Fact Sheet
June 20, 2019
Cycling Network Plan Update
Cycling Network Plan: 2019 Cycling Infrastructure Installation
There are two separate cycling-related reports being considered at the Infrastructure & Environment Committee meeting on June 27; the Cycling Network Plan Update and the Cycling Network Plan: 2019 Cycling Infrastructure Installation.
Key recommendations from the two reports:
Endorsement of the detailed near-term (2019-21) Cycling Network Plan outlined in the report as the framework for bringing projects forward for consultation, design, approval, and installation.
- Between 2019 and 2021, initiate studies of the following Major City-Wide Cycling Routes:
- Danforth Ave. (Broadview Ave. to Victoria Park Ave.)
- Bloor St. W. (Shaw St. to High Park Ave.)
- Bloor St. E. (Church St. to Sherbourne St.)
- Warden Ave. (Gatineau Hyrdo Corridor to Finch Hydro Corridor)
- Yonge St./Avenue Rd./Mount Pleasant Rd.
- University Avenue/Queen’s Park Cres. (Bloor St. W. to Front St. W.), in the form of the pre-feasibility study led by City Planning.
- Approval for installation of the following bicycle lanes and cycle tracks:
- Bike lanes on sections of Argyle Street, Blue Jays Way, Vaughan Road, and Lawrence Avenue East.
- Separated cycle tracks on parts of Scarlett Road, Willowdale Avenue, and Conlins Road
Summary of Cycling Network progress since 2016:
City Council approved the 10-Year Cycling Network Plan (PW13.11) in June 2016. Council requested an update on the progress of the plan as well as next steps.
From 2016-18, approximately 60 km of new cycling routes were installed:
- 15 lane km of cycle tracks (such as Lake Shore Blvd. W. and Woodbine Ave.)
- 18 lane km of bike lanes (such as Renforth Dr. and Grenoble Dr.)
- 13 lane km of shared lane pavement markings (such as the neighbourhood wayfinding sharrows from Lake Shore Blvd. cycle track to the Waterfront Trail)
- 12 centreline km of multi-use trails (such as Keele St. north of Sheppard and the Gatineau Trail from Victoria Park Ave. to Eglinton Ave.).
Over the same period, over 100 km of cycling routes were upgraded and enhanced, and bicycle signals were installed at nine locations. Many of the enhancements were along “Vision Zero corridors” (locations prioritized by staff for safety upgrades) in 2018. Some of the safety improvements include:
- addition of green pavement markings where vehicles and cyclists cross paths (also called ‘conflict areas’)
- intersection improvements such as pavement markings/chevrons that ‘extend’ the bike lane through the intersection)
- widening of pavement lines that help separate the bike lane from vehicle traffic,
- physical separators such as bollards or flex-posts.
Recommendations for bicycle lanes and cycle tracks to be installed:
- Approximately 11.6 lane km of new bike lanes and nearly 3 lane km of improved bicycle lanes and cycle tracks are ready for installation.
- Approximately 12 lane km of new or improved bicycle lanes or cycle tracks are planned in suburban areas – parts of Scarborough, Etobicoke and North York in 2019.
Aligning the network with the goals of the Cycling Network Plan: Connect, Grow and Renew
Connect – Addressing gaps in the cycling network and connecting people to places within the network. Significant projects completed since 2016 include:
- Gatineau Trail from Victoria Park Ave. to Eglinton Ave.
- Etobicoke Creek Trail North and at Sherway
- Bayview multi-use trail and Chorley switchback both connecting to Evergreen Brickworks and three trail systems (the Don Valley, Beltline trail, and Rosedale Valley trail)
- Lake Shore Blvd. W. cycle track, which closed a key gap in the Waterfront Trail.
Grow – Expand the network to new parts of the city. The significant work in new areas include:
- Woodbine Ave. cycle track
- Renforth Dr. bicycle lane
- York University and Downsview Neighbourhood Connections
- Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park Neighbourhood Connections.
Renew – Make the network safer and more convenient:
- Make existing cycling routes safer by updating and applying current standards, analyzing and responding to safety data and coordinating resurfacing and reconstruction projects along routes to align with commitment to cycling safety.
- Repairing and maintaining more than 50 lane km of on-street cycling routes including Royal York Rd., Strachan Ave., Gerrard St. E., Lower Sherbourne St., Prince Edward Viaduct, River St., Bayview Ave., Dundas St. E., and Greenwood Ave.
- Make key intersection improvements that address network safety and connectivity including Bathurst St. and Adelaide St., Dufferin St. and Waterloo Ave., Woodbine Ave. and O’Connor Dr., and Peter St./ Soho St. and Queen St. W.(to be finalized in summer 2019).
