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2013 -2018
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Preface
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The Collingwood Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan (ATP) shows what a growing community with a popula/on of under 20,000 can take when dedicated to: being crea/ve; leveraging their assets; facilita/ng community engagement; focusing on prac/cal solu/ons and improvements; and, building on their unique context. “What do we need to do for our community’s future; to be successful, complete, inspired, healthy, and vibrant?”
This was the ques/on that was asked to help guide the development and refinement of the implementa/on projects, or “Elements”, in this ATP. These were specifically craLed to work together to improve ac/ve transporta/on by crea/ng beMer: transporta/on networks, neighbourhoods, places, and community engagement and support. The Plan was developed through an immersion in city building concepts of a fine grain: of neighbourhood context; walkability; bikeabilty; and, human‐centered design.
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The Elements in this ATP relate to the planning for, and development of, ac/ve transporta/on facili/es; as well as, ways of engaging and mobilizing Collingwood’s ci/zens to help improve their community.
With its focus on cumula/ve benefits, prac/cal solu/ons, and leveraging physical & community assets, this Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan also has a subtext of resiliency and self‐reliance, a “Strong Town” vision. This will hopefully facilitate the beginnings of conversa/ons and ini/a/ves that bring ci/zens together as a community; to improve their ac/ve transporta/on systems and culture in coopera/on. Thereby projec/ng the Town of Collingwood into a more ac/ve transporta/on friendly future.
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Contents The Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan (ATP) is divided into five sec/ons. The first provides the Introduc/on to Ac/ve transporta/on, purpose, scope, and context of the ATP and includes policy items. The four remaining sec/ons are focused on areas of implementa/on (“Elements”).
i) Long‐range: for projects that are of a scale to take approximately five years, or more.
Each implementa/on Sec/on (listed in Roman numerals I, II, III, IV) has a different list of Elements that are arranged around successively shorter /meframes as follows:
iii) Near‐range: ini/a/ves that should take up to three years.
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ii) Mid‐range: for implementa/on projects that require three to five years for comple/on.
iv) 100 Day: for projects that require approximately 100 days of intensive and focused effort to complete.
I Long‐range Implementa3on 1) Concurrency Review ‐ pg 26 2) Major Corridor Gateways ‐ Complete Streets ‐ pg 28 3) Trails for Active Transportation ‐ pg 36
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II Mid‐range Implementa3on
5 years or more
1) Sunset Point & St Lawrence Street Corridor ‐ pg 42 2) Pedestrian Enhancements Downtown ‐ pg 44 3) “Right‐size” Downtown Parking Facilities ‐ pg 46 4) Bus Stop Seating ‐ pg 48 5) Family Bike Boulevards ‐ pg 50
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3 to 5 years
6) Sidewalks & Crosswalks at Public Parks ‐ 54 7) Bridge Link at Siding Trail ‐ pg 56 8) Link at Train Trail ‐ pg 58 9) AT Bridge at Mountain Road ‐ pg 60
Contents
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The en/re ATP is designed to be implementable within 5 years and with a modest budget. This is based on an realis/c assessment of the community’s assets and capacity to influence its own future with prac/cal implementa/on projects.
III Near‐range Implementa3on 1) “Share the Road” Routes ‐ pg 64 2) Urban Acupuncture & Traffic Calming ‐ pg 66 3) Active Transportation Matching Fund ‐ pg 70 4) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Cycling ‐ pg 72 5) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Skateboarding ‐ pg 74
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up to 3 years
6) Downtown Long‐term Bike Parking ‐ pg 76 7) On‐street Bike Routes ‐ pg 78 8) Public Parking Lot Pedestrian Improvements ‐pg 82 9) Complete Streets Design Matrix ‐ pg 84 10) Community‐wide Walkability/bikeability Audits ‐ pg 90
IV 100 Day Implementa3on Projects
1) Bikeable Collingwood Wiki Map ‐ pg 96 2) Shared Walkways/Promenade Strategy ‐ pg 98 3) Downtown Parking Analysis ‐ pg 100 4) Downtown “Walking Time” Wayfinding Signage ‐ pg 102
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100 days
5) ATP Citizen “DO‐TANK” Task Force ‐ pg 104 6) Town Facility Bike Parking Program ‐ pg 106 7) Annual ATP Meeting of the Public ‐ pg 108 8) Annual Public Information Program ‐ pg 110 9) Annual Community AT Audit ‐ pg 112
Introduc3on ‐ Ac3ve Transporta3on Because of its far reaching influence, active transportation can have positive effects on many aspects of communities’ successes and overall livability. The Walkable and Livable Communities Institute states this clearly with the following:
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Active transportation means any form of transportation that is human‐ powered. It includes walking, cycling, in‐line skating, skateboarding, cross country skiing, and canoeing & kayaking; it also includes transport for persons using assistive mobility devices. In fact all trips include active transportation components, sometimes even just the act of walking to and from a car or transit vehicle. The most popular modes of active transportation are walking and cycling. Walking/wheeling is the only form of transportation that can be taken completely independently of all others for an entire trip from beginning to destination.
Communities that support walkability (active transportation) have better health and well‐being, lower rates of traffic injuries and deaths, better access for people of all abilities, higher property values, better air quality and less greenhouse gas emissions. 4
The importance of active transportation is increasingly recognized as a relevant issue in light of environmental; chronic disease; and personal mobility issues, as well as the economic impacts associated with communities that are not designed and built to be active transportation “friendly”. This will continue to increase in importance due to an aging population; challenging peoples’ quality of life and enhancing the appeal of compact, walkable communities.1
Additionally, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) report, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001 specifically identifies the need to design and develop streets with regard to pedestrian needs:
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Active transportation is particularly important recognizing that it is necessary for people that do not have a choice outside of these modes for getting around. “People who are physically, economically and socially disadvantaged often rely on walking and cycling, so non‐ motorized modes can help achieve social equity and economic opportunity objectives”.2 “Paying attention to all modes in street planning can also create a more efficient system that responds better to travel demand”. 3
Pedestrians are a part of every roadway environment, and attention should be paid to their presence in rural as well as urban areas... provisions should be made, because pedestrians are the lifeblood of our urban areas, especially in the downtown and other retail areas. In general, the most successful shopping sections are those that provide the most comfort and pleasure for pedestrians.5
There are many factors which impact active transportation, and the effectiveness of overall community transportation systems. By only
1 Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute, Planning and ImplemenNng AcNve TransportaNon in Ontario CommuniNes: A Call To AcNon, 2012 pg. 2 2 Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Ins/tute, Whose Roads? EvaluaNng Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways, May 31, 2012, pg. 6 3 Na/onal Complete Streets Coali/on, Complete Streets Ease CongesNon, 2011
4 Walkable and Livable Communi/es Ins/tute, Environmental ProtecNon Agency Walkability PresentaNon, 2012 5 AASHTO, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001, pg. 96
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Purpose using the outdated paradigm that “transportation” means mobility, or physical travel, and evaluation/planning should be based only on these, communities are not examining all the characteristics, or influences on, transportation systems. This results in transportation systems that do not fully support the needs of the community.
Mobility is not an end unto itself and is predominantly intended to provide access to needed and desired goods, services, and experiences. Transportation planning must take this into account as a chief principle. Many factors affect transportation access; including the options available for different modes; quality of those options; as well as, land use and design factors. When seen this way, the role of active transportation within a community is better understood, and the importance of proper design for it is as well.6
The purpose of this Plan is to define policies & implementation projects, called “Elements”, that will make active transportation (AT) in Collingwood safe, easy, desirable, and, convenient; while ensuring that all forms of transportation work well. The ATP is focused on a short planning horizon and key characteristics to facilitate implementation:
The Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) identifies the following principles to guide practitioners and their communities in responding to the challenges of making progress toward greater active transportation7, which are all addressed in the ATP:
• • • • • •
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• Principle 1 ‐ Leadership • Principle 2 ‐ Partnerships
Principle 3 ‐ Public involvement Principle 4 ‐ Financial and human resources Principle 5 ‐ Knowledge and skills Principle 6 ‐ Policy and planning Principle 7 ‐ Travel facilities Principle 8 ‐ Road safety Principle 9 ‐ Crime and personal security Principle 10 ‐ Affecting a culture: attitudes and perceptions Principle 11 ‐ Outreach to encourage active choices
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• • • • • • • • •
Building great places in Collingwood; Building on Collingwood’s physical & community assets; Building a culture of active transportation within Collingwood; Improving understanding of the ATP; Facilitating citizen participation; and, Defining Elements that easily and strategically fit within the Town’s budget that build community resilience and self‐reliance.
A good acNve transportaNon system provides communiNes with safe, efficient, well connected, and appealing access to peoples’ needs; this includes, places where people live, work, learn, and play. Without this connecNvity the use of acNve transportaNon networks tends to become primarily for recreaNonal.
6 Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Ins/tute, Whose Roads? EvaluaNng Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways, May 31, 2012, pg. 6
7 Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, AcNve TransportaNon: Making it Work in Canadian CommuniNes, March 2012
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Scope Adaptability
The ATP is town‐wide and designed to provide physical access and connec/vity to the various places within the community that people travel to for their daily ac/vi/es; the places people live, work, learn and play.
The ATP is structured to be very understandable and manageable for ci/zens, elected officials, municipal staff, and other stakeholders alike. Addi/onally, in terms of its content, the ATP is unique in that it is also an “open plan”. This means that it has implementa/on projects/ processes built into it that specifically facilitate the ongoing par/cipa/on of ci/zens and stakeholders to amend the plan with new projects.
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Area
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The AcNve TransportaNon Plan extends across the enNre town; while also defining key projects that link Collingwood to neighbouring communiNes.
Scope Perspec3ve
• Scaled to fit within the regular budge/ng process and capacity of the Town; • Focused on placemaking; and, • Focused on people‐centred design.
By structuring the ATP in this way, its Elements will be within the control of the community, greatly increasing its effec/veness and the likelihood of its goals and implementa/on projects, being achieved.
If the strategy to guide Collingwood’s future growth over the next fiZeen to twenty years is to be successful, it must recognize and foster the aspiraNons of the Town’s residents. A municipality is not merely a mosaic of land uses; it is a community of people. The successful planning of Collingwood, therefore, is not as dependent upon how neatly its land uses might be arranged, as it is on ensuring that arrangement is consistent with the wishes and future needs of the community’s residents.
RESPONDENTS WHO SUPPORT PRIORITIZING WALKING, BICYCLING & TRANSIT IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING
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An Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) approach has been used in craLing the ATP. This is an approach that considers local assets and people as the principle resources of healthy community design and development. This is a way of crea/ng greater success in a community by focusing inwardly to the community’s physical and social assets, desires, and crea/vity; including those that are currently untaped or underu/lized. The Collingwood Official Plan provides guidance in this area in Sec/on 2.3 ‐ Strategic Planning Principles8 that is equally applicable to the ATP:
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From a financial perspec/ve the Elements in the ATP have been designed to be par/cularly achievable, fundable, and manageable for the Municipality.
DO NOT SUPPORT SUPPORT
The list below outlines a number of the aspects of this perspec/ve as they relate to the Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan: • Support and build on the value of land, infrastructure, developments, and businesses; • Facilitate community investment and support; • Support and build on the livability of the community; • Improve the health and safety of Collingwood’s ci/zens; • Does not necessitate support from other government en//es for the development and funding of infrastructure and/or programs;
There is an overwhelming support for acNve transportaNon planning in Collingwood, as illustrated in the results from the Walk and Bike for LIfe, Trails for AcNve TransportaNon from 2009
8 Town of Collingwood Official Plan, page 4
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Scope Timeline
• • • •
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Budget crea/on; Staff and departmental work programs; Development plans & reviews; and, Community engagement & volunteer efforts.
The four Sec/ons are:
Preferences for project timeframes defined in the ATP
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The four categories of Elements group projects together with a similar /meline while also fimng well within other typical Municipal processes of:
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i) Long‐range Implementa/on: for projects that are of a scale to take approximately five years, or more.
20%
ii) Mid‐range Implementa/on: for implementa/on projects that require three to five years for comple/on.
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iii) Near‐range Implementa/on: ini/a/ves that should take up to three years iv) 100 Day Implementa/on Projects: for projects that require approximately 100 days of intensive and focused effort to complete.
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Near-range Mid-range 100 Day Projects Long-range
In the 2012 community survey relaNng to the ATP, people were asked what their preference was for the four SecNons that describe the implementaNon projects. The majority of people were most interested in the shorter‐range projects by a significant margin.
Effect Empowered People: Making it easier for ci/zens & neighbourhood
The Collingwood Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan is designed to be implementable within approximately five years, with some long‐term policies that will be used to guide the “regenera/on” the Plan for the following five year cycle. It has also been wriMen to address the challenges the Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada (TAC) has iden/fied as the “most important” barriers that impede progress toward community objec/ves for greater ac/ve transporta/on ac/vity, specifically:
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groups to get involved in real projects and facilitate projects in partnership through with the municipality.
Changed Scope: Facilita/ng real measurable improvements to the
various aspects of ac/ve transporta/on; having a range of implementa/on projects that will “make things happen”.
Changed Expecta3ons: Improved understanding by ci/zens, elected
Funding Data Built form Cycling culture Individual percep/ons of cycling Winter weather Geography Other ins/tu/onal issues
officials, and professionals of ac/ve transporta/on and Municipal implementa/on projects; including ongoing community input throughout the Plan’s life.
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This way the Plan will be an ac/ve and living tool for improving ac/ve transporta/on within the community. It will also make it more manageable and scalable for the needs and available assets of Collingwood. The results of comple/ng the ATP’s Elements are expected to be:
Where cars may be the design vehicle for tradiNonal transportaNon planning, for contemporary acNve transportaNon plans, the human‐being is viewed as the design vehicle. Well done acNve transportaNon planning and design of transportaNon faciliNes with perspecNves such as “complete streets”, are inherently people‐centred. This puts the end user at the centre of all design consideraNons.
Changed Culture: Making ac/ve transporta/on easier for daily ac/vi/es; and suppor/ng the local neighbourhoods and economy.
Changed Environment: A d d r e s s i n g a l l a s p e c t s o f a c / v e
transporta/on, including: people‐oriented design; beMer biking facili/es; beMer signage; and, complete streets approaches; that will all make the towns’ physical form more suppor/ve of ac/ve transporta/on.
Collingwood’s Official Plan (Page 6) describes the results of the 1999 Visioning Commicee work and the “Core Values for Collingwood” with clear direcNon toward a more human‐centred design perspecNve: “Collingwood conNnually seeks to de‐emphasize a strong dependence on vehicles and moves toward being a more pedestrian friendly, walkable town with a human scale”.
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Making the Plan Challenge
developing these many unachieved initiatives are effectually misappropriated because much of that work will likely be either forgotten or need to be redone with future revisions of the plan. An active transportation plan must be developed as a strategy for achieving particular goals if it is to be successful. Without the actionable components being reasonably “doable” the plan is reduced to being a vision document that will very likely have far less impact on the community.
