At their May 8th, 2007 meeting the Parks and Environment Committee will have a presentation Item PE 4.1 on May 8th Agenda giving a progress report on the Parks Renaissance Strategy. The Parks Renaissance Strategy - Progress Report identifies 7 Action Areas two of which focus on the trails in parks.

• Public expectation is for a high quality parks and trails system; Staff report for action on Parks Renaissance Strategy - Progress Report 4
• Primary objectives are to ensure all parks, natural areas and trails are clean, beautiful, well-maintained and exhibit a high quality of design;
• Universal accessibility should be a foundation of parks and trails design to address use by all ages and levels of ability; and
• The redesign of parks and trails can provide opportunities for tree planting to significantly increase the City's Urban Forest.

• Expanding the trail system to create a connected parks and trails system can be a relatively quick and simple way to begin work towards the Parks Renaissance;
• Staff report for action on Parks Renaissance Strategy - Progress Report 5 Purchasing lands and easements for the creation of trails should be a high acquisition priority for the parks system; Create a plan and process for guiding and monitoring ongoing trail development; and
• Establish a network of “green streets” that provides landscaped linkages to parks and trails along public rights-of-way.

This focus on trails as an integral part of Toronto's Parks as well as Toronto's transportation system is commendable and gives some hope that the neglect that has plagued Toronto's park trails will be addressed. Although it doesn't state it explicitly the actions stated here mesh with the Toronto's Bike Plan's goal of completing the 1074 km Bikeway Network. One point that could be added to the points above is to integrate the park trails and "green streets" into the on-street Bikeway Network.

If this strategy is to have any success it will have to be backed up with money. The funding in the 2007 budget and in the 5 year capital budget plan for keeping the park trails in a state of good repair is inadequate. Those budgets have also set aside little for building new trails. (see PF&R Capital Budget issues- 2007). There is also a need for staff dedicated to overseeing the work to develop and upgrade the park trails network. Council and Senior Staff of the Parks Forestry and Recreation Division should ensure that the 2008 operating and capital budgets and 2008 - 2012 5 year capital plan have the funds to ensure these goals are realized.

They should also find a way to ensure that a lone Councillor can't stand in the way of developing a city wide network as is happening with the McCowan Park Trail. (See McCowan Park Article).

The strategy being presented tomorrow is a draft strategy and the final report will be developed and will be available in the fall for public consultation. However if you want to make comments now you could send them to the Councillors on the Parks and Environment Committee .

The precinct planning process for the stretch of Toronto Waterfront from Jarvis Street to Cherry Street, known as the East Bayfront Precinct, has started with the selection of an architectural firm(see press release) and the setting of the first public consultation meeting. The Secondary Plan for the Central Waterfront has been completed and it lays out in general terms what the waterfront should look like. You can see the entire plan along with maps at the City of Toronto's waterfront web site:Making Waves - Central Waterfront Plan Part II. The actual location of parks, open spaces, roads, promenades, bike paths as well as building location and form are decided at the Precinct Planning stage prior to the zoning being set. The public can have a say in developing the Precinct Plan through a series of public consultations which are planned.

The first Precinct Planning public meeting will be held on Tuesday October 7th, 2003 from 7:00 pm to 9:30 pm. It will be at The Distillery at 55 Mill Street in the Fermenting Room. The details and directions are listed in this Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corp. news release: East Bayfront Precinct Planning: Invitation to Community Forum(PDF).

The Toronto Parks and Recreation Department are in the process of drafting a ten year strategic plan to look at improving the programs, services, parks and facilities of the Parks and Recreation Department. They are currently in a process of gathering feedback from the community on the draft documents. The initial discussion documents are available online. There is the full report: Draft Goals and Directions Discussion Paper (PDF) and the executive summary: Toward A Healthy, Active Future: Toronto Parks and Recreation in 2010(PDF) . I scanned through it looking for references to improving cycling as a form of recreation in the Parks or using bikes as an environmentally friendly way to travel to one of the parks. I was surprised to find there was no reference to cycling. The Parks and Recreation is an important player in the implementation of the Toronto Bike Plan. They are are responsible for the trails in the parks that make up part of the Bikeway Network and for delivering Toronto's main cycling education programs CAN-Bike.

