Metrolinx is currently conducting consultations on the Union Station - Pearsonrail link and the Georgetown GO line extension. This project while focussing on rail could have an impact on the Bikeway Network. Cyclists should get involved to make sure the project will incorporate designs that will enhance the bikeway network, include cycling facilities and allow cyclists to use the new rail services. There are public meetings between Feb 5th to 12th and there is an online consultation as well. You can see all of the details here. Metrolinx Consultation.

Some of the areas of interest for cyclists are the plans for a grade separation at Strachan avenue which has a bike lane, the impact of this project on plans for the west toronto rail path from Dundas to Strachan and the potential for completing the Humber trail below where the rail bridge crosses the Humber river. Other issues would be access and parking for cyclists at all stations. Martin Koob

The City of Toronto is calling for ideas for Bikeway Network Routes. I have quoted the press release from the Cyclometer announcement below

Subject: West End Bikeways - Call for Submissions

West-end Bikeways - Call for Submissions (Deadline November 5, 2008)

Do you live in the downtown west-end in the area bounded by Bloor and the Gardiner, from Keele to Bathurst? Do your ride a bicycle? If you answered yes, we want to hear from you!

In partnership with the Toronto Cyclists Union, the City of Toronto is seeking your ideas on bikeway projects for west-end Toronto. We are looking for quick fixes that can be built in 2009-2010, so please keep in mind potential hurdles associated with your suggestions.

The west-end challenge:

Currently, there is a "black hole" in the bikeway network in the downtown west-side. Street car tracks on east-west arteries, disjointed local streets, and railway corridors all pose challenges to accommodating bikeways.

We want your help to identify potential bikeways to be designed and implemented in 2009 and 2010. We?re not just talking bike lanes ? we?re looking for new ideas that respond to the specific challenges in the west-end.


Submit your west-end bikeway suggestions:
Text or visual submissions are welcome. Draw over a google map, the bike map, or whatever other material you like and send it in to us. You can also download a map of the study area, or pick up a hard copy at selected locations (see below for details). Or write your suggestions down in 300 words or less. Your brevity ensures submissions can be processed in a timely manner.

Send your submissions by email, fax or mail to:
Email: bikeplan@toronto.ca
Fax: 416-392-0071
Please specify 'West-end Bikeways' in the subject line for emails and faxes.
Mail: Attn: West-end Bikeways
850 Coxwell Ave. 1st Floor
Toronto ON, M4C 5RI

All submissions must be received by Wednesday November 5th, 2008

Visit www.toronto.ca/cycling/public-consultations for more information and to download:

• Study Area Map
• Call for Submissions
• And to view the list of locations where you can pick up a hard copy of the study area map and call for submissions.
  
  Thank-you in advance for your participation. All submissions will be reviewed by City of Toronto Transportation Services and the Toronto Cyclists Union in cooperation with the west-end community. Selected bikeway projects will be announced in Winter 2009.
  

On Thursday October 30th City Council voted to approve the final leg of the Annette St. Bike Lane from Runnymeade to Jane. According to an iBikeTo.ca post Annette Bike Lane Approved! the vote was 20 for and 11 against. This is a significant victory in that it showed that the new streamlined bicycle lane approval process can work to overcome the opposition of a ward councillor, it also shows what is needed to achieve that victory.

The new bike lane approval process has moved bike lanes from the Community Councils, where bike lanes were seen as a parochial issue whereby they were easily held up by Councillors to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC) where they would be seen as a city wide policy issue and there was assumed to be less chance of a hold out Councillor blocking a bicycle lane approval. Annette St. proved that the second assumption does not always hold true. However the final component of the bicycle lane approval process is that the decision of the PWIC goes to City Council for final approval. Here the decision of the PWIC against a bike lane could be overturned. The Annette St. Bike lane was the first test of the final stage of the approval process. What we have learned is that Mayor David Miller and the majority of Council will stand behind the Toronto Bike Plan and with the members of the community who want to see it implemented and right the wrong decision of the PWIC.

This vote was won in no small part by the engagement of the local community in the issue. Councillor Adrian Heaps, the chair of the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee, who lead the charge at Council to win this vote, indicated there were 200 letters of support for the bike lanes. It is reported that a large number of the letters were from the residents in the immediate vicinity of the project. This is a testament to the work of cycling advocates to engage people in this issue and in the approval process.

I think this is a significant milestone in the implementation of the bike plan and it points the way forward to future victories.