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Typical municipal active transportation plans create a number of significant challenges for the town or city for which they were developed; the following is an outline of these. Scope9: Most AT plans are overly focused on developing transportation networks and infrastructure, ignoring the range of necessary characteristics that make a community active transportation friendly, such as:
Cost: Most active transportation plans define many projects which are town‐wide initiatives that tend to be excessively difficult to fund, particularly for smaller towns and cities. These projects are also seldom easy to initiate or complete in phases; leaving them half done, or altogether passed‐over. Implementation recommendations that are realistically not fundable, because of their size and/or number, are inappropriate and ineffective. The Collingwood Active Transportation Plan needs to be readily achievable through the resources and assets of the community. The Town’s economic wellbeing and the health of citizens are dependent on the practicality of an active transportation plan.
• Placemaking; • Complete community design; and, • Community engagement.
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The result is that they are overly prescriptive on the construction of physical infrastructure while equally lacking in ways for citizens to become involved, and for ways of making memorable and meaningful places for people to spend their time and/or conduct daily activities. This also tends to limit their adaptability because they cannot react to local context differences in neighbourhoods, or the ever‐evolving engineering and planning solutions associated with active transportation.
Scale: Most AT plans include a series of implementation projects that
go well beyond their planning horizon. It is important, and proper, to have some long‐term projects and policies within an AT plan. However, if it is overburdened with these it becomes unmanageable, confusing, and stale. If the majority of the initiatives within a plan cannot reasonably be achieved within its identified timeframe it does not serve a community and its citizens well. The result is that the resources that go into
The Province recognizes this in the Provincial Policy Statement: Long‐term economic prosperity should be supported by… providing for an efficient, cost‐effecNve, reliable mulN‐modal transportaNon system that is integrated with adjacent systems and those of other jurisdicNons, as is appropriate to address projected needs.10 It is this cost effec/veness, and appropriateness, that is oLen overlooked in ac/ve transporta/on plans.
9 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010 speaks to the need to commit to a clear, concise and comprehensive ac/on plan for walking to set targets, secure stakeholder support and guide investment. 10 Province of Ontario, Provincial Policy Statement, 2005, pg. 13
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Making the Plan Ac3on
Communica3on: Most AT plans are not wriMen to be easily
Collingwood’s ATP has been structured to address these four significant challenges and thereby providing a more effective plan, and improved livability for the community with its implementation, it includes:
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understandable by ci/zens, elected officials, and professionals alike. This results in plans that are, not only confusing, but also uninspiring to the community; effec/vely making them easily ignored, unimplemented, and forgoMen.
• • • • •
Placemaking ; Real action items; Opportunities for citizens to get involved; Low cost ‐ high impact initiatives; and, An understandable format.
This approach to creating the ATP and its content also accurately reflects the World Health Organization’s recommended calls to action to build healthy and safe urban environments within our local context by:
Without clarity in direcNon, acNonable projects, and facilitated community parNcipaNon, an acNve transportaNon plan easily becomes confusing and ignored. This ATP is less about policy and vision (which is well documented elsewhere) and more about affecNng real change in the community to improve acNve transportaNon.
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• Promoting urban planning for healthy behaviour and safety; • Creating designs to promote physical activity; • Enabling participatory governance, encouraging public dialogue, involving citizens in decision‐making, and creating opportunities for participation; and, • Building an inclusive city that is accessible and age‐friendly by developing safe AT networks and public places for easy access.11
To do this the ATP includes features that address the range of influences that act on a community and make it more, or less, active transportation friendly. The 2012 ASSHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities speaks to these many features in its scope definition: Facilities are only one of several elements essential to a community’s overall bicycle program. Bicycle safety education and training, encouraging bicycle use, and
11 World Health Organiza/on, World Health Day 2010 calls to ac/on
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Context Physical
enforcing the rules of the road as they pertain to bicyclists and motorists should be combined with engineering measures to form a comprehensive approach to bicycle use. 12
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Overall Collingwood’s physical form and built environment is very active transportation supportive. Collingwood has great connectivity, provided by overlapping networks of trails, roads, and sidewalks. It has developed at a scale that is very walkable and bikeable, with an overall size, internal block patterns, and land use mixes, that are well within the accepted thresholds for peoples’ desire to use active transportation modes. The town also has well designed sites and districts that are interconnected with the active transportation networks and transit system.
The Smart Growth Network identifies the scale of the challenges many communities, such as Collingwood face, in terms of active transportation: Streets should be designed not only to move cars but also to be safe and inviting for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users. Such design means appropriate speeds, widths, and sidewalks, as well as buildings, trees, and even benches. Often, communities already have the basic infrastructure for people to get around without a car; they just need to make a few improvements so that it’s easier and more comfortable”. 13
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Collingwood as a whole generally has the attributes, and scale, of a complete community or a series of “20‐min neighbourhoods” as described by Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability:
This small “plaza” & walkways successfully enhance the walkability of the downtown district as an example of acNve transportaNon supporNve design.
12 ASSHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012, pg. 1‐2 13 Smart Growth Network, This is Smart Growth, pg. 12
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CommuniNes that support acNve transportaNon provide easy and comfortable opNons for people to access their daily needs without the need for a motor vehicle. To achieve this they develop at a scale that is human‐ oriented, parNcularly in relaNon to the length of Nme it takes a person to travel from one desNnaNon to another under their own power. This illustraNon shows the basic kinds of uses that need to be accessible within 20 minutes walk or bike to support acNve transportaNon.
Context
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A growing body of national and international research agrees on a basic set of features and elements that make walkable environments or 20‐minute neighborhoods. According to the research, walkable environments ‐ or 20‐minute neighborhoods‐ generally include the following: • Building scales that are comfortable for pedestrians; • Mixed‐use & dense development near neighborhood services and transit; • Distinct and identifiable centres and public spaces; • A variety of connected transportation options; • Lower speed streets; • Accessible design; and • Street grid or other frequently connected network of local streets14.
COLLINGWOOD AS A GREAT PLACE TO:
70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%
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The challenge is to take these characteristics of the community and build upon them to improve livability through active transportation projects. The overall active transportation network needs to be considered as a whole, with integrated streets, bike routes, trails, sidewalks, and transit networks and facilities that function together.
GREAT GREATEST
BICYCLE FOR RECREATION WALK FOR BICYCLE FOR TRANSPORTATION TRANSPORTATION
WALK FOR RECREATION
The 2009 Walk and Bike for Life Collingwood report idenNfied the need for acNve transportaNon oriented faciliNes for both cycling and walking; as the majority of respondents rated the community’s faciliNes as being either great or greatest for walking and biking faciliNes oriented to recreaNon (page 19). “Over 50% of respondents rated Collingwood as low in terms of walking and bicycling for transportaNon. Overall Collingwood was rated higher for recreaNon rather than transportaNon for walking as well as bicycling”.
14 City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Status Report: Twenty‐minute Neighborhoods, 2009, pg. 3
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Context Culture
Even when talking about Provincial scale ac/ve transporta/on the 2008 Ontario Bike Plan by the Cycle Ontario Alliance speaks to the culture and environment of cycling and importance of ci/zen par/cipa/on when it states:
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The built environment is the result of many series of design ideas and construc/on projects. By paying specific aMen/on to the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, the Town can help create a community that becomes more successful and more livable.
CreaNng a supporNve environment for cycling in Ontario can only be accomplished by sekng prioriNes and through partnership of Provincial ministries, municipal governments, private organizaNons and individuals.
As the previous chart shows, the focus on recrea/onal trails over the past years has resulted in peoples’ viewpoints about ac/ve transporta/on in Collingwood to be less sa/sfactory than their views of recrea/on opportuni/es. This Plan acknowledges this and works to use these facili/es for the greatest benefit while diversifying the Town’s approach to ac/ve transporta/on. However, it is just as important for the Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan to focus on facilita/ng the culture of ac/ve transporta/on within Collingwood. This includes the following
Collingwood’s Population: Age & Gender 2011 Census 0 to 14 15 to 64 65 and older
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• Making AT a reasonable and desirable, and convenient choice for ci/zens; • Making AT prac/cal for those ci/zens that do not have a choice outside of ac/ve transporta/on modes; • Making community engagement in ac/ve transporta/on projects desirable and easy; • Making the community aware of ac/ve transporta/on challenges and empowered to affect posi/ve change; and, • Making access to ac/ve transporta/on modes a priority.
The 2012 Ipsos Reid poll done for the Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute iden/fies the following about Ontarians’ views about infrastructure planning for ac/ve transporta/on: 60% would place more emphasis on cyclists compared to 6% that would place less; 52% would place more emphasis on pedestrians compared to 4% that would place less; and, while increased emphasis on infrastructure for private vehicles was split between 24% for more, 25% for less and 51% for no change.
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Many acNve transportaNon plans focus on demographic informaNon to describe needs and/or users. While this is informaNve, it is also important to understand this informaNon in terms of the different viewpoints and assets people can bring to bare on the implementaNon of projects to address challenges at hand. This ATP describes ways community members can get involved with parNcular acenNon to encouraging diverse perspecNves.
Policy Direc3on
• • • • • • • • • •
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In addi/on to the specific direc/on provided through the adopted policies for the Town of Collingwood; the need for this kind plan is being recommended and accepted as best prac/ce across many professional fields dealing with developing communi/es. Examples of adopted policies and suggested guidance in these areas comes from: Provincial Policy Statement Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe Simcoe County Official Plan Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabili/es Act Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada (TAC) Ministry of Transporta/on (MTO) American Associa/on of State Highway and Transporta/on Officials (AASHTO) Na/onal Associa/on of City Transporta/on Officials (NACTO)
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Provincial Policy Statement: The Provincial Policy Statement says:
Provincial plans and municipal official plans provide a framework for comprehensive, integrated and long‐term planning that supports and integrates the principles of strong communiNes, a clean and healthy environment and economic growth, for the long‐term... the Provincial Policy Statement supports a comprehensive, integrated and long‐term approach to planning , and recognizes linkages among policy areas.15
The importance of walkability and overall neighbourhood design to people who are selecNng where to live is shown in these three tables adapted from the 2011 Community Preference Survey conducted for the NaNonal AssociaNon of Realtors in the United States. These three charts indicate peoples’ preferences when asked how important it would be when deciding where to live: 1) to have specific uses within easy walking distance; 2) the importance of community characterisNcs; and, 3) which is more important, size of home or neighbourhood.
15 Province of Ontario, Provincial Policy Statement, 2005, pg. 1
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Policy Direc3on Simcoe County Official Plan: The Simcoe County Official Plan recognizes the important link between policy, regulation, and development of the built environment to create an active transportation supportive community. Policy 4.1.5 states:
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Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (and Ministry of Transportation): Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Places to Grow, states in the Policies for Infrastructure to Support Growth, Transportation section: The transportation system within the GGH will be planned and managed to: a) provide connectivity among transportation modes for moving people and for moving goods b) offer a balance of transportation choices that reduces reliance upon any single mode and promotes transit, cycling and walking c) be sustainable, by encouraging the most financially and environmentally appropriate mode for trip‐making d) offer multi‐modal access to jobs, housing, schools, cultural and recreational opportunities, and goods and services e) provide for the safety of system users.16
The design of streetscapes, building orientation, and traffic flow should be planned to provide safe pedestrian and cycling access and movement in downtowns, main streets, and other activity areas.18
The Simcoe County Official Plan also provides minimum policy statements for the development of active transportation plans in the region. The majority of this direction has been addressed with a combination of the provisions of the Town of Collingwood’s Urban Design Manual19 , as well as through this ATP. The County defined minimum policy statements are as follows:
When describing the Growth Plan the Ministry of Transportation states:
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These policies include the promotion of transit, bicycling, walking, and transportation demand management, the identification of multi‐modal corridors and the facilitation of effective goods movement17 .
Additionally, the Ministry “encourage(s) municipalities to review best practices in bicycle design in other Canadian provinces and US States for additional guidance” as the Ministry’s Bicycle Policy is currently under review.
• Policies requiring the provision of sidewalks and/or multi‐use trails through all new development areas and standards outlining a minimum number of development units for application of the policy; • Policies outlining the requirements and conditions related to the dedication of lands in new development areas to complete future trail and sidewalk connections identified in the official plan; • Policies outlining cycling and pedestrian safety measures to reduce injuries and fatalities associated
16 Province of Ontario, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006, pg. 24
17 Ontario Ministry of Transporta/on, Guidelines for Municipal Official Plan PreparaNon and Review, 2012 18 County of Simcoe, Official Plan of the County of Simcoe, DRAFT June 2012, pg. 71 19 The Town of Collingwood’s Urban Design Manual specifically addresses characteris/cs of the built environment in terms of livability, human‐centred design, and support for ac/ve transporta/on.
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Policy Direc3on Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU): The SMDHU recognizes that the built environment can affect the overall health of the community both negatively and positively. SMDHU has developed the Healthy Community Design ‐ Policy Statements for Official Plans document, which provides policy statements to assist municipalities in creating healthy and complete communities while also meeting the Provincial Policies.
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with motor vehicle collisions (i.e. traffic calming, narrower streets, signage, cycling lanes, etc.); • Policies and standards specifying the design parameters that should be used for new trails and sidewalks that reflect Ontario Provincial Standards, Accessibility Act requirements, and best practices; • Policies requiring the provision of secure bicycle racks and shelters, showers and change rooms, and sidewalk connections between buildings and municipal sidewalks for all new community centres, schools and other public use buildings, meeting halls, and major employment land uses that meet a minimum floor space threshold to be established by each municipality20
The Document speaks to the research which shows that physical form and development patterns of community impacts air pollution and greenhouse gases, water quality, levels of physical activity, access to nutritious food, rates of injuries and fatalities for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists and social cohesion. The policy statement guide includes statements related to active transportation including: • Ensure a built environment that supports and encourages active transportation; • Develop a transportation system that is multi‐modal, accessible and interconnected; • Provide infrastructure that supports safe walking and cycling; • Design roads that ensure the safety of all users.
Ontario Professional Planners Institute: The recently released Call to Action from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute states:
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New planning and engineering policies and standards are being developed throughout North America and globally, not only to allow, but to require the safe, efficient and effective accommodation of active transportation modes within the shared right‐of‐way. Planners in Ontario should be facilitating adoption and implementation of similar requirements, plans, and projects. 21
Town of Collingwood: The Town Council has also provided direction to place increased emphasis on alternative modes of transportation. In july 2009 the Town of Collingwood adopted a Corporate Strategic Plan which highlights one of its goals as “Improving How We Get Around”. The Corporate objectives listed within this goal include: • Increasing opportunities for active transportation ‐ walking, cycling; and,
20 County of Simcoe, Official Plan of the County of Simcoe, DRAFT June 2012, pg. 97 21 Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute, Healthy CommuniNes and Planning for AcNve TransportaNon: A Call to AcNon, 2012, pg. 4
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Implementa3on Funding
• Increasing transportation choices promoting multi‐modal options.