Given that the Parks and Recreation department can play a big role in making Toronto more bicycle friendly their strategic plan should include measures to improve the sevices and facilities for cyclists. There is still an opportunity for residents to contact the people that are working on developing this plan and let them know how the experience for cyclists can be improved in the parks. You can write or e-mail them and let them know what you would like to see improved. There are many questions you could think about as you read the draft plan and think about what your response is . Is there enough bicycle parking at your local rink, community centre or park? Is the signage sufficent for you to find your way in, through or out of the parks? Are you satisfied with the washroom facilites as you ride thru the parks? Are there other services or facillities that you think parks should offer? If you want to send your responses to these and other questions you can do so by e-mail, fax or regular mail by June 30th, 2003. The contact info is below

e-mail: stratplan@toronto.ca

mail:
Parks and Recreation Strategic Plan
100 Queen Street West
8th Floor, East Tower
Toronto, ON
M5H 2N2

Fax: (416) 392-8565

Cherry Beach Open House

As part of the Portlands Preparation Project, the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC) and the City of Toronto extend an invitation to the public to attend an Open House on the Cherry Beach Maintenance Plan Project.

Information will be available on the proposed repairs and improvements to the Cherry Beach park. TWRC representatives and City of Toronto staff will be present to answer questions on the Project.



DATE: Wednesday, June 4, 2003

TIME: 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Cherry Beach Parking Lot

(Foot of Cherry Street) at Unwin and Cherry Street

For more information, please call (416) 952-6121

There is planning work being done to look at increasing the transportation capacity of the Don Valley Corridor. This could have a direct impact on the Don Trail and the surrounding Don Valley. If you want to have input on that plan there will be a public meeting on April 3rd. Details are in an e-mail quoted below from Councillor Pam McConnel.

Hello everyone,

In a response to Council's request for staff to examine traffic on the Don Valley Parkway and assess opportunities to improve transportation operations and capacity in the Don Valley Corridor, the City Planning Division of Urban Development Services is preparing a study in accordance with the Master Planning process.

The purpose of the study is to identify possible transportation improvements for implementation over the short, medium, and long-term. The study area is very large and extends from Steeles Avenue in the north to Lake Shore Boulevard in the south, and from Bayview / Leslie in the east to Victoria Park in the west.

An important part of this process is public consultation with affected communities. A meeting for the west side of the Don Valley Corridor has been set up for:

Thursday April 3 - 7:30pm
Rosedale United Church - Gymnasium
159 Roxborough Drive (Glen Road and Roxborough Drive)

Attached is a newsletter explaining the process and providing additional information such as contacts for questions and concerns. The newsletter is readable in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Alternately, you can find this information on the City's website at www.toronto.ca/planning/dvp.htm .

It is important for neighbouring residents to provide input into these studies as any changes to the Don Valley Parkway would necessarily affect our neighbourhoods.

I understand that there will be additional public meetings in other locations as the review progresses and I will let you know about these as information becomes available.

Please feel free to forward this email to others in your neighbourhood.

Pam McConnell
Councillor, Ward 28

As it says in the letter there will be more meetings and discussion on this issue. I will try and post more when it becomes available.

Work has been going on for a couple of years on the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant Landscape Design. That process is coming to a close and the public are invited to see the result. This design covers the area between the base of the Leslie Street Spit to Coxwell Avenue, south of Lake Shore Boulevard. Part of that project will be the construction of new walking and cycling trails around the treatment plan and along the waterfront as well as the construction of links to the current Martin Goodman Trail in the area(See previous article.).

On Saturday March 29th, 2003 there will be an Open House at the Treatment Plant where the final plan will be presented. After this the next stage is for this plan to go to City Council on April 30th. The schedule for March 29th is:

9:30 - 10:30 Open House
10:30 - 11:30 Presentation by Consultant Team
11:30 - 12:00 Question and Answer Period
12:00 - 12:45 Lunch
12:45 - 2:00 Guided tour of the site

The event will be at the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant at 9 Leslie Street (just south of Lake Shore Boulevard East). If you want to attend you have to register in advance at the 24 hour registration line at 416-392-9365.

If you want more information regarding the Site Design process you can see the Sight Design Page. If you have questions you can contact the Public Consultation Coordinator Julie McCormack at 416 392-3179 or e-mail at jmccorm2@toronto.ca.

On June 8th, 2002, with a big celebration, Pickering opened a the Petticoat Creek Pedestrian Bridge to complete another link in the Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. Mayor Arthurs of Pickering spoke along with several dignitaries. I saw this story on the News page on the Pickering web site. You can get more details about the bridge there and also more photos there.

