Toronto presents plan to add 525-km of bike paths

Toronto could see an investment over the next 10-years in 525-km of cycling infrastructure if the cities transportation services plan becomes reality. The Ten Year Cycling Network Plan outlined 525-km of bike paths and will be presented to the public works and infrastructure committee on May 16. The purpose of the proposed plan is to connect the gaps in the existing cycling network, grow the cycling infrastructure into new parts of the city and renew the existing cycling paths routes to improve their quality. If the plan goes ahead, eight of Toronto’s busiest streets could be getting bike lanes. The report also included the planned investments in cycling infrastructure over 2016 to 2025.

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The plan identified approximately 525-km of new infrastructure with a total of more than 1000-km of lanes if counted in both directions. The proposed new network includes 280-km of bicycle lanes on what the report has deemed fast or busy streets, 55-km of sidewalk-level boulevard trails and 190-km of cycling routes along quieter streets.

The general manager, transportation services made four recommendations that will be considered by the public works and infrastructure committee on May 16. If the city goes forward with the recommendations, they will be voted on by the city council on June 7.

The four recommendations to the city council were: to adopt the Ten Year Cycling Network Plan, to consider as part of the annual capital and operating budget process the capital funding required to implement the proposed Ten Year Cycling Network Plan at a rate of $16 million dollars annually, to undertake detailed design and public consultation required to deliver cycling infrastructure projects contained within the plan, and to undertake and manage the Major Corridor Studies identified for new cycling infrastructure.

The estimated cost to implement the Ten Year Cycling Network Plan is estimated at approximately $153.5 million from 2016 to 2025. It presented five implementation options for consideration in the 2017 capital budget process.

The report also proposes to study cycling infrastructure on eight major Toronto corridors. If the plan is approved, the transportation services would initiate these studies along with detailed design and public consultations that would be required to deliver the cycling infrastructure projects. It would include studies on Bloor Street, Dupont Street from Dundas Street to Sherbourne Street, Danforth Avenue from Broadview Avenue to Kingston Road and Yonge Street all the way from Steeles to Front Street, which is almost the full length of the city.

“Over a 10-year period we would roughly look at doubling the amount of cycling routes in the city,” said Stephen Buckley, the city’s general manager of transportation services to the Toronto Star. “We recognize these ones are going to be particularly complicated and complex, and all of them warrant adequate stakeholder consultation and outreach before we decide on a path forward,” he said.

Read the full Ten Year Cycling Network Plan.