Item - 2021.ie26.9

City Council considered Items IE26.9 and IE26.10 together.

The Infrastructure and Environment Committee recommends that:

1. City Council endorse, in principle, the new bikeway projects contained in the Near-Term Implementation Program (2022 – 2024) as outlined in Attachment 2 to the report (November 18, 2021) from the General Manager, Transportation Services as the focus of Transportation Services' cycling budget and capital implementation program, including the initiation of feasibility analyses, public consultation, and detailed design.   

2. City Council authorize the General Manager, Transportation Services, to initiate the near-term studies of the Major City-Wide Cycling Routes as outlined in Attachment 3 to the report (November 18, 2021) from the General Manager, Transportation Services, and to bring forward the findings of these studies and recommendations regarding future implementation at the appropriate time.

3. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to work with the City Clerk and the City Solicitor on streamlining the process for submission of by-law changes and bills associated with Council-approved bikeways, in order to accommodate minor changes to the projects as may be necessary to address operational and safety issues as they may arise through the detailed design and implementation of approved bikeway process.

4. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, as part of the design, installation, and monitoring of new bikeway projects, to continue to work in consultation with the local Councillors, stakeholders, and residents to identify and implement changes to the bikeway projects contained in the Near-Term Implementation Program, before and after installation.

5. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services, to request, as part of the annual budget process, the capital funding required to implement the Near-Term Cycling Implementation Program (2022 - 2024),  as well as the operating budget required to fund the maintenance costs of newly constructed bikeways.

6. City Council direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to consider the feasibility of constructing a grade separated crossing of the Richmond Hill rail corridor, in consultation with Metrolinx, to connect the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail from Pineway Boulevard east to the Old Cummer GO station as part of the Finch Hydro Corridor Trail study.

Infrastructure and Environment Committee considered items IE26.9. and IE26.10 together.

The Cycling Network Plan adopted by City Council in July 2019 seeks to build on the existing network of cycling routes to Connect gaps in the current network, Grow the network into new parts of the city, and Renew existing parts of the network to improve safety - with corresponding objectives and indicators for measuring and evaluating success.

The Cycling Network Plan consists of three components: a Long-Term Cycling Network Vision, the Major City-Wide Cycling Routes, and a three year rolling Near-Term Implementation Program. The plan components, objectives and indicators are aligned with a multitude of City policies including the Official Plan, TransformTO and the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan.

This report is a two year review of the Cycling Network Plan, as requested by City Council. It includes a status update of the 2019 - 2021 Near-Term Implementation Program, recommendations of new Major City-Wide Cycling Routes studies, and it seeks City Council endorsement of the 2022 – 2024 Near-Term Implementation Program. This report also includes additional recommendations to aid in the delivery of bikeways, and responds to a number of previous cycling-related motions.

The 2019 – 2021 Near-Term Implementation Program proposed 65 centreline kilometres of new bikeways and over 35 centreline kilometres of routes to be studied.

From 2019 to 2021, 65 centreline kilometres of new bikeways were installed:

- 35 centreline kilometres of cycle tracks;

- 11 centreline kilometres of bike lanes;

- 6 centreline kilometres of multi-use trails;

- 13 centreline km of neighbourhood routes (6 kilometres contra-flow bike lanes and 7 kilometres sharrows, along with traffic calming). 
 

There were also approximately 47 centreline kilometres of upgrades and enhancements to existing cycling routes installed.

Meeting the 2019 – 2021 Near-Term Implementation Program delivery goals was made possible by the ActiveTO Cycling Network Expansion Program in 2020 and 2021, which accelerated 27 centreline kilometres of bikeway projects. Without the ActiveTO program, Transportation Services would have fallen short of the Council directed Near-Term Implementation Program delivery goals.

While Transportation Services achieved the proposed targets, some of the ActiveTO routes displaced other projects originally identified for 2019 to 2021, so not every Near-Term Program project has been implemented.

The bikeway implementation over the past three years is unprecedented in Toronto's history and has resulted in faster progress towards the Cycling Network Plan's goal of having cycling accessible within close proximity (250 metres and 500 metres) of the City's population and jobs — 67.1 percent  in 2021 up from 62.8 percent in 2018. This percentage increase translates to approximately 180,000 more people living and working with close access to a cycling route than did in 2018.   

The demand for new bikeways in Toronto is high. City Council has directed Transportation Services through adopted policies contained in the TransformTO Climate Action Strategy, Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild’s COVID-19: Impacts and Opportunities report, as well as a number of project-specific motions to continue to accelerate the delivery of an unprecedented amount of new bikeways.

Since the adoption of the Cycling Network Plan in 2019, Toronto has faced new and deepening challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has highlighted racial and socio-economic disparities in the City's health care, economic, and transportation systems. The inequitable outcomes of the current systems and past practices demonstrate the need to transform many of the City's systems including how transportation projects are planned and implemented, including bikeway projects delivered by the City.  

The prioritization framework used to identify bikeway projects for the Near-Term Implementation Program is informed by new and emerging equity analyses, such as crowded transit routes, locations of essential services, and areas of parkland need.

The 2022 – 2024 Near-Term Implementation Program forecasts the delivery of approximately 100 centreline kilometres of new bikeways, which is an increase over the 65 centreline kilometres delivered in 2019 - 2021.

To achieve these targets and continue improving upon previous implementation rates of high-quality bikeways, the following is recommended:

- Working towards a streamlined reporting process, where new projects would be approved by Council for implementation following community consultation with an appropriate level of detail in order to accommodate minor changes to the projects as they may arise through detailed design and implementation with submission of the Bills for the associated By-law changes to reflect the constructed project to follow when appropriate;

- Enhancements to public consultation plans and events, supported by greater resources and staffing levels;

- An annual capital budget of approximately $20 million, increasing annually as needed, in amounts to be confirmed in the annual capital budget process;

- Additional staff to support design, consultation, delivery/construction, and monitoring for the delivery of bikeway projects.

The 2022 – 2024 Near-Term Implementation Program includes an ambitious number of kilometres compared to previous years' delivery rates, and includes a greater proportion of cycle tracks on arterial roadways.

 
Toronto is well on its way to becoming a safer and more equitable cycling city. The recommendations in this report reflect achievable advancements within the City's current implementation framework. The 2022 – 2024 Near-Term Implementation Program projects will be meaningful additions to Toronto's transportation system, connecting thousands of Toronto residents to a safe bikeway network, and transforming over 100 centreline km of streets into safer, more resilient places.