safer for people to cycle around the City." That input seems to have had an impact as the Potential Action number 7 to 'complete the Bikeway Network by 2012' has been incorporated in the recommendations and has been fleshed out with more details as to what that would entail.

The recommendations pertaining to the Bike Plan are among the recommendations under the section Making More Sustainable Transportation Choices, specifically recommendations 8. b. and 8. c.

8. City Council recognize that approximately one-third of the locally generated greenhouse gases and a significant portion of smog causing pollutants come from the operation of motor vehicles and that over one-half of the comments received during the public engagement process expressed a desire to see a more sustainable transportation system, and that City Council:
   
   2. direct the General Manager of Transportation Services and General Manager of Parks, Forestry and Recreation to report in 2007 on the actions and resources required to complete the infrastructure elements of the Bike Plan by the end of 2012, in particular expanding the existing network of bike lanes and trails from over 300 kilometres to 1,000 kilometres, with a timetable that establishes annual expansion objectives;
   3. prepare in 2007 a Sustainable Transportation Implementation Strategy, that draws from and is consistent with existing policies and plans (e.g. the Official Plan; the Bike Plan; Transit City Plan; the TTC Ridership Growth Strategy; and the Walking Strategy) to achieve the greenhouse gas emission and smog emission reduction targets by including:
      
      1. the articulation of a long-term vision of a sustainable transportation system which achieves the targeted emission levels while meeting the economic needs of the city;
      2. the identification and prioritization of short-term transportation projects that will accelerate the achievement of the City's sustainable transportation agenda; and
      3. the creation of a Strategic Transportation Planning Group, comprised of the Chief Planner, the General Manager of Transportation Services, the Chief General Manager of the TTC, the President of the Toronto Parking Authority, the Managing Director of GO Transit and the Director of the Toronto Environment Office, to establish priorities and oversee the coordination of the planning, implementation and operation of the City's sustainable transportation system;

Getting the Bike Plan incorporated into the Climate Change Plan is an important step in getting some action on seeing it completed. The report on the resources required and the actions needed will be the basis of a plan to see actual accelleration. The next step will be to put the dollars behind the plan when the 2008 budget gets set and the 5 year budget plan is developed.

If you have comments on this plan you can make deputations to the Committee on Monday June 18th, 2007. You can call the City Clerk's Office 416-392-6662. You could also send in written comments to the clerk of the committee at mcarrol@toronto.ca.