Once we saw there was a new link we had to check it out and see what other improvements had been made to the trails in Pickering and Ajax. In order to get there quickly, and to save our legs for exploring beyond Toronto's borders, we took our bikes on the GO Train to Rouge Hill Station for a short ride to Petticoat Creek Conservation Area. ...(more)

The Ashbridges Bay Site Design Project is a project that will see landscaping occur around the perimeter of the Ashbridges Bay Treatment Plant which is located on the Lake Ontario shoreline between Leslie Street and Coxwell Avenue. Part of that project will be the construction of new walking and cycling trails around the treatment plan and the construction of links to the current Martin Goodman Trail in the area. Earlier in the process there was some consideration of rerouting the Martin Goodman Trail along the lake between the Leslie Street Spit and Coxwell Avenue south of the treatment plant. It appears the preferred option now it to maintain the Martin Goodman trail in its current course and have linkages between it and the new circuit that will go around the treatment plant.

A process of community consultation has been a part of this project. It has been going on since January 2001. They hosted two Design Charrettes or workshops which looked at four design options.
These have different routings for the Martin Goodman Trail (the blue line) and the new walking/cycling path or 'circuit' (the green line). Through that process they have narrowed it to the option in the upper left hand corner of the above graphic. You can get more information on the possible designs on the Design page of their web site.

There will be a final design charrette or workshop ...(more)

There is a story in the Toronto Star today, March 15, 2002 on page A4 about the delay in approving several Waterfront Trail Projects along lake Ontario and Lake Erie from Kingston to Port Colbourne. They are waiting for money from the Provincial Government SuperBuild fund.

On the Star's web site there is also a list of projects that are waiting for money from the SuperBuild fund to go ahead. The list of projects is impressive. These projects, if completed, will enhance the experience of cycling the Waterfront by filling in the missing links. It will enhance the cycle tourism opportunities for Ontario and Toronto.

This decision is in the hands of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation. The Minister is Tim Hudak. You can contact him at Minister.Hudak@omt.gov.on.ca and lend your support to these projects.

On Saturday November 23, 2001 we noticed that some spot repairs were done to the asphalt on the west end of the Taylor Creek bike path.

Prior to that the surface was quite uneven, it had been damaged due to heavy flooding one year. In one section the asphalt sank so there was a hole that took half of the path as you can see.

I had received comments about this section from TBN members and passed them on to the parks department this summer. The work is now completed and looks pretty good. Here is that same section.

Some sections where the edge had crumbled away were repaired.

While others were left.

By and large though it is a big improvement in the safety and rideability of that stretch.

There is not yet a formal mechanism for reporting trail damage. Developing that is part of the Bike Plan. In the meantime you can let me know of any problems that you see by posting them on this message board www.tbn.ca/biketoronto or by emailing me at tcc-rep@tbn.ca. I will pass them on to the appropriate City staff.

Martin Koob
tcc-rep@tbn.ca

There is a proposal that has been made to study the idea widening of the Don Valley Parkway. The proponents of this want to add two toll lanes in each direction. This proposal will come to the next city council meeting on November 6th. This motion was defeated at a Planning and Transportation Committee meeting last June but it could be passed at council.

The Don Trail is an important transportation corridor for cyclists and widening the DVP will have a direct and indirect impact on cyclists.

There is a group organizing to oppose this expansion. They are finding inspiration in the group of citizens that successfully opposed the Spadina Expressway. The committee to stop the DVP expansion will have an event this Thursday evening. Below are the details.

In the late fifties, the city began planning the Spadina Expressway. The highway would have connected the 401 to the Gardiner Expressway cutting a slice right through the Annex.

What followed was the Stop Spadina campaign.

It has been called "one of the most effective citizens' protest movements Toronto has ever seen".

Join us for an evening of speakers and short films including "The Burning Would", a film made by Jane Jacobs and Marshall McLuhan.

STOP SPADINA!

Thirty years later.

A celebration.

Thursday November 1st

7PM, Bloor Cinema

Fiona Nelson Allan Sparrow Bobbi Speck Clive Doucet

$5 suggested donation.

organised by the campaign to stop the dvp expansion

Apparently the council is split on the issue and it could go either way. You can let your Councillor know of your opinions on this issue.

Martin Koob
tcc-rep@tbn.ca

I was on the Wilket Creek trail yesterday (Sept. 4, 2001) and found that the paving has been completed. The path is in good shape. I don't have photos but imagine fresh black pavement where none was before. The only work that remains to be done is that paving should be done on the approaches to the three bridges immediately south of Edwards Gardens. The is still just gravel or rough pavement for a couple of feet on the south side of each of these bridges. The path is rideable if you are careful on these three spots.

For more info see the previous report.

Martin Koob
tcc-rep@tbn.ca