June 5, 1998

 To:Urban Environment and Development Committee

 From:Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services

 Subject:Consultant's Study - Inventory of Cycling Trail Opportunities in Rail and Hydro Corridors (Ward - Citywide)

  Purpose:

 This report describes the key findings of a feasibility study to identify active and surplus rail and hydro corridors which are suitable for bicycle and pedestrian trails and outlines steps for creating a multi-year implementation plan for developing trails in these corridors.

 Funding Sources, Financial Implications and Impact Statement:

 No funds are required.

 Recommendations:

 It is recommended that:

 (1)City Council endorse in principle developing trails in active and abandoned rail and hydro corridors, as an integral part of a city-wide network of cycling routes which would include both off-street and on-street facilities;

 (2)the Commissioners of Urban Planning and Development Services, Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, and Works and Emergency Services be authorized to develop a plan, in consultation with the Toronto Cycling Committee, for implementing trails in active and abandoned corridors, based on the consultant=s report, Inventory of Cycling Trail Opportunities in Rail and Hydro Corridors, which would address:

(a)guidelines for identifying priority trail projects,

(b)a multi-year implementation plan,

(c)design guidelines for trail construction and trail-roadway intersections,

(d)annual capital funding requirements for trail development and property acquisition,

(e)additional funding sources and potential partnerships with other levels of government and private corporations;

 (3)the Commissioners of Urban Planning and Development Services, Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, and Works and Emergency Services be requested to report, in time for consideration as part of the 1999 capital budget, on trail projects which could be initiated in 1999;

 (4)the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services be authorized to protect opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian trails in rail and hydro corridors wherever possible through the development approval process and secure implementation where appropriate;

 (5)the Commissioner of Urban Planning and Development Services be requested to consider policies as part of the new Official Plan to preserve future opportunities for trail development in rail and hydro corridors which are declared surplus and

 (6)a copy of this report be forwarded to all Community Councils, City of Toronto Environmental Task Force, Ontario Hydro, Consumers' Gas, CN Rail, CP Rail

(St. Lawrence & Hudson), GO Transit and Toronto Transit Commission for information and comments.

 Background:

 At their meeting on October 16, 1996, the Metropolitan Cycling and Pedestrian Committee considered a report by its Network Planning Sub-Committee which recommended that the proposed redevelopment of surplus Ontario Hydro lands in Scarborough include bicycle and pedestrian trails and that land use designations be amended to accomplish this. In his December 20, 1996 report to the Metropolitan Cycling and Pedestrian Committee, the Deputy Commissioner of Planning requested that the Committee identify both active and surplus utility corridors suitable for bicycle and pedestrian trails across Metropolitan Toronto.

 On June 18, 1997 the Toronto Atmospheric Fund approved a grant of $50,000 for a joint project by the Toronto City Cycling Committee and the Metro Cycling and Pedestrian Committee to determine the feasibility of developing bicycle trails in hydro and rail corridors across Metro Toronto. Additional funding and staff resources to manage the study project were provided by Toronto Urban Development Services and Metro Parks and Culture Department. Following a selection process, the City of Toronto Board of Management (October 2, 1997) authorized retaining Victor Ford and Associates to conduct the feasibility study.

 Discussion:

1. Study Purpose:

 The primary purpose of the study was to identify rail and hydro corridors within the City of Toronto that could accommodate multi-use trails for commuter and recreational cyclists, in-line skaters and pedestrians. The Toronto Atmospheric Fund contributed study funding because of the potential for a comprehensive trail network to reduce CO₂ emissions by encouraging utilitarian cycling trips.

 The railway companies and Ontario Hydro have begun to offer corridor lands for sale that are no longer economically productive or where more cost effective alternatives exist. The product of the study, the inventory of potential trail opportunities within rail and hydro corridors, will enable the City to respond effectively to opportunities for property acquisition and trail development as opportunities arise.

1. Consultation with Stakeholders:

 A steering committee consisting of planning, parks and transportation staff and members of the Toronto City Cycling Committee and the Metro Cycling and Pedestrian Committee developed the study terms of reference and provided direction to the consultant. Several presentations have been made to the Cycling Committees at all stages of the project. At the joint meeting of the Toronto City Cycling Committee, Metro Cycling and Pedestrian Committee and North York Cycling and Pedestrian Committee on May 25, 1998 the Committees endorsed the recommendations contained in this report.

 The corridors identified in the consultant=s report are owned and managed, for the most part, by Ontario Hydro, Canadian National Railway Company and Canadian Pacific Railway Company. The consultants and staff met with real estate representative of these companies to present the study objectives and to get their input. While the representatives have been generally supportive of this exercise to identify opportunities within their corridors, they are not in a position to comment on the feasibility of a given corridors, from their perspective, until approached with a more detailed plan to acquire property or to implement a trail on their property.

1. Identifying Suitable Corridors:

 The consultant investigated over 400 km of rail and hydro corridors within the boundaries of the new City of Toronto. Suitable corridor sections were identified based on a review of air photos and extensive site inspections. Physical constraints were identified and where necessary alternative alignments outside the corridors were proposed to maintain continuity of the corridor route. There are two typical major constraints; limited available width within some railway corridors and the crossing of arterial roadways and highways. For the purpose of producing the inventory of potential trail opportunities the acquisition cost or other compensation agreements that would be required to use a corridor were not considered as constraints. These factors will be considered in the development of the implementation plan and they may influence the identification of priority routes.