Things were looking positive for the final leg of the Annette St. Bike lanes from Jane Street to Runnymede Road. A large number of members of the local community supported them, a report from the city's transportation services department recommended them. However they were defeated by a three to two vote at the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee PWIC meeting on October 10th. There is still an opportunity to turn this decision around at the City Council Meeting on October 29th and public pressure can make that a reality. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation has posted information on how you can get involved and the e-mail addresses of who you should contact at the following page:Urgent Action Needed to Support Annette Street Bike Lane.

According to an iBikeTO.ca post No Bike Lanes on Annette it was Councillor Chin Lee Ward 41 Scarborough-Rouge River, Councillor John Parker Ward 26 Don Valley West and Councillor Councillor Mark Grimes Ward 6 Etobicoke-Lakeshore who voted to have shared lane markings or 'sharrows' installed instead of full bicycle lanes. This in spite of the fact the report from the City of Toronto's engineering staff to the committee 2008 Bikeway Network Program - Annette Street: Jane Street to Runnymede Road stated that the sharrow option "would provide less benefit and safety for cyclists than bicycle lanes." . That same report characterized the bike lanes as providing "Significant improvement for Cyclists.". Councillors Glenn De Baeremaeker Ward 38 Scarborough Centre, the chair of the PWIC, and Adam Giambrone Ward 18 Davenport, former chair of the Toronto Cycling Committee, supported the Bike Lane option.

Fortunately this committee doesn't have final say on this issue and there is an opportunity to have the original recommendation in the report supported to complete the bike lanes on Annette. The report of the PWIC will go to the City Council Meeting on October 29th, 2008. There a Councillor can bring the report to a vote on the floor of Council. However a show of public support is needed to convince the Mayor and Council to do this. Residents of Toronto who want to see the Toronto Bike Plan implemented and in this case the Annette Bike Lane completed need to make their voice heard and ensure that the Bike Lane recommendation is supported. The Toronto Coalition for Active Transportation TCAT is taking the lead to mobilize people to get involved on this issue.

TCAT has posted an announcement on their site explaining how you can add your voice to those asking council to support the bike lane option on Annette St. Urgent Action Needed to Support Annette Street Bike Lane

The Mayor, David Miller, recently issued a letter outlining his 2009 Budget priorities.Memo: Mayor's Budget Priorities 2009. Among them is the priority to "Support the full implementation of the Toronto Bike Plan by 2012", solidifying this as part of his mandate. In order to see this element of his mandate implemented he has to ensure that important segments of the Bikeway Network are not blocked by a few resistant Councillors. These three Councillors should not be able to block the sound policy recommendation from the City's engineering staff and the wishes of the large majority of the public who were involved in the consultations on this issue. The Mayor needs to use his majority on Council to overturn the vote at the PWIC and to support the original recommendtation to install bicycle lanes on Annette St. from Jane Street to Runnymede Road. Lets encourage him to ensure that the implementation of the Toronto Bike Plan occurs both at the Budget Committee and the Public Works and Infrastructure committee.

Any one who rides the Martin Goodman Trail in the east end of the city knows that the Unwin Avenue Bridge has been closed since fall of 2006. Cyclists and pedestrians have been forced to use a narrow walkway to the south side of the bridge.

For the past two years Cyclists and pedestrians on the Martin Goodman Trail have had to make their way along a narrow walkway due to the closure of the Unwin Avenue Bridge.

Last week I noticed that construction fencing had gone up around the Unwin Ave. Bridge. I had to check with Councillor Paula Fletcher's office to see if the repairs to this bridge were finally going ahead. She forwarded the question on to city staff who have informed me that not only will the vehicular bridge be rebuilt there will be a new 4.0 m wide bridge constructed to the south of the vehicular bridge.

Construction fence is up, materials are on the site and some work on the banks of the channel was started in preparation for a new cycling pedestrian bridge.

According to the staff person the new cycling and pedestrian bridge is slated to be completed by November of this year. The vehicular bridge will be completed by February. This will be a great improvement for cyclists. Before the bridge was closed it was a still a barrier as there was only one lane for cars so this lead to congestion as you waited for cars to clear the bridge. This is another small step in improving the Martin Goodman Trail. Another improvement is that with the opening of the soccer fields north of Cherry Beach the construction fencing has been moved off the trail. There is also a new access trail on the west side of the soccer fields between the Martin Goodman Trail and Unwin.

An access path runs from the Martin Goodman Trail east of Cherry Beach along the west side of the soccer fields up to Unwin. As of last week crews were still working on the parking lots.

The trail is now clear between Cherry Beach and Regatta Road is clear now that the construction fencing has finally been removed.

The next step is to improve the trail between the Unwin Ave. bridge and Leslie street. The first step would be to replace the grates with bike friendly ones.