Specific funding of ac/ve transporta/on should be integrated into the Town’s budget, to support the Elements detailed in the ATP. It is recommended that the Town provide dedicated funding for the implementa/on of the ATP Elements. The amount should be in the order of $100,000 to $150,000 annually; which is similar in scale to the amount dedicated to the trails system for the past many years. Note that this amount does not necessarily address capital spending required for final implementa/on of some of the larger scale projects outlined in the ATP.
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The Transportation section of the Town of Collingwood Official Plan states the following: These polices are intended to enable vehicles and pedestrians to move safely and efficiently within a raNonal system of roads and trails that, wherever possible, shall be separated.
It goes on to describe a series of Goals and Objectives such as the following (one goal and two specific objectives):
The Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, in recognizing the increasing costs municipali/es are facing to fund transporta/on infrastructure, recommends:
To maintain a transportaNon system, that permits the safe and efficient movement of people and goods within the town. To integrate where appropriate traffic calming measures into plans for road improvements throughout the community. To promote suitable separaNons between pedestrian, cyclist and vehicular traffic.
RealisNc means must be found to provide adequate and sustaining sources of funds for new, expanded and properly maintained urban transportaNon infrastructure and services 22.
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Also, on January 14, 2008 a presentation was made to Council which identified a process to enable the Town of Collingwood to alter its hierarchy of investing in transportation to the following order: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Pedestrian Cyclist Public Transit Vehicle
They go on to iden/fy that funding should be: stable over /me, predictable in magnitude, and transparent, open and easily understood by decision makers and the public, and designed to foster an urban transporta/on system opera/ng at the lowest possible cost.
Council adopted a motion on January 28, 2008 which directed staff to develop an Active Transportation Policy that enables the Town of Collingwood to alter the current hierarchy of transportation to the recommendation noted above.
22 Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, Urban Transporta/on Council, A New Vision for Urban TransportaNon, Reprint November 1998, pg. 1
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Implementa3on Ac3ve Transporta3on Exper3se
Exis3ng Programs
The Town has an excellent network of streets with sidewalks that provide pedestrian access to most of the community’s built up areas. However, there are a few areas that are under‐served by sidewalks, primarily some older developed areas along Highway 26, in the south east por/ons of Collingwood. There are also residen/al, commercial, and educa/onal areas and ins/tu/ons that are not accessible by sidewalks due to gaps in the sidewalk network. While providing sidewalks for this last group of areas may be somewhat imprac/cal, they can be oLen accessed from the community’s trail network. In fact, this has been the solu/on for many residents that have adapted their travel routes to accommodate the network.
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The AASHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes speaks to the need to integrate the needs of cyclists directly in the design of streets this direc/on is also applicable to pedestrian needs: All roads, streets , and highways, except those where bicyclists are legally prohibited, should be designed and constructed under the assumpNon that they will be used by bicyclists. Therefore, bicyclists’ needs should be addressed in all phases of transportaNon planning, design, construcNon, maintenance and operaNons. All modes of transportaNon, including bicycles, should be jointly integrated into plans and projects at an early stage so that they funcNon together effecNvely. 23
Ensuring that these gaps are eliminated and/or appropriate connec/ons to trail linkages are provided is necessary to make these areas of the community accessible for those traveling as pedestrians. Defining the priority loca/ons, and comple/ng these sidewalk gaps; as well as, defining and adap/ng the trail corridors needed for ac/ve transporta/on is a process that will have to be staged and completed over a number of years with appropriate planning, design, and budge/ng.
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To achieve this, the Town requires staff resources that possess a specific set of professional skills and mindset to be effec/ve. This is recognized in the Walk21 2007: Walkability Roadshow Case Studies report which iden/fied as “one of Collingwood’s greatest challenges” the need for technical exper/se on staff that is strategically focused on these needs and planning. 24 As such the Town should allocate responsibility for implementa/on of the ATP Elements to a specific Department. It is most appropriate to have this closely linked with the Engineering, Planning, and Parks Recrea/on and Culture Departments to facilitate strong interrela/onships and effec/ve work program development.
The Town’s Engineering Department has exis/ng programs for maintaining bike lanes, transit stops and for sidewalk maintenance. These excellent work programs should con/nue to be supported through appropriate alloca/ons of Town resources because of their important impact on ac/ve transporta/on. Through the Community‐wide Walkability/bikeability Audits Element of the ATP, issues or gaps can be iden/fied, priori/zed, and then
23 AASHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012, pg. 1‐1 24 Green Communi/es Canada & Walk21, Walk21 2007 Walkability Roadshow Case Studies, 2007, pg. 27
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ATP ‐ Implementa3on Projects Implementa3on “Elements”
addressed through these exis/ng programs. Alterna/vely, they can be addressed through the Urban Acupuncture Element on page 66 or added to the 100 day projects as a result of the Annual ATP Mee/ng of the Public and Annual Community AT Audit Elements.
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The following pages describe the specific implementa/on projects, “Elements” that make up the majority of the ATP. The Elements are grouped by general /meframe. However, these are not necessarily related to a priority of execu/on, nor a /meline within which they must be completed. These /melines are related to:
The combina/on of the regula/ons in the Urban Design Manual, the Engineering Department’s programs, along with the implementa/on of this ATP, will effec/vely improve ac/ve transporta/on for inclusive mobility described by the Walk21 Interna/onal Charter for Walking:
• The length of /me it is expected to take to complete the Elements; • The /meframe within which the Element is most appropriately executed in rela/on to the overall ATP; and, • The focus of the Element in terms of its impact.
Inclusive Mobility: Ensure safe and convenient independent mobility for all by providing access on foot for as many people as possible to as many places as possible parNcularly to public transport and public buildings 25
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These /meframes are also not concrete, as Elements may be completed sooner than within the /meline they have been arranged in the ATP.
25 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010
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Note that these Elements oLen relate to strategic implementa/on methods and ac/ons, some of which directly result in building physical features and infrastructure to support ac/ve transporta/on. Other Elements provide the necessary design, analysis, and direc/on to inform larger capital projects that will be completed in the future. This combina/on of projects in terms of scope and implementa/on is necessary to address the various characteris/cs of an effec/ve ac/ve transporta/on system.
I Long‐range Implementa3on 1) Concurrency Review ‐ pg 26 2) Major Corridor Gateways ‐ Complete Streets ‐ pg 28 3) Trails for Active Transportation ‐ pg 36
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II Mid‐range Implementa3on
1) Sunset Point & St Lawrence Street Corridor ‐ pg 42 2) Pedestrian Enhancements Downtown ‐ pg 44 3) “Right‐size” Downtown Parking Facilities ‐ pg 46 4) Bus Stop Seating ‐ pg 48 5) Family Bike Boulevards ‐ pg 50
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1) “Share the Road” Routes ‐ pg 64 2) Urban Acupuncture & Traffic Calming ‐ pg 66 3) Active Transportation Matching Fund ‐ pg 70 4) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Cycling ‐ pg 72 5) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Skateboarding ‐ pg 74
3 to 5 years
6) Sidewalks & Crosswalks at Public Parks ‐ 54 7) Bridge Link at Siding Trail ‐ pg 56 8) Link at Train Trail ‐ pg 58 9) AT Bridge at Mountain Road ‐ pg 60
III Near‐range Implementa3on
5 years or more
up to 3 years
6) Downtown Long‐term Bike Parking ‐ pg 76 7) On‐street Bike Routes ‐ pg 78 8) Public Parking Lot Pedestrian Improvements ‐pg 82 9) Complete Streets Design Matrix ‐ pg 84 10) Community‐wide Walkability/bikeability Audits ‐ pg 90
IV 100 Day Implementa3on Projects
1) Bikeable Collingwood Wiki Map ‐ pg 96 2) Shared Walkways/Promenade Strategy ‐ pg 98 3) Downtown Parking Analysis ‐ pg 100 4) Downtown “Walking Time” Wayfinding Signage ‐ pg 102
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100 days
5) ATP Citizen “DO‐TANK” Task Force ‐ pg 104 6) Town Facility Bike Parking Program ‐ pg 106 7) Annual ATP Meeting of the Public ‐ pg 108 8) Annual Public Information Program ‐ pg 110 9) Annual Community AT Audit ‐ pg 112
Long‐range Implementa3on
Policies 5+ years
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I.
Preferred long-range projects
The Elements that fall under this category are generally of larger scale and/or rela/ng to long‐term policy direc/on that will guide the evolu/on of Collingwood past this ini/al Ac/ve Transporta/on Plan, and into its future edi/ons.
80%
60%
They many require a number of years to complete or set the path for the community to follow in its ongoing efforts to make ac/ve transporta/on and the accessibility it affords its ci/zens more prac/cal, efficient, desirable, and commonplace.
40%
20%
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As work programs and budgets are generated over the coming years, the elements in this sec/on of the ATP should be equally considered as those that are shorter in term. This is necessary because the preliminary phases, and/or preparatory work, for the Elements in this Sec/on may need to begin in the near‐term although they will be completed in 5 or more years from now.
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Hume St HWY 26 Hurontario St
The responses to the 2012 community survey indicate that the long‐term projects that are considered most important by members of the community are Hume Street redesign, Hurontario St redesign, Beachwood Raod (Highway 26 to Wasaga Beach) redesign
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1) Concurrency Review 2) Major Corridor Gateways ‐ Complete Streets 3) Trails for Ac3ve Transporta3on
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1. Concurrency Review Challenge
The SMDHU identifies that physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, overweight and obesity are associated with escalating chronic disease rates. The majority of Canadian adults are inactive, risking their health and quality of life. Moderately intense physical activity such as walking and cycling increases health benefits and has the potential to reduce cardiovascular disease by as much as 50 per cent28 . Communities designed with an active transportation infrastructure that priorities the pedestrian and cyclist while reducing automobile dependency supports daily physical activity. This can also lead to economic and environmental sustainability. The Ontario Professional Planners Institute identifies the community benefits of active transportation:29:
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The benefits of active transportation are significant, far ranging, and relate to a variety of areas that are addressed by Town plans and policies. Numerous intangible benefits are associated with bicycling and walking. Providing more travel options can increase a sense of independence in seniors, young people, and others who cannot or choose not to drive. Increased levels of bicycling and walking can have a great impact on an area’s sense of livability by creating safe and friendly places for people to live and work. 26
• • • • •
26
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The recent Walk and Bike for Life survey and workshop asked participants to identify their level of support for Town policies that would ensure: “all transportation, planning and development decisions take into account the needs of all users of public rights‐of‐way, in this order of priority: pedestrians, cyclists, transit users, motorists”; over 90% of respondents supported such a focus. 27 To achieve this in a cohesive and effective way is a relatively complex undertaking. As with all municipalities, the Town of Collingwood is faced with managing many documents defining policy direction as well as their resulting implementation programs and By‐laws. As the community evolves it becomes necessary to review the direction given by newly adopted policy documents against those that have been adopted previously. This is also needed because the physical and social context of the town changes over time as well.
Health; Safety; Environmental; Social/community; and, Economic.
As a result, the ATP affects many different policies, regulatory and implementation documents/processes for the Town. A municipality cannot effectively manage its implementation programs, nor give appropriate direction to possible partners and other stakeholders, if their policies and/or regulations that are conflictive. Establishing concurrency between these guiding documents is necessary to facilitate effective implementation of the elements presented herein, and other projects that may result from the evolution of the ATP. Therefore a concurrency review exercise is necessary to ensure that the parts of this complex system are complementary and supportive of each other.
U.S. Department of Transporta/on Federal Highway Administra/on, NaNonal Bicycling and Walking Study 15‐Year Status Report, May 2010, page 2
27 Adapted from Walk and Bike for Life, Trails for AcNve TransportaNon, 2009, pg. 21
28 Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, leMer September 28, 2012 29 Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute, Planning and ImplemenNng AcNve TransportaNon in Ontario CommuniNes: A Call To AcNon, 2012 pg. 3
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Ac3on
• The members of the ATP task force “DO TANK” (see 100 Day Project Sec/on) shall be included in the process.
There are number of documents that need to be reviewed and amended a part of this exercise to ensure that they support a walkable and bikeable community. This concept can best be understood by the way it is referred to by the City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability as a “twenty‐minute neighbourhood”. This term is an easy way for people to understand walkability, or a walkable environment:
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The end result of this Element will be updated and mutually suppor/ve regula/ons and work programs rela/ng to ac/ve transporta/on.
A 20‐minute neighbourhood is a place with convenient, safe, and pedestrian‐oriented access to the places people need to go to and the services people use nearly every day: transit, shopping, quality food, school, parks, and social acNviNes, that is near and adjacent to housing. 30
To complete this work will require the input from all Town departments, as well as, the ci/zens of Collingwood. The regulatory requirements for specific procedures rela/ng to ci/zen no/fica/on, publishing, and public mee/ngs for certain kinds of planning related processes. However, in addi/on to any minimum requirements rela/ng to community informa/on and engagement, the following shall also be incorporated into these concurrency review exercises, and the necessary updates and amendments resul/ng from them:
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• To inform ci/zens and stakeholders of the upcoming work the concurrency review exercises shall be presented for discussion as part of the annual ATP audit (described later in the ATP) preceding the strategy to make the amendment(s); • A social media strategy dedicated to the amendment project shall be developed to facilitate communica/on and informa/on access for ci/zens, staff, stakeholders, and others; • A public open house informa/on mee/ng shall be held rela/ng to the amendments to present informa/on and gather ci/zen input; • A roundtable discussion (or similar open process) shall be held with key stakeholders rela/ng to the specific item; and,
30 City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, Status Report: Twenty‐minute Neighborhoods, 2009, pg. 2
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2. Major Corridor Gateways ‐ Complete Streets Challenge
without a negative impact on automobile travel”.32 Through this exercise it is important to note that complete streets design principles need to be context specific; there is no single solution for every road, and not every mode can be optimally accommodated on every road.
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There are a number of street corridors that are designated as arterials entering Collingwood that are intended to accommodate large volumes of vehicle traffic. However, these roads also have a number of other important roles to play, beyond this simplistic definition, for example: 1) Gateways into the community; 2) Connectors to outlaying areas & neighbouring communities31; and, 3) Opportunities to enhance the value of contiguous lands.
Unfortunately, with standard designs and development treatments for these roads they will not be able to effectively support these roles, resulting in:
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1) Visually un‐attractive and unappealing gateways for residents and visitors alike; 2) Limited or restricted access to neighbouring communities for active transportation and transit modes; 3) Reduced potential property values resulting from traffic speeds and roadway improvements that are not context appropriate.
The challenge for this Element is to create (re)designs for these specific corridors that will address the roles these streets can play within the greater community‐wide context beyond just moving motor vehicles; while eliminating the negative impacts of standard designs noted above. The National Complete Streets Coalition states: “Planning and designing roads to make them safer for all users and more inviting to pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users can increase overall capacity and efficiency
These images illustrate before and aZer conceptual redesign of Hume Street using complete street principles. This shows how all modes of transportaNon funcNon together and land uses that are supported by the street design.