1. Candidate Corridor Trail Projects:

 Based on the inventory findings, the consultant has produced an inventory of 46 candidate trail projects in both rail and hydro corridors, representing approximately 204 km of new trail opportunities. These projects have been divided into 23 First Group projects (124 km) which are considered the most easily do-able and 23 Second Group projects (80 km) which are considered do-able but have more significant constraints or barriers to overcome. The candidate projects are fairly evenly distributed across the City and connect with many of the existing open space trails. Together with the existing parks trails, these candidate trail projects provide a very real opportunity to create a comprehensive, well integrated network of off-street trails connecting all the communities within the City of Toronto.

 There are generally fewer constraints to developing trails within active Hydro corridors because they are wide (ranging from 30 to 100 metres) and relatively under utilized open spaces. The generous width of most Hydro corridors provides a great degree of flexibility in aligning a potential trail. Ontario Hydro is supportive of passive recreational use of their corridors. Several corridor sections have paved multi-use trails and most have informal walking trails. The major constraint to providing continuous trails in hydro corridors is the lack of safe crossings of arterial roadways and, to a lesser extent, crossings of railway lines. Providing safe and convenient roadway and railway crossings will be essential to developing a successful trail system.

 There are very few abandoned rail lines within the City and these tend to be very short spur lines. The City has recently acquired the CN Belt Line between Marlee Avenue and Caledonia Road which will connect to the existing Belt Line Trail east of the Allen Expressway. City staff are currently negotiating the purchase of the abandoned CP P.S. Lead spur line in the west end for trail purposes.

 Several potential trail opportunities have been identified within active rail corridors, although some have only a few trains per day. There are many successful examples of trails adjacent to active rail lines, both here in the City of Toronto (the Lower Don Trail) and across North America. Some of Toronto=s active railway corridors are just wide enough to accommodate a minimal width trail corridor. For the purposes of the study, rail corridor sections were considered feasible if there was a minimum of ten metres of available width between the track centre line and the edge of the corridor. This will allow for a fence to be set back five metres from the track centre line and a further five metres to accommodate a 3.0 to 4.0 metre trail and vegetation. It should be recognized that these are minimally acceptable dimensions. The desirable corridor spacing would include a 7.5 metre setback and a 7.0 metre (or wider) trail corridor. Developing a proposed trail within an active rail corridor will only be acceptable to the railways if they are satisfied that it does not interfere with the safe operation of their line.

1. Preserving Future Trail Opportunities:

 While there are few abandoned rail corridors at this time, railway companies are reviewing their operations and may be abandoning lines in the future. A number of secondary rail corridors which could have significant potential for trails if the rails were abandoned have been identified on a AWatch List@ in the event that conditions change in the future. Ontario Hydro has recently decommissioned the Warden and Kennedy hydro corridors. Residential development has been proposed by the new owner of the north Warden corridor between the Finch hydro corridor and Highway 401. It is critical that these and other development proposals are monitored closely by planning staff to ensure that future trail opportunities are not lost when rail or hydro corridors are abandoned and redeveloped. I am recommending that policies be considered for inclusion in the City=s new Official Plan to preserve future opportunities for trail development in rail and hydro corridors which are declared surplus.

 6.Developing An Implementation Plan:

 Taking the inventory of candidate trail projects to the next stage will involve working closely with the railways, Ontario Hydro, City Council, the Toronto Cycling Committee and other individuals and agencies to develop an implementation plan which would address, among other things:

• priority trail projects based on overall network objectives and discussions with the railways and Ontario Hydro;
• a public consultation process for reviewing the proposed network as well as candidate projects;
• annual capital funding requirements for trail development and property acquisition, where necessary, and funding opportunities and potential partnerships with other levels of government and private corporations;
• Official Plan policies for preserving future trail opportunities in railway and hydro corridors; and
• integrating cycling trails with future transit initiatives in rail corridors.

 Other important activities to implement the trail network include:

• monitoring hydro and railway corridors for future abandonments to ensure that the City is able to respond effectively as opportunities arise;
• exploring opportunities presented by Toronto=s bid for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and opportunities to connect Toronto to the Trans Canada Trail;

• developing promotional material on the proposed trail network so that all levels of government, citizens and businesses are made aware of the significant city-wide benefits provided by this project.

 Conclusions:

 The City=s consultant, Victor Ford and Associates, has identified 46 candidate trail projects within active and abandoned rail and hydro corridors in the City of Toronto. I am recommending that Urban Planning and Development Services, Economic Development, Culture and Tourism, and Works and Emergency Services be authorized to develop a multi-year implementation plan for trails in utility corridors in consultation with the Toronto Cycling Committee, Ontario Hydro, CN Rail and CP Rail. Further, I am recommending that we identify trail projects which could be started as early as next year so that they may be considered as part of the 1999 capital budget.

 It is also important that the City move quickly to preserve future trail opportunities in rail and hydro corridors that have already been abandoned or are to be abandoned in the future. This will require close monitoring by planning staff. I will also develop policies for consideration as part of the City=s new Official Plan for preserving future trail opportunities in utility corridors.

  Contact Name:

Daniel Egan

City Hall Office

Telephone: (416) 392-1143

e-mail: degan@city.toronto.on.ca

 Reviewed by:

     Paul J. BedfordVirginia M. West

Executive Director and Chief PlannerCommissioner of Urban Planning

Services