There are three grates on the shoulder of Unwin Ave. that serves as the Martin Goodman Trail east of Leslie Street that can trap unsuspecting cyclists tires. Replacing these is a task long overdue.

There have been plans to construct a separate trail south of Unwin Ave. linking up with the Leslie Street spit as part of the new Lake Ontario Park. I have not heard any developments around this for a while.

The final leg of the Annette St. Bicycle lanes, from Runnymeade Road to Jane Street, are up for approval at the October 10th, 2008 meeting Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC). This is a victory for the community who worked to see the this new link in the Toronto Bikeway Network completed and it offers some lessons for other communities as to how to overcome some of the hurdles to getting these projects approved. In this case is was misperceptions that stood in the way of better cycling infrastructure in the neighbourhood. The first misperception was that on the part of some local businesses that there would not be enough parking after the bike lanes were installed. The second misperception was on the part of the local Councillor, Bill Saundercook Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park that there was not a lot of community support for the bike lanes as he was prepared to see the approval of these bike lanes put off.

At the June 2008 meeting of the PWIC a proposal for bicycle lanes on Annette from Jane Street to Dundas Street West was amended to leave out the Runnymeade to Jane stretch pending further consultations so only the Runnymeade Rd. to Dundas St. W. section was approved. This was due to the concerns of some business owners on the street who were concerned with the reduction of parking on the street as construction of the bicycle lane would require the elimination of parking on one side of the street.

This is not the first time that perceptions of insufficient on-street parking space have derailed a bike lane. Thankfully however public pressure forced the second round of consultations and an in depth parking study to determine if there was public support for the bike lanes; and if there would be sufficient parking after the bicycle lanes were installed. The answer to both questions was yes.

The parking survey found that in its current design this section Annette Street has 126 parking spots, but the parking demand was a maximum of 58 vehicles which was during the overnight period. The construction of the bike lane would lead to a reduction of parking spaces to 67 which is still in excess of demand. You can read the report for the full results of the parking study. 2008 Bikeway Network Program - Annette Street: Jane Street to Runnymede Road - Staff Report Oct. 2008. The report summarizes their findings in the following paragraph.

The businesses along Annette Street have consistently expressed their concern that eliminating parking on one side of the street will negatively impact their business. The parking surveys indicates that the existing parking supply significantly exceeds the demand for parking. The number of parked cars observed during mid-day, evening and overnight periods can be accommodated on one side of the roadway, however, drivers may need to park a little further from their destination.

The report above also describes the second public consultation meeting on September 15th and three options presented which were:
Option 1 - Dedicated Bike Lanes on AnnetteStreet
Option 2 - Shared Roadway Routes on parallel streets
Option 3 - Shared Roadway Route on Annette Street.

Over 150 people attended the meeting and 90 responded to a survey that was distributed to those in attendance 81% picked Option 1, the bike lane from Jane to Runnymeade as their first choice. The report notes that most of those who responded were from the local community. In addition there were 55 e-mails received in support of Option 1. This proved that any misperceptions that there is not support for the bike lanes in the local community were unfounded. You can read the report for the full results of the survey.

From this we can learn two things that can point the way to future successes in these struggles. One is that we have to fight misperceptions with facts. It is often misperceptions presented as facts that stymie the approval of cycling infrastructure projects. The second is that it is possible to mobilize a community in support of a cycling infrastructure project. Over 120 people either came to a meeting and filled in a survey or sent in an e-mail in support of this project. That is what made the difference and that is why the initial defeat of the project is about to be turned into a victory. Congratulations to the members of the community who got involved to push this forward.

This project has another couple of steps to go for final approval. This report will be presented to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee next Friday October 10th, 2008 and needs their approval to proceed. Then it goes on to the full City Council for final approval. Residents of Toronto who want to see this project approved would be well advised to contact the Committee members and express their support one last time especially given what surprise at last month's PWIC meeting when two bike lane projects were not approved.

The City's push to install 50 km of new bike lanes in 2008 has started to falter and support from Toronto residents is needed to get it back on track. The first hint of trouble was the failure by the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee to approve the full project on Annette at their June 2008 meeting leaving out an important leg from Runnymede to Jane Street. see previous article This section does have a second chance to actually get approved and now is your opportunity to help ensure that happens. A public meeting will be held on the Annette Bike Lane on September 15th. It is important that cyclists who ride on Annette or would ride on Annette if the bike lane was there speak out in support of the bike lanes either by attending the meeting or by sending in letters of support. The details of the meeting and the addresses to contact are included in the announcement quoted from the recent issue of the City's Cyclometer newsletter quoted below.