31 The Transporta/on Systems sec/on of the Provincial Policy Statement it states: “1.6.5.3 Connec/vity within and among transporta/on systems and modes should be maintained and, where possible, improved including connec/ons which cross jurisdic/onal boundaries”. Province of Ontario, Provincial Policy Statement, 2005, pg. 12 32 Na/onal Complete Streets Coali/on, Complete Streets Ease CongesNon, 2011
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Ac3on
• Ability of corridor to support pedestrian‐oriented commercial ac/vity (where designated by the Official Plan); • Ability to be effec/vely and efficiently served by mass transit; • Use complete streets based design principles, with appropriate target speeds and provide for all modes of transporta/on; • Integrate street and landscape improvements that create a visually aMrac/ve sense of gateway for people traveling along these streets; • Designs that enhance the land uses along the corridor and do not reduce property values through visual impacts, restricted access, and/or excessive (motor vehicle oriented) safety features resul/ng from inappropriately target speeds that are above the signed speed limits and intended use of the corridor.
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For this Element each of the iden/fied street corridors will be examined and (re)designed by a mul/‐disciplinary team to create context sensi/ve designs that will be capable of fulfilling the mul/ple roles defined in the challenge. This will also ensure that the resul/ng designs fully support and facilitate the kind of development expressly envisioned by the community for these important corridors as described in the Official Plan. These designs can then be used when the /me comes to redevelop these roads. The five corridors iden/fied in this major element are: a. b. c. d. e.
Hume Street; Hurontario Street; High Street; Mountain Road; and, Highway 26 to Wasaga Beach (renamed to Beachwood).
Streets can be designed to move cars efficiently without sacrificing the ability of people to walk or bike along them; it just means that different choices must be made when designing and building streets. Below is an example of two different street sec/ons that have been designed with different sets of parameters; the lower one having been created with parameters that have more depth and breath of design
Each of these has unique characteris/cs; however, they share things that make it appropriate to group them together in this element, specifically:
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• The gateway func/on they play in the community, essen/ally “semng the tone” for those entering Collingwood, helping iden/fy its sense of place, priori/es and overall aMen/on to ac/ve transporta/on; and, • Signaling the shiL from the more rural surrounding areas into the built‐up area and the expecta/ons of how transporta/on is managed in Collingwood.
These designs shall specifically address: • Aesthe/cs;
29
A. Understand the problem and the context before
considera/ons, beyond just func/onal classifica/on (both are collector roads) and the movement of motor vehicles. 33
programming a solu/on for it;
B. U/lize a mul/‐disciplinary team; C. Develop a project‐specific communica/on plan; D. Establish the full spectrum of project needs and objec/ves; E. Focus on alterna/ves that are affordable & cost‐effec/ve; F. Define wide‐ranging measures of success; G. Consider a full set of alterna/ves; and, H.Compare and test alterna/ves. 36
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There are a number of key aspects connec/ng how transporta/on planning and land‐use planning can be suppor/ve of each other. 34 These need to be considered as part of this interdisciplinary design exercise. In determining the design of these corridors a number of considera/ons will have to be compared. As part of this process the following guides are examples of useful analysis/design tools that should at a minimum be used as references: MTO Book 18: Bicycle Design Guidelines (to be released 2013) TAC, Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada, 2012; AASHTO, Guide to the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012; NACTO, Urban Bikeway Design Guide, 2011; Los Angeles County, Model Design Manual for Living Streets, 2011; • AASHTO, Guide for the Planning, Design, and OperaNon of Pedestrian FaciliNes, 2004; • Na/onal Collabora/ng Centre for Healthy Public Policy, Urban Traffic Calming and Health: A Literature Review, 2011; • Pedestrian and Bicycle Informa/on Center, Bicycle Facility SelecNon, A Comparison of Approaches, 2002. • • • • •
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For these design exercises a clear strategy, and implementa/on plan needs to be developed. The “tools and techniques” recommended in the Smart TransportaNon Guidebook are a good star/ng point for this strategic approach35 :
Here is an illustraNve example of a complete street design soluNon that is achievable throughout many parts of Collingwood. This secNon includes sidewalks, street trees, bike lanes, narrowed vehicle lanes appropriate for the target speed, turning pockets, refuge islands for crossing, marked crossings and transit stops. All of these features make the street safer and more appealing for all users. (Source: Walkable and Livable CommuniNes)
33 Environmental Protec/on Agency, Principles of Walkability, presenta/on, 2012, pg. 8
34 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010 iden/fies specific ac/ons, for example: Put people on foot at the heart of urban planning. Give slow transport modes such as walking and cycling priority over fast modes, and local traffic precedence over long‐distance travel; Reduce the condi/ons for car‐dependent lifestyles, re‐allocate road space to pedestrians and close the missing links in exis/ng walking routes to create priority networks. 35 Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Transporta/on, Smart TransportaNon Guidebook, March 2008 pg.., 20 36 The recently completed TransportaNon Study Town of Collingwood, 2012, produced by C.C. Tatham & Associates Ltd. was focused on specific areas of the community and did not assess transporta/on
issues throughout Collingwood, nor non‐motor vehicle transporta/on. The Report recognizes the need for more detailed analysis for ac/ve transporta/on modes, and states “While it is acknowledged that several modes of travel are available within the Town (i.e.. Transit, walk, cycling, etc.), the primary focus is on addressing vehicular travel by road and the infrastructure necessary to accommodate such. The detailed assessment of needs as they relate to pedestrian and cyclists networks, and public transit, is not otherwise within the scope of this study”.
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eS Hum
Mountain Road
o
ntari Huro t Stree
High Street
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Be
ac
hw
ood
Ro
ad
(“o
ld”
Hi
gh
wa
y2
6)
The corridors that will be specifically addressed through this Element are shown in this illustraNon. Note that in 2012 a survey was conducted (with over 150 respondents) to gather community input that related to the components of the draZ ATP. The respondents indicated that the top three long‐range projects that they were most interested in, or felt were the most important were complete street (re)designs for: • Hume Street Corridor • Hurontario Street Corridor • Highway 26 to Wasaga Beach Corridor (renamed to Beachwood Road) With all these Major Corridor Gateways the final design materials generated will be developed by an interdisciplinary team through a public process. These will then be used to provide the necessary design, analysis, and direction to inform the larger capital projects of completing design drawings and (re)developing these roads in the future. The characteristics and suggestions for each as outlined above will act as guides to these design exercises and do not direct final designs, nor should they be viewed as end results; as these will be determined appropriately through the future engineering/design processes.
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Challenge: Hurontario Street
Challenge: Hume Street
Hurontario’s current design includes significantly large paved shoulders. These represent an opportunity to create a more aMrac/ve gateway into the heart of the community and an ac/ve transporta/on corridor as well.
The ac/ve transporta/on Technical Memorandum for the Town of Collingwood (2011) from the Walkable and Livable Communi/es Ins/tute iden/fies the following rela/ng to a complete streets design approach for Hume Street: these kinds of improvements will result in a more effecNve street that not only moves cars more efficiently and safely, but also does the same for non‐vehicular transportaNon... Note that a value engineering assessment and amendment
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The Hume Street corridor is envisioned in the Official Plan to be mixed‐ use, and should evolve as a contemporary transi/on into the downtown business/heritage district.
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Hurontario Street is Collingwood’s “main street” and one of the most significant corridors for entering the community from the south. It also passes directly in front of the public high school.
Currently the paved shoulder along Hurontario Street is oZen used by cyclists, although definitely not designed for this use.
32
The current use of the sidewalk for cycling, and the excessive paved shoulder as a layby for transit vehicles indicates that Hume Street is not appropriately designed to meet the needs of the community.
Challenge: High Street
to the current design should be taken ASAP as it could likely result in reduced overall construcNon costs, even with an improved street... Any increase in ongoing maintenance costs will be fully offset by adding value to adjacent reail, mixed use and other properNes, including increased value to many homes within walking distance.37
The southern sec/on of High Street iden/fied for this Element will provide an important opportunity to provide a street corridor that is more connected to neighbouring con/guous development while also suppor/ng all modes of transporta/on appropriately. The current condi/on makes this road look and feel like a “highway”; more‐so than a street within the community.
• • • •
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This corridor has a number of noteworthy characteris/cs that will have to be considered in the design, such as:
This street has residen/al uses, major trail corridor crossings, major crossing for school children, and linkages to the evolving western commercial district and, the new fire hall. Developing a design that is suppor/ve of these diverse uses/characteris/cs will be the primary difficulty of this design challenge.
Access to the hospital; Frontage and access to Central Park; Crossing of major trail corridors; and, Link to Highway 26.
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The “mul/‐use walkway” along por/ons of the High Street corridor is also a significant considera/on for this design exercise.
37 Walkable and Livable Communi/es Ins/tute, AcNve TransportaNon Comes to the Town of Collingwood: Technical Memorandum, November 2011, page 3
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Challenge: Mountain Road
Challenge: Beachwood Road “Old” Highway 26 to Wasaga Beach
The ability of this road to support ac/ve transporta/on modes (and future transit links) to the Town of the Blue Mountains will be the major challenge of this corridor design exercise.
The evolu/on of this road, caused by the development of the new Highway 26 sec/on, allows for significantly appreciable changes to be made to meet the goals of this Element and ATP. These include opportuni/es to incorporate the following in the design: • Bike lanes; • Pedestrian walkways and/or sidewalks; • Transit stops; • Turning pockets; and, • Trees/landscaping.
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This road also includes a major trail crossing at the Black Ash Creek bridge that must also be addressed.
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The right‐of‐way in this area could be par/cularly well suited to separated bicycle tracts; which should be considered throughout the design exercise. This is an important considera/on given the informa/on provided in the recently released Cycling Death Review from the Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario which states the following, while also recommending the use of complete streets design principles for all roads:
38 Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Cycling Death Review, June 2012, pg. 3
34
Studies in Denmark have shown that providing segregated bicycle tracks or lanes lanes alongside urban roads reduced deaths among cyclists by 35%.38
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NOTE: As with all these Major Corridor Gateways the final design materials generated will be developed by an interdisciplinary team through a public process. These will then be used to provide the necessary design, analysis, and direc/on to inform the larger capital projects of (re)developing these roads in the future. The characteris/cs and sugges/ons for each as outlined above will act as guides to these design exercises and do not direct final designs, nor should they be viewed as end results; as these will be determined appropriately through the design processes.
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3. Trails for Ac3ve Transporta3on Challenge
A few key routes have been iden/fied as having the greatest need and poten/al as shared purpose trails. These are illustrated in the map on page 38. To ensure that these key shared purpose routes func/on as part of the ac/ve transporta/on network the Town will have to address their design, construc/on, and management accordingly; with work programs executed to make necessary changes in these areas.
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Some of the routes that are part of Collingwood’s trail network are appropriate as ac/ve transporta/on links. This is because they provide physical connec/ons to specific places or areas of the community for people traveling under their own power. However, the development and management of the trail system has been focused on recrea/on use for the most part, as opposed to ac/ve transporta/on parameters. When describing this difference, the report created for Collingwood by Walk and Bike for Life notes:
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It is important to note the different needs of different users of trails. RecreaNonal users enjoy the very curvy, winding paths of trails that are oZen outside of the urbanized areas of the city and allow them to experience the natural beauty and green spaces of a city. In terms of transportaNon, the most effecNve and well‐used bike and pedestrian paths into urbanized areas do not meander around the city, but are straight corridors between places of origin and desNnaNon. Those that use acNve forms of transport want to get to their desNnaNon in the most efficient manner possible and need corridors that go North‐South, East‐West in a grid system for efficient transportaNon. 39
The chart on the facing page from the ASSHTO Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes 40 outlines some of the differences in characteris/cs between recrea/onal trips an u/litarian trips: 39 Walk and Bike for Life, Trail for AcNve TransportaNon, 2009 pg. 10
40 ASSHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012, pg. 2‐4
36
Users of trails for recreaNon and acNve transportaNon purposes have different needs; and trail systems are developed with these in mind. However, some porNons of the trails network may work well for both kinds of users (as illustrated above). When this is the case, these need to be designed, built, and managed for this duel purpose.
Characteristic
Recreational Trips Directness of route not as important as visual interest, shade, protection from wind.
Directness of route & connected, continuous facilities more important than visual interest.
Connectivity
Loop trips may be preferred to backtracking; start and end points are often the same.
Trips generally travel from residential to schools, shopping, or work areas and back.
Distance
Trips may range from under a mile to over 50 miles.
Trips generally are 1‐10 miles in length.
Sort‐term bicycle parking is needed at recreational sites, parks, trailheads, and other recreational activity centres.
Short‐term & long ‐ terms bicycle parking is needed.
Varied topography may be desired.
Flat topography is desired.
Riders
(individuals) May be riding in a group.
(Individuals) Often ride alone.
Destinations
(Individuals) May drive with their bicycles to the starting point of a ride.
Use bicycle as primary transportation mode; may transfer to public transportation; may not have access to a car for trip.
Typically occur on the weekend or on weekdays before morning commute hours or after evening commute hours.
Bicycle commute trips may occur at any hour of the day.
• • • •
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Topography
To ensure that they can func/on as ac/ve transporta/on routes the iden/fied trails (as well as their various street crossings) shall be reviewed and improved/maintained as needed (including design; construc/on of improvements; seasonal maintenance; and, signage). The map on page 39 illustrates the crossings and transi/ons along the off‐street trail network that are applicable to this Element. Those crossings that correspond with the trail sec/ons iden/fied for this Element shall be improved with facili/es, signage, and markings to make them func/on beMer and improve pedestrian/cyclist safety. This applies to the following numbered crossings/transi/ons iden/fied on the map41:
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Directness
Parking
Ac3on
Utilitarian Trips
Time
1 ‐ Black Ash at Mountain Road 11 ‐ Black Ash @ 6th Street 12 – Cranberry Trail; and, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 10 ‐ Memory Lane and Train Trail
Black Ash Creek Trail crossing at 6th street that is in need of physical improvements to make it more acNve transportaNon friendly and funcNonal.
41 Victor Ford and Associates Inc., On & Off Road Cycling/Pedestrian FaciliNes & TransportaNon: Safety & Improvement RecommendaNons, December 2009, Appendix B
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ay 26
Pr
ett
ain
Tr
Mountain Road
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Highw
ive
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KW
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ail
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Tr
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tre xth S
yR
road
ide plar S
Po
This map illustrates the six corridors (not necessarily the exact trail locaNon depicted) along which the Collingwood Trails Network routes should be adapted to support both recreaNonal and acNve transportaNon uses. These include exisNng trails, as well as those that may be built along these corridors as addiNons to the Network in the future. The corridors are clock‐wise from upper leZ: Highway 26 (including Cranberrry Inn Trail); Train Trail; Precy River Parkway and Beachwood Raod; Poplar Sideroad; Sixth Street; and, Mountain Road.
38
Developing the appropriate ac/ons for the analysis, design, implementa/on, and maintenance will primarily involve the Trails CommiMee, Parks Recrea/on & Culture and Engineering Departments.
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The end result will be that physical changes will be made to these specific areas and the funding for their maintenance will shiL from the Trails CommiMee budget to that of Public Works (as they will be part of the Town’s transporta/on system, not the recrea/on system). The Town’s budget will have to take into account this shiL in quality and use. The extent of physical improvements and seasonal access, will be important considera/ons of this work; as well as, the phasing of improvements. The Collingwood Trails Network Management Strategy, 2012, developed by the Town of Collingwood Parks, Recrea/on and Culture Department, will be used as a key resource for informing analysis and design of trail sec/ons being adapted through this Element.
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This Element will have to be closely managed with the implementa/on of the Major Corridor Gateways ‐ Complete Streets Element described earlier, because they have a given amount of overlap.
PorNon of map from the On & Off Road Cycling/Pedestrian FaciliNes & TransportaNon: Safety & Improvement RecommendaNons” report, that illustrates the locaNons of the trail crossings that will have to be addressed to improve funcNon and safety during the implementaNon of this Element as listed on page 37.
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Mid‐range Implementa3on
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II.
Large Scale Projects 3 to 5 years
Preferences for mid-range projects of the ATP
The Elements listed here are generally lesser in scale and scope than the previous Sec/on; and are able to be completed within 3 to 5 years of adop/ng the ATP.
60%
40%
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20%
40
Sidewalks to parks Train Trail Bike parking Siding Trail Share the road The responses to the 2012 community survey indicated that the mid‐range projects that are part of the ATP that they considered most important were: Sidewalk links to parks; Share the road signage; Train Trail extension; and, Siding Trail extension , and bike parking strategy.
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1) Sunset Point & St Lawrence Street Corridor 2) Pedestrian Enhancements Downtown 3) “Right‐size” Downtown Parking Facili3es 4) Bus Stop Sea3ng 5) Family Bike Boulevards 6) Sidewalks & Crosswalks at Public Parks 7) Bridge Link at Siding Trail 8) Link at Train Trail to College 9) Ac3ve Transporta3on Bridge at Mountain Road
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41
1. Sunset Point & St Lawrence Street Corridor Challenge
community, region, and from afar) and the food concessions is very important to the success of Sunset Point Park. However, it is poorly defined, has imprac/cal connec/ons and rela/onships between spaces, and has infrastructure that create conflicts between pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. However, the elements and characteris/cs of the area afford it great poten/al for improvement; allowing it to func/on well as a great community place and integrated well into the Town’s transporta/on network(s).
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St. Lawrence Street along Collingwood’s waterfront connects the community to its major waterfront park and most popular playground, along the way weaving through a residen/al area. Because of this, it plays a significant role in the community in two ways: as high profile connector for ac/ve transporta/on, and as an influence on the sense of place of an important loca/on in the community.
Although there have been trial projects along this street corridor aimed at improving safety including on‐street bike lanes and reverse angle parking; unfortunately, the current condi/on of the street does not allow it to perform well, because it is excessively wide, confusing, and out of context from a design perspec/ve.
The challenge addressed with this Element is to make this street func/on beMer to accommodate the large number of people coming to the park and playground while achieving the following:
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The ac/vity node defined by the area around Enviro Park (the most widely used park area in town and draws people from throughout the
ParNcular acenNon to the relaNonship between the playground and the Park will have to be paid during this project. The role the street plays in its current locaNon will have to be seriously considered because of the way it divides elements within this area. If becer relaNonships between these areas can be formed the placemaking dividend of becer funcNon and livability will be realized.
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1) Crea/ng an aesthe/cally appealing & context sensi/ve visual quality along its length; 2) Being safe for all modes of transporta/on; 3) Func/ons in a way that it enhances the loca/on’s sense of place (as opposed to ac/ng as a way through a space); 4) That the unique shared use of the area (resul/ng from the presence of many families with children at the Enviro Park) is recognized and addressed in its design features; 5) Create an aesthe/cally appealing entrance into the Park from the PreMy River Parkway.
Ac3on
will be the focus of this team’s work. The result will be an ac/onable recommended design for Council’s considera/on.
Managing the conflicts between users (par/cularly between cyclists and pedestrians) in areas of high use, such as along this part of the waterfront, are a challenge. There are issues of expecta/ons, familiarity, travel speed, lack of signage and design.
Examples of the ques/ons that will be contemplated force are: a) How do we improve the safety of this “street through the park” for pedestrians and cyclists”? b) What design improvements could we make to have this street func/on more as a parkway? c) Are there ways we can reduce the impact the street has, in terms of the way it divides the Enviro Park playground from the waterfront park? d) Can we develop a design that is cost effec/ve, understanding that improvements to stormwater structures, and urban cross sec/ons for streets are very costly?
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Pedestrian Fatality Risk Related to Impact Speed of a Car
1 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0
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PROBABILITY OF DEATH
A design task force should be created to address the challenges of this Element; including representa/ves from Parks Recrea/on & Culture and Engineering Departments, and lead by the Town’s Manger of Ac/ve Transporta/on. Issues with urban design, street design, park design, and ci/zen/neighbourhood engagement, as described here,
0
20
60 40 IMPACT SPEED (km/h)
80
100
Because of the large number of people acending the Park, playground, and residenNal uses, vehicle speeds along St. Lawrence street is parNcularly important and a criNcal aspect of the design for its redevelopment. The World Health OrganizaNon (Road Safety‐Speed Fact Sheet) idenNfies the important role that vehicle speed plays in pedestrian fatality risk. “The higher the speed of a vehicle, the shorter the Nme a driver has to stop and avoid a crash. A car traveling at 50 km/h will typically require 13 metres in which to stop, while a car traveling at 40 km/h will stop in less than 8.5 metres”. The WHO goes on to state: “an increase in average speed of 1 km/h typically results in a 3% higher risk of a crash involving injury, with a 4‐5% increase for crashes that result in fataliNes”. The chart above illustrates the Pedestrian Fatality Risk as a FuncNon of the Impact Speed of a car.
Currently temporary crossing warning devices and traffic calming measures are in place in the area near Enviro Park. More appropriate and permanent measures will have to be part of the design for this Element. An appropriate reducNon of vehicle speed will be necessary. When reducing speeds of vehicles, two things happen that make it safer for other street users. One is that the driver has an increased response Nme to deal with obstacles in their way, and the second is that the distance they travel before coming to a stop is reduced. Both of these factors make streets with reduced speeds safer.
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2. Pedestrian Enhancements for Downtown Challenge
leZ as simply uNlitarian, but more of it can and should be used to create a more fine‐grained variety of public and semipublic space. 42
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The recent downtown streetscape redevelopment made changes to the physical environment that improved walkability and bikeability, that included: iden/fied bike routes (perimeter streets), wider sidewalks, careful arrangement of sidewalk uses, aMen/on to travel routes and widths, curb extensions at corners to reduce walking distances, countdown and audio crossing signals, short‐term bike parking, and aesthe/c improvements.
Addi/onally, laneways in the downtown district of Collingwood are being used as suppor/ng infrastructure for “back‐of‐house” opera/ons and vehicle access. However, these downtown laneways are underu/lized for pedestrian and cyclist access, and also in terms of placemaking opportuni/es that could enhance business interests and overall livability. These lanes are not being used to their full poten/al as those found in other communi/es for example.
Throughout the downtown core there are also number of exis/ng mid‐ block pedestrian walkways that that were not directly part of the redevelopment project and act as “shortcuts”. This is an important func/on for ac/ve transporta/on from this group of walkways because they create a finer‐grained built environment that is more convenient and human scaled. Moving throughout the downtown on foot is benefited from these through‐block pedestrian connec/ons that are provided. These are especially useful for accessing neighbouring streets off of the “main street” of Hurontario Street, to reach the municipal parking areas, and to access some very unique laneway businesses. Unfortunately it appears that many visitors are not aware of these helpful “shortcuts” and access routes and others do not use them because of their visual character.
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Overall there is a disparity between the use and poten/al of these areas do to a combina/on of their loca/on, the adjacent uses, their visual quality, and awareness about them. Other communi/es have been able to successfully design and/or program the use of these spaces as community enhancements.
The importance of these kinds if connec/ons is described by the Urban Land Ins/tute: Passageways that cut through blocks and connect with small courtyards and other fragments of urban space (the “intersNNal space” between the primary streets and public spaces) represent opportuniNes to extend the fabric of the public realm and should not be treated as throwaway spaces… Some of this space should be
The challenge is to develop a strategy and implementa/on program that will physically improve these areas so that they add to the downtown district in the following ways: 1) Improved pedestrian and bike environment; 2) Create posi/ve use opportuni/es beyond parking and trash storage, and business opportuni/es where appropriate; 3) Create a sense of place and/or iden/ty that complements the downtown district and improves wayfinding; 4) Makes the secondary entrances to commercial establishments more desirable for pedestrians; and, 5) Maintaining/func/oning well for u/litarian uses where needed.
42 Urban Land Ins/tute, Placemaking Developing Town Centers, Main Streets, and Urban Villages, 2002, Pg 289
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Ac3on
AF T
The execution of this Element must proceed with caution, and not be blinded by optimism. The suggested range of amendments to the quality and function of the mid‐block connections and alley ways should be supportive of safe and attractive pedestrian movement and activities, while also improving the functionality of necessary “back‐of‐house” activities as well. The Urban Land Institute describes the importance of creating this balanced approach to developing pedestrian‐focused “A” streets with the more utilitarian “B” streets: Too often, town centres are envisioned as consisting entirely of high‐quality main streets, with no provision for the utilitarian needs of shops, restaurants, cinemas, and residential buildings. In fact, the absence of “B” streets can wreak havoc on the pedestrian quality of a town centre’s main streets by pushing utilitarian activities out in front of the stores.
This Element will require a multi‐disciplinary approach that includes the following participant skill sets/interests represented: • Urban design; • BIA & business (of a scale representative of the downtown district); • Pedestrian and bicyclist; • Accessibility/mobility; and, • Service needs.
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Here is an example of a laneway enhanced in Victoria, BriNsh Columbia. This laneway has successfully changed its use from a “B” street to a more pedestrian/business supporNve “A” type street.
The work of this Element should have a process flow similar to the following, while working closely with the BIA and land owners: a) Determination of the physical parameters; b) Determination of existing formal and informal uses and needs; c) Assessment of existing functionality; d) Preliminary evaluation of opportunities and options; e) Engagement of public; f) Examination of opportunities for phased approaches; g) Proofing of options with public and stakeholders; h) Determination of prioritized options; and, i) Costing and implementation strategy.
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3. “Right‐size” Downtown Parking Facili3es Challenge
2) Balance the kinds of parking facili/es provided, including those for motor cycles and bicycles; 3) Are safe and convenient for drivers and pedestrians alike; and, 4) Are dynamically managed to best support businesses.
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One of the ways that the community can provide efficient use of our land resources within the right‐of‐way is to ensure that on‐street parking is properly designed. This can easily be combined with road diet and bike route design concepts, the result can be to create more func/onal streets that incorporate more parking, while also facilita/ng improved transporta/on along the street for all users. 43
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In business districts parking demand management is par/cularly important. Providing too liMle parking can make areas inaccessible to a por/on of the community; while providing too much can damage the overall form of a retail district, making it unappealing and poorly func/oning for pedestrians. Both of these have a nega/ve effect on retail areas. Collingwood has significant capital and cultural investments in its downtown district. To facilitate its success a strategic parking demand management strategy must be developed. Currently on‐street parking in the right‐of‐way, and off‐street parking are not being used to their func/onal capacity to best support the business district; long‐term bike parking is not provided; parking areas are affec/ng the success of pedestrian improvements; parking areas are nega/vely impac/ng the streetscape; and, infill development opportuni/es that can provide tax revenue, jobs, and a more dynamic downtown are being foregone for surface parking lots. The challenge therefore, is to address these issues, to provide parking facili/es within the downtown that maximize the use of valuable land/ right‐of‐way resources for parking. This is to be achieved through appropriate design of parking facili/es that: 1) Maximize the number of vehicles that can be parked to meet the needs of the district and community;
43 Ins/tute of Transporta/on Engineers, New Tools for Parking Design and Analysis Web Briefing,
46
Ac3on
• actual use of parking facili/es; • responses to pay parking rates; • infill development opportuni/es on parking lots and their impacts on taxes, businesses, streetscape).
A process will have to be defined and ini/ated for: analyzing parking func/on and need; business and community engagement; and assessment of “highest and best” use of municipal resources for providing, managing, and maintaining parking.
• • • • • •
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The following provides an outline of the basic elements that should, at a minimum, be explored with this ac/on item: Maximize use of lands allocated for parking; Explora/on of parking “best prac/ces”; Pedestrian/cyclist/driver safety; Site specific parking needs; Full cost accoun/ng of parking facili/es; Urban design and streetscape impacts;
On‐street Parallel vs. Angled Parking Stalls (base 22 foot parallel stall) Angle of parking (degrees)
73
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45
Poten/al increase in number of stalls %
60
112
75
137
90
144
Here is an example where car, motorcycle, and bicycle parking faciliNes are well integrated into a site. The design and management of parking faciliNes is criNcal to their success. As Jeremy Nelson of Nelson\Nygaard stated in the 2009 Parking Lots to Parks Workshop. “Parking demand is always changing, and this is why it is criNcal to both esNmate demand accurately and manage parking supply dynamically”. Source: Dan Burden
The ITE, “New Tools for Parking Design and Analysis Web Briefing” describes one of the ways that parking use can be opNmized to more efficiently use land is to design for angled parking; as an increased number of vehicles can be accommodated with angled versus parallel arrangements as shown in the table above. This kind of creaNvity and design analysis needs to be integrated into the implementaNon of this Element.
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4. Bus Stop Sea3ng Challenge
Ac3on
For this Element the ac/on will involve developing a strategy and /meline to install sea/ng at each bus stop loca/on within the community. A phased program for implemen/ng these shall be developed with similar priority criteria to that currently used by the Engineering and Public Works to provide bus shelters.
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To be effec/ve a public transit system has to include safe, efficient, and func/onal transit stops for its users; a significant component of this the availability of sea/ng at bus stops. This is a maMer of health and accessibility for the town’s ci/zens, par/cularly including . • Elderly persons; • People traveling with young children; • People with limited mobility and/or stamina due to physical health or ailments; and, • Expectant mothers.
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It may be desirable, especially given our local climate and community’s large and growing number of seniors, to have bus shelters at each bus stop. However, given the cost of developing and maintaining bus shelters, it may be imprac/cal to meet this desire. As such the Town’s Engineering and Public Works Departments have a long standing opera/onal policy for iden/fying priority stops that have shelters. Essen/ally the priori/es are based on: loca/on type (downtown; school; major recrea/on facility; hospital, et cetera); numbers of users; and, priority sites used by many children, or seniors. The investment in sea/ng is minimal compared to providing shelters while s/ll significantly improving the func/on of the bus stops. The maintenance of this infrastructure is also less to that of enclosed shelters.
This Element will create a strategy and priority process for providing sea/ng at all bus stops to help maximize the number of people that can use the transit system.
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AF T
If seaNng is not provided at bus stops, there are many people within the community that will be sufficiently inconvenienced. For some this will limit/deter their ability to use transit. In a community with an increasing populaNon of seniors, this is a significant concern.