Annette Bike Lane - Public Meeting

Date: Monday September 15th, 2008
Time: 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Location: James Culnan Catholic School, 605 Willard Avenue
(Southeast of Dundas St. W and Jane St.)

Councillor Saundercook (Ward 13) is hosting a public meeting on the portion of the Annette bike lane from Runnymede Rd. to Jane St.

In June 2008 Council approved bike lanes on Annette from Runnymede Rd. to Dundas St. West. The meeting will present and solicit feedback on the options for providing bike facilities between Runnymede Road and Jane Street.

Cyclists are invited to attend the meeting to share their comments on the bike lane project.

If you are unable to attend the meeting you can submit comments to:

David Dunn
Pedestrian & Cycling Infrastructure Unit
City of Toronto
22nd Floor, City Hall
100 Queen St. W
Toronto ON M5H 2N2
Email: bikeplan@toronto.ca
Fax: 416-392-4808

and/or

Councillor Bill Saundercook
Tel: 416-392-4072
Fax: 416-696-3667
Email: councillor_saundercook@toronto.ca

The parochial nature of city politics means that a Councillor can veto the approval of a bike lane in spite of it being part of a city wide network. Faced with this fact cyclists have to show there is more support for a bike lane than there is opposition. If Councillors see they have more to gain and less to lose come voting day in 2010 by supporting the Bike Lanes they may convinced. All cyclists who use this route should make sure you have your voices heard on this. If cyclists are from Ward 13 they should make that known at the meeting and in letters to the Councillor.

Currently the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission are holding consultations on a proposed light rail transit route on Eglinton Avenue from Renforth Ave. in the west to Kennedy subway station in the east. This is part of the city's Transit City Projects. In the west end of Toronto a separated bike path runs in the boulevard on the south side of Eglinton from Renforth Ave. to Jane Street. The Toronto Bike Plan includes a proposal to extend that path further to Bicknell just west of Keele. The Eglinton LRT plan holds the potential to extend this bike route to Kennedy.

The Eglinton LRT project FAQ's on the Eglinton LRT project website include a question about bike lanes as quoted below.

Bike Lanes

Q14) Will there be bike lanes on any portion of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT route?

Bike lanes will be considered for inclusion along or adjacent to the entire route. In many instances, bicycle routes currently exist parallel to Eglinton Avenue, and could potentially serve as the bicycle path along the corridor.

The fact that bike lanes or a bike path are being considered does not guarantee that they will be included. Support from the community would help to ensure that they are included and input from the cycling community would help to ensure that the design of this route will be safe, convenient and enjoyable. There is an opportunity to get involved in the consultations and have your say.

Tuesday, August 19
6:30pm to 9:00pm
Leaside Arena, 1073 Millwood Rd.

Monday, August 25
6:30pm to 9:00pm
Humber Valley United Church, 76 Anglesey Blvd.

Wednesday, August 27
6:30pm to 9:00pm
Don Montgomery Community Recreation Centre
(Formerly the Mid Scarborough Community Centre)
2467 Eglinton Ave, E.

Thursday, September 4
6:30pm to 9:00pm
Richview Baptist Church
1548 Kipling Avenue (just north of Eglinton Ave W.)

You can get more details on the project, the consultations and contact information at the Eglinton LRT project website.

This year a section of the path from Royal York Road to the bridge over the Humber river is being upgraded. The Eglinton LRT project should provide the impetus to keep improving the sections from Scarlet Road to Jane and extending it from Jane to Bicknel and futher west.

The section of the Eglinton Bike path is undergoing upgrades this year which will add to the upgrades done in past years from Mimico Creek to Royal York Road.

The first priority should be extending the path over the Humber bridge by building a two way separated bike path on the south side of the roadway.

There is a large unused portion of the roadway on the bridge over the humber that could accomodate a separated two way bike path to join up the existing paths to the east and west.

Eglinton could become a major east west route through Toronto if the final plans for the LRT include bike paths and bike lanes along its entire route. Now is your chance to get involved and help that happen.

On July 7th, 2008 the Etobicoke York Community Council will consider the future of the 1950's era cloverleaf interchange of the South Kingsway and The Queensway. The plan they are considering however, though looks more like the past than the future. The interchange will remain intact with a few workarounds to attempt to address the safety issues and barriers faced by pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. A local citizen's organization T.U.R.N Toronto Urban Renewal Network lead by Marty Collier is working to see that doesn't happen and that the reconstruction of this intersection is in keeping with the change in direction our city has to make from a car centric urban infrastructure to one that will allow and encourage Torontonians to travel by bike, on foot and by transit.