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The majority of transit stops in Collingwood provide no seaNng for users.
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5. Family Bike Boulevards Challenge
The greatest number of cyclists can be identified as “interested but concerned” (62% of bike riders are not comfortable in traffic. Prefer low‐volume low‐speed and prefer physical separation from cars, off street, neighbourhood street), as they are not comfortable riding in traffic and prefer streets with low‐volumes and low‐speeds. For this reason the ATP includes a number of specific routes to be improved as Family Bike Boulevards (see map on page 53).45
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The initial phase of the development of the bike route network in Collingwood is the delineation of the routes as described in the On‐ Street Bike Route Element (page 78). This Element is the next phase of making cycling enjoyable, efficient, and practical.
Throughout much of the research and literature on cycling and active transportation, cyclists are often identified by their level of comfort in cycling in traffic (see also page 37). This helps identify the kinds of facilities needed, and what can be expected, when developing a community wide network for active transportation. The Ontario Bike Plan44 describes these categories:
An active transportation network has to be designed, developed and maintained to function well for the many different kinds of people in a community. This includes the young, and people that may not be as comfortable or proficient at cycling for example.
• The Strong and the Fearless ‐ perhaps 1% of the population who will ride regardless of the condition of roadways. • The Enthused and the Confident ‐ 5 to 10% of the population who are cycling now attracted by improvements made to bikeway networks in their communities. They may be comfortable sharing the road with motorists, but appreciate bike lanes and other facilities designed specifically for them. And they may choose to cycle more often as further improvements are made. • The Interested but Concerned ‐ perhaps 60% of the population. They may like riding a bicycle based on good experiences in their youth or a ride they took in the summer, but are afraid to ride a bicycle regularly but they would ride if they felt the roadways were safer and traffic traveled slower. • No Way No How ‐ Some one third of the population is not interested in or capable of cycling at all.
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To make active transportation most practical for families, in terms of the bicycle routes there needs to be a dedicated set of streets that achieve the following:
44 Cycle Ontario Alliance, Ontario Bike Plan, February 2008, pg. 5 45 Adapted from: Walk and Bike for Life, Trails for AcNve TransportaNon, 2009, pg. 38
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1) Provide routes whose design features are enhanced for safety so that they appeal to families, elderly, and less proficient cyclists (primarily focusing on residential areas where practical); 2) Provide aesthetic enhancements and street trees along their entire lengths to improve user comfort and the appeal of the routes; 3) Connect with the rest of the bike routes; 4) Prioritize the movement of cyclists over cars with traffic calming and road diet features that create a lower target speed that is geared to the requirements of cyclists; and, 5) Has enhanced wayfinding signage.
Action
The Moving People subsection Places to Grow, states:
There are four streets within Collingwood that are being identified as potentially being part of this enhanced family bikeway network (see map on page 53). These connect to the downtown, a number of parks, trails and other major routes within Collingwood.
Municipalities will ensure that pedestrian and bicycle networks are integrated into transportation planning to: a) provide safe, comfortable travel for pedestrians and bicyclists within existing communities and new development b) provide linkages between intensification areas, adjacent neighbourhoods, and transit stations, including dedicated lane space for bicyclists on the major street network where feasible. 46
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These bikeways are envisioned as streets with specific enhancements that make cycling along them particularly safe and comfortable for those people that are less inclined to ride on busy streets with vehicular traffic; such as young children. They will be created through the introduction of a number of traffic calming features, landscaping, and public art, for example:
One way to address this is to provide a bike boulevard network. A Bike boulevard is “a street segment, or series of contiguous street segments, that has been modified to accommodate through bicycle traffic and minimize through motor traffic”47 The challenge with this Element is creating a bike boulevard network that is part of the hierarchy of cycling oriented active transportation routes. Note that the implementation of the design features for each of these Elements should be significantly influenced by the Ontario Traffic Manual Book 18: Bicycle Facilities which will be released in 2013; described by the Ontario Traffic Council:
• Travel lanes will be strategically narrowed at (through the use of curb extensions) • Shy space around features such as refuge islands will be enhanced with wide drain gutters and/or wide striping to reduce vehicular speeds • Street trees will be planted to provide sun health and calm vehicular traffic; • Travel for bicycle and calmed vehicular travel will be prioritized along the corridors; • Bikeway markings will be painted on the street; • Signage designating the bikeway will be positioned along the route; • Key intersections will incorporate public art into the signage to act as wayfinding and identification markers for the family bikeway 49.
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The OTM Book 18 will be the primary reference document used by engineers, planners and designers throughout Ontario. It will contain information on legal requirements, standards, best practices, procedures, guidelines and recommendations for the justification, planning, design, timing and operation of bicycle facilities and control measures.48
46 Province of Ontario, Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2006, pg. 25
47 ASSHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012, pg. 1‐2
48 Ontario Traffic Council, OTM Book 18: Bicycle Design Guidelines, OMawa Bike Summit 2012 presenta/on, page 4 49 Intersec/on of Ontario Street and Ridgeway bike routes in Vancouver, Bri/sh Columbia
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Traffic calming will be an integral component of the design of these routes. The principles under which traffic calming functions, can be defined by the following four points50:
•
• •
Vehicle Speed: o Significant determinant of crash severity o Critical factor where modes conflict o Appropriate with respect to context Pedestrian/cyclist Exposure to Risk: o Reduce time in vehicle travel lanes o Physical and visual cues to increase legibility for users o Human‐centred design focus Driver Predictability: o Need for vehicle use to be predictable Effective 24hrs a Day: o Self‐evident function and use o Self‐enforcing through physical characteristics
EXPERIENCES/CONFIDENT RIDERS
Comfort
Most are comfortable riding with vehicles on streets, and are able to navigate streets like a motor vehicle, including using the full width of a narrow travel lane when appropriate and using left‐ turn lanes.
Prefer shared use paths, bicycle boulevards, or bikelanes along low‐ volume, low‐speed streets.
Traffic
While comfortable on most streets, some prefer on‐ street bike lanes, paved shoulders, or shared use paths when available.
May have difficulty guaging traffic and may be unfamiliar with rules of the road as they pertain to bicyclists; may walk bike across intersections.
Directness
Prefer a more direct route.
May use less direct route to avoid arterials with heavy traffic volumes.
Sidewalks
Avoid riding on sidewalks. Ride with the flow of traffic on streets.
If no on‐street facility is available, may ride on sidewalks.
Speed
May ride at speeds up to 40 km/h on level grades, up to 72 km/h on steep descents.
May ride at speeds around 13 km/h to 20 km/h.
Distance
May cycle longer distances.
Cycle shorter distances: 1 to 8 km is a typical trip distance.
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Characteristics
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This Element will be completed by a multi‐disciplinary team with a community engagement component, and should include test projects with low‐cost and temporary measures to test the design solutions. A monitoring and assessment strategy will have to be developed to coincide with these test projects.
These images show examples of f e a t u r e s t h a t s h o u l d b e considered for the Family Bike Boulevards, integrated into bike routes in Vancouver, BriNsh Columbia. Pictured here are curb extensions, mini‐roundabout, public art, road markings, street trees. Source: Google
50 Michael King, Nelson\Nygaard Associates, “Designing Complete Streets” presenta/on, May 29, 2007
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CASUAL/LESS CONFIDENT RIDERS
The faciliNes developed in the community need to address the specific needs of a broad range of people, when it comes to acNve transportaNon. Not every walker, or cyclist is the same. The ASSHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes has a chart that explains the differences between people’s level of skill and comfort when cycling. There are similariNes in the ranges of differences, and things that need to be considered when planning, designing, and building faciliNes or walkers as well as outlined in the chart above.48
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io
ar nt
O
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t
Maple S
tree
treet
lS
Pee
eet
Third Str
re St
treet
Ca
ell S mpb
This map illustrates the four routes envisioned for the Family Bike Boulevards that will be developed through this Element. The suitability of these parNcular roads, and the implementaNon of this porNon of the acNve transportaNon network will be determined through the process of compleNng this Element.
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6. Sidewalks & Crosswalks at Public Parks Challenge
Ac3on
The ac/on for this Element is the development and implementa/on of a priori/zed process to install pedestrian crossings and/or new segments of sidewalk to address the lack of facili/es to support walking to these important community facili/es.
AF T
The primary users of Collingwood’s public parks are children and their accompanying parents and/or minders. Walking and biking make up their principle forms of transporta/on. Unfortunately, a large number of Collingwood’s public parks are not accessible by sidewalks. Many /mes there is no sidewalk along the park frontage.
The Town’s Parks, Recrea/on & Culture Department will assist with the lead in this process with addi/onal assistance from the Engineering and Public Works Departments.
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The challenge will be to provide improved access to these parks for pedestrians.
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AF T PARK
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The Ontario Ministry of TransportaNon’s Ontario Traffic Manual (Traffic Manual, Book 11, Pavement, Hazard and DelineaNon Markings, March 2000, pg. 97) states: “in urban areas, crosswalks must be marked at all intersecNon where there is substanNal conflict between vehicular and pedestrian movements. Pedestrian crossings may be marked at non‐intersecNon points where substanNal pedestrian movements occur or where a safe crossing point would not otherwise be obvious, parNcularly to children”. For this Element appropriate pedestrian crossings will be designed and installed to support safe and comfortable access to municipal parks.
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7. Bridge Link at Siding Trail Challenge
Ac3on
The Parks, Recrea/on & Culture Department and Trails CommiMee, will assist with undertaking a design exercise to develop a solu/on to the challenge of this Element. They will then turn their efforts to the management of its implementa/on.
AF T
Ac/ve transporta/on systems have to be designed, developed, and managed to connect people to the various des/na/ons they need to reach for their daily ac/vi/es. This includes linkages to places where people work.
DR
This Element will complete a long defined connec/on to the employment lands in the south east of the community trail. With the elimina/on of the railway opera/ons it is now possible to design and create a trail link along the old rail line, poten/ally adap/ng the exis/ng bridge for trail use. This will improve connec/vity to employment lands and make ac/ve transporta/on more prac/cal for ci/zens of Collingwood.
56
AF T DR
Collingwood is renowned for its extensive trail system; having received acenNon throughout the Province and beyond for a decades long commitment and success in developing the network. This connecNon has been proposed for many years, as it provides a needed link for acNve transportaNon. The locaNon of the bridge crossing is highlighted on this scan of the Trail Network Map, and is indicated as a “future trail”.
A photo of the exisNng train bridge which could be converted for acNve transportaNon use, now that the rail service has been closed in Collingwood.
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8. Link at Train Trail Challenge
Ac3on
The Parks, Recrea/on & Culture, Trails CommiMee, and Manger of Ac/ve Transporta/on will have to undertake a design exercise to develop a solu/on to the challenge of this Element. They will then turn their efforts to the management of its implementa/on.
AF T
The gap in the trail system at the south end of the Train Trail creates a separa/on between the rest of the town and the newly developed Georgian College campus on Poplar Sideroad. It also nega/vely impacts the effec/veness of the connec/on to Stayner along this route. The challenge with this Element is to complete the linking trails and bridge construc/on; similar to the challenge for the previous Element. This will improve connec/vity and make ac/ve transporta/on more prac/cal.
DR
As the college campus evolves over /me, ac/ve transporta/on access needs to be provided to link it with the rest of the community. The Town needs to provide improved ac/ve transporta/on connec/ons to this important post secondary educa/onal ins/tu/on as it is one of the key des/na/ons within the community.
58
AF T DR
Collingwood is renowned for its extensive trail system; having received acenNon throughout the Province and beyond for a decades long commitment and success in developing the network. This connecNon has been proposed for many years, as it provides a needed link for acNve transportaNon. The locaNon of the missing link and river crossing are highlighted on this scan of the Trail Network Map, and is indicated as a “future trail”.
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9. Active Transportation Bridge at Mountain Road Challenge
Ac3on
The Parks, Recrea/on & Culture Department with input from the Trails CommiMee will lead the exercise of designing, permimng, and developing this river crossing with project management assistance from the Manger of Ac/ve Transporta/on.
AF T
Ac/ve transporta/on systems have to be designed, developed, and managed to connect people to the various des/na/ons they need to reach for their daily ac/vi/es. This includes linkages to schools and neighbouring communi/es. This Element will significantly improve an ac/ve transporta/on connec/on to the Town of the Blue Mountains, and beMer link por/ons of Collingwood that are situated to the west of Black Ash Creek, with those to the east side of this river corridor.
The river in this loca/on is a significant barrier; and neither the road nor the trail system provide prac/cal and comfortable op/ons for ac/ve transporta/on at this crossing of Mountain Road.
DR
There is a need to support an improved connec/on for safety and efficiency with the Town of the Blue Mountains and the residen/al areas and job centres to the west with the rest of the built up por/ons of the town to the east. That is the challenge that is being addressed with this Element.
60
AF T DR
The more northerly and southerly crossings of the Black Ash Creek for acNve transportaNon are the pedestrian bridge and Sixth street bridge respecNvely. Both are not well located for people traveling along this direct corridor to the Town of the Blue Mountains. The bridge crossing of Mountain Road does not facilitate comfortable and safe crossing for pedestrians and cyclists.
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III.
Near‐range Implementa3on Preferences for near-range projects of the ATP
AF T
Small Scale Projects 0 to 3 years
This Sec/on details the small projects that can be achieved within 3 years or less. Generally these items are system or network oriented; however, requiring liMle capital expenditures.
40%
These items are designed to help make ac/ve transporta/on more prac/cal and func/onal; while fulling engaging the community in the process of crea/ng an improved ac/ve transporta/on system.
DR
20%
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Bike routes Skateboarding on Kids riding on sidewalks sidewalks
This graph illustrates the three near‐range projects idenNfied by respondents to the 2012 ATP survey as being of highest priority.
AF T
1) “Share the Road” Routes 2) Urban Acupuncture & Traffic Calming 3) Active Transportation Matching Fund 4) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Cycling 5) Update Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Skateboarding 6) Downtown Long‐term Bike Parking 7) On‐street Bike Routes 8) Public Parking Lot Pedestrian Improvements 9) Complete Streets Design Matrix 10) Community‐wide Walkability/bikeability Audits
DR
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1. “Share the Road” Routes Challenge
Ac3on
The Town’s Engineering Department will assist with the review of the routes designated on the map (facing page) and iden/fy the loca/on(s) for the signage to be installed along these roads, or appropriate sec/ons thereof.
AF T
Not all streets can be redeveloped or retrofiMed to provide cycling lanes or other improvements for ac/ve transporta/on. Some/mes this is the result of the characteris/cs of the roads in ques/on, the amount of roadways in a town, the short and long‐term costs of improvements, or any combina/on of these. However, one effec/ve way to improve the safety and appeal of par/cular routes for cycling along some roads is to install “share the road” signage.
This map was generated from an amended map developed through an extensive process by the local Share the Road organiza/on (which has included representa/on from the Town). This map shows those street corridors that will receive “share the road” signage in Collingwood. These make up main routes oLen used by cyclists that link the built‐up areas of Collingwood, with the surrounding more rural streets, developments, and neighbouring communi/es. These routes will provide another link to the neighbouring communi/es un/l such /me as other corridor redesigns are implemented.
The Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada describes when the share the road sign is used: to warn motorists that they are to provide adequate driving space for cyclists and other vehicles on the road. The sign also advices motorists and cyclists to use extra cauNon on the upcoming secNon of road. 51
DR
This Element is intended to improve safety for cyclists traveling along “outlying” roads that are being used by people traveling to neighbouring areas or communi/es. This is also intended to complete the Collingwood por/ons of the “share the road” network being created across the region.
51 Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada, February 2012, pg. 39
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Example of the share the road signs being used throughout the region.
AF T
Mountain Road
Ragl
DR reet
ve an A
High St
treet
hS Sixt
a
Popl
ad
dero r Si
This map shows the streets that make up the “share the road” network for this Element. A review of the routes designated on the map will be done to idenNfy the appropriate locaNon(s) for the share the road signage to be installed along these roads, or secNons thereof.
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2. Urban Acupuncture & Traffic Calming Challenge
walking on a regular basis?” The top two that were identified as either great or greatest in need were crosswalks and traffic calming.52 The graph on the following page is adapted from the Report and illustrates the results. 53 Traffic calming is a way to design streets, using physical measures, to encourage people to drive more slowly. It creates physical and visual cues that induce drivers to travel at slower speeds. Traffic calming is self‐enforcing. The design of the roadway results in the desired effect, without relying on compliance with traffic control devices such as signals, signs, and without enforcement. Traffic calming is also specifically identified and recommended in the Chief Coroner of Ontario’s report Pedestrian Death Review54 to improve road safety. Traffic calming has four basic principles in terms of design:
AF T
Collingwood as a community, and its built environment is constantly evolving. This means that not all features of what has been constructed in the past can meet the needs of the community today, or into the future. This is true of active transportation networks, and the places people go alike. Placemaking and creating an interesting and functional built environment is as important to active transportation as providing a network along which to travel.
DR
On April 15, 2011 the Governing Council of UN‐Habitat adopted the first‐ever public space resolution which urged the development of a policy approach for the international application of Placemaking. The Resolution sights the importance of Placemaking for fostering social, cultural, economic and environmental benefits for the overall livability of communities. Placemaking is the human‐centred design of public spaces that directly involves the people that will use the site. Over the past decade the specific value of placemaking to community livability; economic and business resiliency and success; real estate development; and, community health has become increasingly understood. This approach is well established and proven, and is gaining popularity because of its practicality and far reaching influence on the success of neighbourhoods and communities. The recent Walk and Bike for Life survey and workshop conducted in Collingwood asked “how would you rate the need for the following programs and facilities in Collingwood to increase the number of people
52 Walk and Bike for Life, Trails for AcNve TransportaNon, 2009, pg. 21
53 Adapted from Walk and Bike for Life, Collingwood Report, 2010, pg. 21
54 Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Pedestrian Death Review, pg. 54, September 2012
55Michael King, Nelson\Nygaard Associates, Designing Complete Streets presenta/on, May 29, 2007
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1) Vehicles speed (significant determinant of crash severity; critical factor whens modes conflict; needs to be reduced to context appropriate target speed); 2) Pedestrian/bike exposure risk (reducing the amount of time that pedestrians are in the street with reduced crossing distances, and appropriate pedestrian infrastructure); 3) Driver predictability (making vehicle movements predictable for others); and, 4) That traffic calming measures are active 24 hours a day, seven days a week (do not rely on enforcement)55
The challenge is to make it easier for the greater community of Collingwood, including the Municipality to affect change and test ideas by using the resources readily available. In fact, small scale
neighbourhood changes can have significant impacts. As identified by the Centers for Disease Control;
time community members come together in co‐operation for everyone’s benefit, the act itself is a positive outcome. Pilot projects also help inform all future community building improvement initiatives.
Small‐scale pedestrian improvements along streets result in higher physical activity levels and have high levels of public support.56
AF T
By creating a mechanism through this Element for citizens to work with the municipality, the Town is creating an integrated assistance system of support that is user‐friendly and effectively leverages the assets of the community for its improvement.
NEED FOR FACILITIES AND PROGRAMS TO INCREASE WALKING IN COLLINGWOOD
This Element is intended to provide a way for creating and implementing small‐scale projects that:
70%
1) Are focused on improving the built environment of the community; 2) Improve one or more of the requirements for effective active transportation (including quality public places, connections around town, connection to other areas outside of town, improved safety for active transportation modes, improved aesthetics and visual appeal of areas for active transportation, improved the sun health and visual quality of street corridors with street trees, improved trail and pedestrian crossings, et cetera); 3) Are permanent, or temporary pilot projects; and, 4) Are initiated by community members, the Town, or stakeholders, and facilitated/assisted by the Town.
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
DR
10% 0%
CROSSWALKS
GREAT GREATEST
TRAFFIC CALMING
The report by Walk and Bike for Like indicated that people felt there was a great need for both crosswalks and traffic calming to increase walking in Collingwood.
The opportunities that are sought and potentially afforded the community through pilot projects are multiple, and often interconnected, including, creating community engagement opportunities for citizens of Collingwood to actively participate in improving their neighbourhoods. Additionally, regardless of the final outcome of pilot projects, the benefit to the Municipality, and general public in working together to execute the project will be significant. Any
56 Walk Boston, Good Walking is Good Business, 2011
67
Ac3on
goals of the project. These projects should meet a specific set of criteria that will be adapted from the 11 Principles of Placemaking58:
The purpose of this Element is to provide facilita/on for small scale neighbourhood improvements. This can be called Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), Urban Acupuncture, Tac/cal Urbanism or “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper” (LQC). It describes a local development strategy that has produced excep/onally successful public spaces and is generally lower risk and lower cost, capitalizing on the crea/ve energy of the community to efficiently generate new uses and revenue for places.
The Community is the Expert You are crea/ng a place, not a design You can’t do it alone They’ll always say “it can’t be done” You can see a lot just by observing Develop a vision Form supports func/on Triangulate Start with the petunias Money is not an issue You are never finished
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• • • • • • • • • • •
This can take many forms, requiring varying degrees of /me, money, and effort, and the spectrum of interven/ons should be seen as an itera/ve means to build las/ng change. All placemaking and livability improvements are closely related to walkability and ac/ve transporta/on. By championing use, over design aesthe/c, and capital‐intensive construc/on, LQC interven/ons strike a balance between providing comfortable spaces for people to enjoy while genera/ng and leveraging local assets necessary for further phases. From the BeMer Block Org web site, which is dedicated to “rapid urban revitaliza/on projects”, the purpose of these approaches is to facilitate ways of crea/ng demonstra/on “tools” that revise an area to show, test, and review the poten/al to create great walkable, vibrant neighborhood streets and places. The projects will act as a living model so that ci/zens can ac/vely engage in the “complete streets” and placemaking buildout process, and develop temporary pilot projects to show and assess the poten/al for these ini/a/ves in a specific area. The intent is to perform these tests and help the Town and community rapidly implement infrastructure and policy changes that support the ac/ve transporta/on plan and overall community livability. 57
DR
The parameters of the Town’s facilita/on and support will be determined by the Town and will be based on the specific characteris/cs of the proposal, such as those defined by the Street Plans Collabora/ve manual Tac/cal Urbanism: 1) A deliberate, phased approach to ins/ga/ng change; 2) The offering of local solu/ons for local planning challenges; 3) Short‐term commitment and realis/c expecta/ons; 4) Low‐risks, with a possibly a high reward; and, 5) The development of social capital between ci/zens and the building of organiza/onal capacity between public‐private ins/tu/ons, non‐profits, and their cons/tuents.
The kinds of projects that would be supported are very localized improvements based on the characteris/cs and needs of the area, and
57 Adapted from www.beMerblock.org The BeMer Block is an open‐sourced project that is free to re‐use and build upon. The site is developed to provide help for communi/es who wish to build their own
BeMer Blocks with resources anyone may need to help rapidly revitalize neighborhoods. 58 Project for Public Spaces, 11 Principles of Placemaking, www.pps.org
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AF T DR
These photographs show examples of how traffic calming pilot projects can be undertaken with minimal equipment. Traffic movements are being recorded by the gentleman in the lower picture. Source: Dan Burden
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3. Active Transportation Matching Fund Challenge
This is closely linked to the previous Element. It is a way of maximizing the investment of both the community members and the Town when providing AT improvements at the neighbourhood or street scale.
AF T
Many communi/es are not able to allocate large amounts of resources for ac/ve transporta/on ini/a/ves because of their size and/or other obliga/ons. The challenge this Element is addressing is the need to develop mechanisms that help leverage the assets within the community that may be helpful in improving the ac/ve transporta/on infrastructure, how it func/ons, or the culture of ac/ve transporta/on in the community.
Interest in Town support for
60% neighbourhood projects
Similar to the previous element, this one is intended to create a mechanism by which the Town can make prac/cal, or opportunis/c, improvements to the ac/ve transporta/on network. This can be very helpful for the community, as the ASSHTO Guide to the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes iden/fies:
40%
20%
Many of the most successful bike plans have been implemented through a pragmaNc approach involving phasing of improvements and opportunisNc partnerships with other projects . 59
DR
Very interested
Neither
Somewhat
Not very
report60
The Walk and Bike for Life iden/fies the kinds of items envisioned for this Element as recommended improvements; these include investments in: • • •
Public spaces such as public squares, mee/ng spaces, and places for outdoor ac/vi/es; Support elements for non‐vehicle transporta/on such as improved ligh/ng, signage, way‐finding; and, Increased quality and quan/ty of bike parking.
59 AASHTO, Guide to the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012 pg. 2‐14 60 Walk and Bike for Life, Collingwood Report, 2009, pg. 27
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This table illustrates how respondents to the 2012 ATP survey indicated how interested they would be for supporNng the Town’s ATP to “include ways for ciNzens and neighbourhood groups to get support from the Town for local projects that improve acNve transportaNon”.
Ac3on
While these are projects created with community assets and skills to a great degree, the review criteria for community ini/ated proposals/ projects should also include an understanding, and considera/on, of the overall aesthe/cs and urban design characteris/cs of the final project/area and the ability to support ac/ve transporta/on in Collingwood. These considera/ons are important, because as defined in the 2009 report by Victor Ford and Associates which reviewed Collingwood’s trail system:
AF T
To implement this Element, the Town Council will have to allocate a given amount of funds to an ac/ve transporta/on matching fund. The amount of the matching fund should be of sufficient quan/ty to afford meaningful change and impact. An amount of $30,000 to $50,000 is the recommended minimum. The alloca/on of these funds to successful community proposals will have to be assessed against a specific criteria developed as part of the implementa/on of this Element.
Such consideraNon will encourage use by highlighNng the presence and quality of the faciliNes provided, and will support the impression that these projects are part of a well‐thought‐out, integrated, improvement iniNaNve. 62
As a way of iden/fying project proposals that could be supported through this Element the Town shall develop a review criteria upon which decisions will be based. For example, the Walkability Toolkit describes a checklist for crea/ng pedestrian‐friendly communi/es61 that could be adapted to develop the criteria for ac/ve transporta/on oriented projects that support these kinds of features within Collingwood. The checklist includes: Con/nuous Systems/Connec/vity Shortened Trips and Convenient Access Linkages to a Variety of Land Uses/Regional Connec/vity Coordina/on Between Jurisdic/ons Con/nuous Separa/on from Traffic Pedestrian‐Suppor/ve Lane‐Use paMerns Well‐Func/oning Facili/es Designated Space Security and Visibility Automobiles are Not the Only Considera/on Neighbourhood Traffic Calming Accessible & Appropriately Located Transit Lively Public Places Pedestrian Furnishings Street Trees and Landscaping Proper Maintenance Safe Pedestrian Crossings
DR
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
61 Walk On, Walkability Toolkit, 2009, pg. 9 62 Victor Ford and Associates Inc., On & Off Road Cycling/Pedestrian FaciliNes & TransiNons: Safety & Improvement RecommendaNons, December 2009, pg. 59
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4. Updated Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Cycling Challenge
Ac3on
Create a By‐law that allows children (and adults accompanying them) to ride bicycles on the sidewalk, The specific language will be determined through a public process. This process should specifically include representa/on from young ci/zens of the community throughout.
AF T
Providing safe places for children and their caregivers to legally ride their bikes as they learn this important life skill is being addressed by this Element.
For families with children learning to ride a bicycle the current by‐law prohibi/ng cycling on the sidewalk is overly restric/ve and imprac/cal. Yet this is oLen the safest place for young riders just learning, and their parents/minders. Currently on‐road cycling may not be the most safe alterna/ve for those learning to ride a bicycle. The same holds true for young people who are traveling independently to and from school, parks, or other loca/ons by bicycle. These residents are not permiMed to use the sidewalk; yet their abili/es and comfort with riding on the street makes this the most appropriate op/on for them, regardless of the prohibi/ve by‐law.
The challenge of this adapted By‐law will be to make this ac/vity both legal and safe for all users of the community’s sidewalks, including children, elderly persons, and persons with disabili/es. It is important to note that the prohibi/on of cycling in the downtown commercial/retail core will be maintained due to the space restric/ons and pedestrian ac/vity in the area.
To recognize these reali/es of the way people use sidewalks and improve the overall safety for these individuals and motorists alike, this Element requires that a process be ini/ated to explore how the sidewalk use by‐law can be amended to permit for these kinds of uses.
DR
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AF T DR
When children are learning to ride their bicycles, it is impracNcal and unsafe in many areas for them to ride on the street, so they use the sidewalks. Therefore, a By‐law amendment needs to be made that makes this common use of sidewalks by child cyclists safe and pracNcal for all sidewalk users.
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5. Updated Sidewalk By‐law ‐ Skateboarding Challenge
Ac3on
To recognize these reali/es of the way people use skateboards and sidewalks and improve the overall safety for these individuals and motorists alike, this element requires that the sidewalk use by‐law be amended to permit skateboard use with key provisions that protect pedestrians sharing the sidewalk (ensuring that the sidewalks are safe to use for all, including children, elderly persons, and persons with disabili/es). For example: restric/ng use of skateboard when pedestrians are present (requiring that skateboarders dismount); restric/ng tricks or maneuvers that make the skateboard airborne; and, restric/ng their use in the downtown retail/commercial district.
AF T
Many young people in par/cular choose to skateboard as a way of gemng from one place to another. Unfortunately the current regulatory framework makes it illegal for these ci/zens to do so on both streets and sidewalks, and skateboarders risk fines and/or injuries because the prohibi/ons to using the sidewalks. Skateboarding is not permiMed in any public area of the town except the designated skateboard park. For families with children learning to ride a skateboard, or those using them as a form of transporta/on the current by‐law prohibi/ng their use is overly restric/ve and imprac/cal.
The specific language will be determined through a public process, as they address ques/ons such as:
DR
Since many people choose to use skateboards as an ac/ve transporta/on mode there is a need to ensure that it is done safely throughout the community. This Element will address the safety and legality of using skateboards as a mode of transporta/on within Collingwood.