Waterfront Toronto will be holding a consultation on plans for improving the Martin Goodman Trail through Ontario Place and Coronation Park. It will be Thursday June 26th from 5:30 - 8:30 pm at the Waterfront Toronto Offices at 20 Bay Street, Suite 1310. You can see the announcement here MARTIN GOODMAN TRAIL (ONTARIO PLACE) PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE. The purpose of this meeting is to present plans for the construction of a realigned Martin Goodman Trail which is planned to start in the fall of 2008 and finish by the summer of 2009. The details of the plan were presented at a January 2008 meeting. You can see the presentation document here. PRESENTATION: Martin Goodman Trail Public Meeting - January 24, 2008. You can find more information about this project at the Waterfront Toronto web site Waterfront Toronto - Martin Goodman Trail (Ontario Place)

I was riding on the Martin Goodman Trail from Ontario Place to the Humber River when I noticed signs posted regarding a consultation on the Western Waterfront Master Plan.

This sign has been posted at both ends of the study area of the Western Waterfront Master Plan. (Click image for a larger view)

There are no announcements of future meetings yet. The sign above has the contact information for the Councillors and the planner involved. If you have concerns and want to be involved in the consultations contact them.

On June 4th, 2008 the second phase of the 2008 Bikeway Network Program of installation of bicycle lanes is on the agenda of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee (PWIC). This time there are 4 bike lanes totaling 7.6 km up for approval. While this is positive, with more bike lanes being approved in one meeting than there were in all of 2007, there is still some bad news in the report. Staff Report: 2008 Bikeway Network Program Phase 2 installation of Bike Lanes. The report states that there is support for the projects from the Councillors, Howard Moscoe Ward 15, Gord Perks Ward 14, Adam Giambrone Ward 18, Adrian Heaps Ward 35, and Bill Saundercook Ward 13. However Councillor Saundercook's support for the Annette St. bike lane is qualified. One section of the bike lane on Annette will not be going forward for approval at this meeting.

This image of the Toronto Bicycle Map has been edited to show some of the proposed bicycle lanes in Phase 2 of the 2008 bike lane program. The orange lines show the bike lanes proposed in 2008 for Annette St., Dupont Ave. and Lansdowne Ave. The orange dashed line from Runnymede Rd. to Jane St. shows the section that was dropped from this proposal . The Lansdowne Bike lanes should be up for approval in the fall. When these projects are completed it will create a linked route of bike lanes from Runnymede to Bay St. and further east via the Davenport bike lane.

The bike lanes on Annette will be shorter than originally planned due to the objections of some businesses on Annette. The Bike Plan recommended that these lanes run all the way to Jane street. A signed route was proposed on Baby Point Road, which intersects with Jane and Annette. This would connect with a proposed signed route along Humbercrest Blvd. This bike lane, along with the route on Dupont from Dundas Street West to Lansdowne also up for approval on June 4th, would have provided a direct bike route for local cyclists too and from the Humber Trail system via an entrance at Magwood Park off of St. Marks Road. The report outlines some alternate routes but they do not hold to the guiding principles that are to be used as Toronto builds the Bikeway Network of connectivity/continuity, directness and safety.

The dropping of the Runnymede to Jane section of the Annette Street bicycle lane shows that even with the new streamlined bicycle lane approval process approved this past January there is still a need for local residents who want improved cycling infrastructure in their neighbourhoods to get involved and voice their support for these projects when they come up for consultations and approvals. Pressure from a few residents concerned about the loss of some parking spaces caused Councillor Bill Saundercook Ward 13 Parkdale-High Park to back away from his election commitment to support a bike lane right to Jane. In this case and in others sure to come over the next 4 years this resistance has to be countered with messages of support from residents who want safe and direct bike routes for them and their children to use for transportation and recreation.

There is still time for you to have your voice heard on this project. You can send a written deputation to the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee or register to make an in person deputation by contacting the Committee Administrator at pwic@toronto.ca. You can also send a copy of you letter of support for the bike lane to Councillor Saundercook at councillor_saundercook@toronto.ca. Ongoing pressure could see this gap in the Bikeway Network filled in at some point.

The fact that this one project has been cut back should not diminish the success in getting the other three projects approved. The bike lane on Pharmacy is especially significant development. This is in the ward of Councillor Adrian Heaps, the Chair of the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee and and is the first of a set of projects up for approval this year that start to extend the Bikeway Network into Scarborough.

Phase 3 of the Bikeway Network program will be on the agenda of the June 27th PWIC where 21.3 km of bicycle lanes should be up for approval. Keep an eye on the PWIC Agendas/Minutes page about a week before the meeting to see the agenda and the phase 3 report.