74
1) What regula/on framework could we develop that would make it safe for skateboarders and other users to travel on our sidewalks and shared walkways? 2) Recognizing that the “main street” sidewalk corridor of Hurontario Street, in our downtown business district, is likely to always be to congested for this kind of shared use; what informa/on signage to describe this limita/on would be most effec/ve and least visually obtrusive?
The prohibi/on of skateboarding in the downtown commercial/retail core should be maintained due to the space restric/ons and pedestrian ac/vity in the area.
AF T DR
Skateboarders and pedestrian conflicts can cause serious personal injuries. Therefore, any By‐law consideraNon for skateboard use on sidewalks must take into account limitaNons that improve safety for all sidewalk users.
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6. Downtown Long‐term Bike Parking Challenge
By using these areas in the downtown to effec/vely support bicycle transporta/on, downtown Collingwood could increase the overall number of parking spaces for both ci/zens, visitors, and tourists alike.
AF T
The recent downtown revitaliza/on project provided significant improvements to the public realm that support walkability in terms of aesthe/cs, and safety. The downtown now has wider sidewalks, curb extensions, benches and other street furniture, formalized mid‐block pedestrian crossings, and street trees.
This Element will result in the design and development of appropriate long‐term bike parking facili/es in the downtown for people who shop, work, and visit this area of the community.
Parking is one of the necessary components of an ac/ve transporta/on system. The municipality has provided significant resources for vehicle parking, while propor/onally lagging behind in terms of bike parking. The revitaliza/on project also included bike parking rings distributed along Hurontario Street.
High quality, publicly accessible long‐term bike parking in the downtown commercial district does not currently exist. The bicycle parking op/ons do not provide shelter from the elements, nor are they supported by long‐term security op/ons, or high pedestrian traffic to provide oversight.
DR
There are many loca/ons throughout downtown that are not well suited and/or imprac/cal for automobile parking or other uses, and could accommodate secure bike parking without sacrificing the facili/es and ameni/es of other modes of transporta/on. As described by the Victoria Transport Policy Ins/tute, it is also a posi/ve feature for businesses: Bicycle parking is space efficient and so generates about five Nmes as much spending per square meter as car parking. 63
A signage program indicaNng where long‐term bike parking is located in the downtown will have to be integrated into the implementaNon of this Element.
63 Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Ins/tute, Whose Roads? EvaluaNng Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways, May 31, 2012, pg. 8
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Ac3on
To facilitate efficient use of the downtown by those that travel by bicycle the Town should design and provide appropriate long‐term bike parking facili/es.
AF T
As part of the process to implement this Element, loca/ons of long‐ term bike parking shall be reviewed and selected through a collabora/ve process with the Downtown BIA and community members. Part of the process will be the recogni/on that long‐term bike parking has specific requirements in terms of its design and loca/on. This kind of bike parking needs to include the following:
NEED FOR FACILITIES & PROGRAMS TO INCREASE BICYCLING IN COLLINGWOOD
90%
80%
• Weather protec/on; • Consistent passive surveillance from users and passers‐by; and, • Central loca/on.
70%
60% 50%
There are a number of specific ac/on items for this Element; and, while it is an independent item, it shall also be integrated into the work associated with the “right‐sizing” downtown parking work program described in the ATP. This element shall also be executed in such a way to provide the greatest value to users and ci/zens.
40% 30%
20% 10%
DR
0%
GREAT GREATEST
BIKE BIKE PARKING LANES BIKE LANES WITH PHYSICAL SEPARTATION
The recent Walk and Bike for Life survey idenNfied a number of needed faciliNes and programs to increase bicycling in Collingwood. The top three that were sighted as either great or greatest in need were bike lanes with physical separaNon (88%), bike parking (75%) and bike lanes (65%).
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7. On‐street Bike Routes Challenge
The County‘s Transportation Master Plan states:
While the town of Collingwood has an excellent trail system, it is limited in its functionality for active transportation. Portions of it work well to provide the connectivity and efficiency needed for active transportation, but most of it functions best as a recreational system.
AF T
it is recognized that over time the County should be encouraging a greater emphasis on walking and cycling as the preferred mode of travel for short trips (under 5 km in length).66
On‐street bike routes can provide the directness needed for active transportation, which is difficult for recreational trails to provide:
The 2008 Ontario Walkability Study identified that nearly 75% of students surveyed would prefer to walk or cycle to school; and although 3.5% said they currently ride their bicycle to school, 26.8% would prefer this mode of transportation. 67
It is important to note the different needs of different users of trails. Recreational users enjoy the very curvy, winding path of trails that are often outside of the urbanized areas of the city and allow them to experience the natural beauty and green spaces of a city. In terms of transportation, the most effective and well‐used bike and pedestrian paths into urbanized areas do not meander around the city, but are straight corridors between places of origin and destination. 64
The Go for Green The Active Living & Environment Program has identified that: 70% of Canadians indicated they would be willing to travel up to 30 minutes to work if they could enjoy the safety and convenience of a bike lane.68
DR
According to ASSHTO a bicycle network is a designated system of bikeways that may include bike lanes, bicycle routes, shared use, paths, and other identifiable bicycle facilities.65 There is a need for this kind of network to support the mobility of our residents. There is also a recognized desire, and need, for this kind of infrastructure throughout the region, province, and nation.
The on‐street bike routes network will generally consist of streets with bike lanes; those with marked shared lanes; and streets that are specifically designed as family bike boulevards as defined in a previous Element of the ATP.
64 Walk and Bike For Life, Trails for AcNve TransportaNon: Town of Collingwood, 2010, pg. 9 65 ASSHTO, Guide for the Development of Bicycle FaciliNes, 2012 pg. 1‐3
66 Simcoe County, County of Simcoe TransportaNon Master Plan, 2008, pg. 5‐2
67 Catherine O’Brien, PhD. Centre for Sustainable Transporta/on, Child and Youth Friendly Planning, presenta/on, 2008 68 Go for Green The Ac/ve Living & Environment Program, Fikng Places: How the Built Environment Affects AcNve Living and AcNve TransportaNon, pg. 18
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Action
The challenge for this Element is creating a network of bike routes throughout the community as has been promoted for many years and addresses the very real needs for such a system within the community.
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An effective active transportation system must provide a network of accessible cycling routes. The most appropriate for Collingwood at this time are on‐street routes. This Element will implement a network of on‐ street bike routes that are easily developed and maintained by the Town. These routes have been strongly influenced by the on‐road bike routes illustrated on the Collingwood Trails Network map for many years. One of the principle features of the on‐street bike route network is the wayfinding/notification marking system. The National Association of City Transportation Officials describes this as: A bicycle wayfinding system consists of comprehensive signing and/or pavement markings to guide bicyclists to their destinations along preferred bicycle routes. Signs are typically placed at decision points along bicycle routes ‐ typically at the intersection of two or more bikeways and at other key locations leading to and along bicycle routes. 69
The TransportaNon AssociaNon of Pictured is an example of one of the Canada’s Bikeway Traffic Control exisNng bike lanes in Collingwood. Guidelines for Canada states; The sharrow (shared lane marking) “may be used on roadways with lanes that are wide enough for side‐by‐side bicycle and vehicle operaNon but not wide enough for a standard bicycle lane”.. Source: Dan Burden
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Although there is no formula for determining appropriate facility selection, it is important to note that the bicycle facility type selection should be determined through a clearly defined process as will be described in the Ontario Traffic Manual: Book 18 Bicycle Facilities (to be released in 2013). The Ontario Traffic Council briefly describes the three basic steps of the process as follows70: • Step 1 ‐ Preselection Nomograph • Collect and review existing and future volume and motor vehicle operating speed data • Plot on Nomograph • Nomograph provides a general guide for facility types to be considered • Step 2 ‐ Examine other factors
69 Na/onal Associa/on of City Transporta/on Officials web site. 70 Ontario Traffic Council, OTM Book 18: Bicycle Design Guidelines, Ontario Bike Summit 2012 presenta/on, page 9
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• Skill level of anticipated users • Number of lanes • Traffic characteristics • Number and frequency of potential conflict points • Adjacent land uses and lot patterns • Frequency of transit stops • Pedestrian safety • Collision patterns • Step 3 ‐ Select Appropriate Facility Type • Based on results from Steps 1 and 2, plus sound engineering judgement
A multi‐disciplinary team will work to determine the best routes, design and implement the defined on‐street bike network. Without predetermining the outcome, given the basic characteristics of the roads in question, it is expected that this will principally consist of bike lane and shared lane markings (sharrows), and bike route signage. Note that the positive influence sharrow markings have on cyclists’ use of the roadway is significant and improves safety, including the following: helps cyclists position themselves safely in lanes; alerts motorists to potential presence of bicyclists; provides wayfinding element along bike routes; increases distance between parked cars and cyclists (outside of “door zone”); motorists’ behavior changes to be more safe for cyclists using the road; cyclists increase their use of the roadway (as opposed to sidewalks); and, the number of wrong‐way cyclists is significantly reduced. 71
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Above is an example of a pre‐selecNon Nomograph (a diagram designed to allow approximate graphical computaNon) presented by the Ontario Traffic Council (OTC) when outlining the soon to be released OTM Book 18: Bicycle Design Guidelines. Below is a screen shot showing a porNon of the Bicycle Facility Type Matrix presented by the OTC. This matrix shows a range of ways for providing bike faciliNes on roads.
71 NACTO, Urban Bikeway Design Guide, April 2011, pg. 275
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The map shows the proposed on‐street bike route network as based on the long standing suggested bike route network of the Town’s trail maps, with some minor amendments. The suitability of these parNcular roads, and the implementaNon of this porNon of the acNve transportaNon network will be determined through the process of compleNng this Element.
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8. Public Parking Lot Pedestrian Improvements Challenge
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“Park once” strategies intend to make vehicle parking safe and convenient, while pairing it with a highly walkable environment that makes it comfortable, convenient and enjoyable for users to be pedestrians for longer periods of /me; as opposed to repeatedly moving and re‐parking their vehicles within the same district. To achieve this, and also address the challenges listed above, this Element requires the following improvements to be made to the public parking lots in the downtown:
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By the very nature of their single use focused design, parking lots have a number of characteris/cs that have nega/ve impacts on surrounding land uses; pedestrian movement and safety; safety of vehicle movements and, streetscapes. Uncontrolled vehicle movements limited only by painted markings make parking lots generally unsafe for pedestrians and fellow drivers alike. The American Associa/on of State Highway and Transporta/on Officials (AASHTO) report, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001 specifically iden/fies the need to design regard to pedestrian needs:
• Pavement marking to define pedestrian ways that are safe, convenient, and link to the fine‐grained network of sidewalks and mid‐block pedestrian routes; • Wayfinding signage to indicate pedestrian routes ; • Trees and/or landscaped islands in areas that create a safer (through shy space), more comfortable walking environment while not impac/ng the effec/veness of the parking lot for vehicle parking, within the overall “park‐right” strategy.
In general, the most successful shopping secNons are those that provide the most comfort and pleasure for pedestrians. 72
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The open gaps in the streetscape created by a lack of streetwall elements, and general unsightliness of parking lots nega/vely impact neighbouring uses compared to well designed infill development or civic spaces. This Element will implement changes to the exis/ng public parking lots to make them safer and more aesthe/cally appealing through low cost measures such as repain/ng and introduc/on of planters, trees, signage, and low level ligh/ng.
All trips involve ac/ve transporta/on links and “improving non‐ motorized (transporta/on) can improve motor vehicle access. Parking lots, transport terminals, airports, and commercial centers are all pedestrian environments”. 73 The amendments and design of the parking lots should follow the general design hierarchy considera/ons rela/ng to the following: 1) First considera/on is for pedestrians; 2) Access point(s); 3) Sight distances; and 4) Vehicles
72 AASHTO, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001, pg. 96
73 Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Ins/tute, Whose Roads? EvaluaNng Bicyclists’ and Pedestrians’ Right to Use Public Roadways, May 31, 2012, pg. 6
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Urban design and ac/ve transporta/on considera/ons, along with parking needs and safe vehicle movement will be priori/zed during the development of the designs for this Element.
The improvements that will be developed through this Element will improve accessibility, while also being good for business. The 1970 Collingwood Urban Traffic Study states “The (parking) lots should be acracNvely landscaped by providing some green areas. Small parkece arrangements with benches can be integrated with the parking plan to provide waiNng areas for Downtown shoppers. All of these ameniNes will help promote the use of these off‐street parking faciliNes and also acract the shoppers to the Downtown”.
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Pictured is an example of a pedestrian route idenNfied through a parking area which uses the shy distance around a planter to improve pedestrian safety.
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9. Complete Streets Design Matrix Challenge
Collaborating Center for Environmental Health cautions: “to minimize the risk of injury, it is important that urban transportation infrastructure be carefully designed for active modes”. 76
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In recent decades the design parameters of the roads constructed throughout North America have relied too heavily on level‐of‐service (LOS) and increasing vehicle traffic speeds, thereby skewing their use more and more toward a single mode of transportation. This has also negatively impacted adjacent land‐use and values, and the overall safety for active transportation users. In fact, “People who choose active transport modes face an increased risk of injury from collisions, relative to motor vehicle users”. 74
Just as with designing for moving vehicles, designing for people requires close attention to how people move and use spaces and the specific dimensions of people using these facilities: for example people walking side‐by‐side, or parents pushing a stroller, or persons traveling in wheelchairs. Streets can be designed to move cars efficiently without
By not focusing on safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the design of transportation systems over the past few decades, has resulted in dangerous road networks throughout communities for active transportation users. This didn’t just happen; streets have been designed, built, and maintained in ways that favour vehicle movements over the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.
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However, there is encouraging evidence that injury and fatality rates decrease as active transportation mode shares increase, and effect that has been dubbed “safety in numbers”. The Safety in numbers effect is complicated by the fact that in areas higher active transportation mode share, transportation infrastructure is often designed with the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in mind. 75
One of the effects of not designing “complete streets” is increased risk to people that use non‐motorized transportation, the National
Our built environment is the result of many series of design ideas and construcNon projects. By paying specific acenNon to the needs of pedestrians, and cyclists, we can create towns and ciNes that are more livable. It is important to note that the capacity of streets to move vehicles is not exclusively dependent on the number of lanes as one may expect. In fact, having a greater number of lanes on a street can oZen reduce its capacity and funcNon
74 Na/onal Collabora/ng Centre for Environmental Health, AcNve TransportaNon in Urban Areas: Exploring Health Benefits and Risks, 2010 75 Na/onal Collabora/ng Centre for Environmental Health, AcNve TransportaNon in Urban Areas: Exploring Health Benefits and Risks, 2010, pg. 3 76 Na/onal Collabora/ng Centre for Environmental Health, AcNve TransportaNon in Urban Areas: Exploring Health Benefits and Risks, 2010, pg. 5
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sacrificing the ability of people to walk or bike along them; it just means different choices be made when designing and building streets. Also the specific characteristics of streets are different and should be included in their designs, for example: intended use, setting, traffic volumes, and intended speeds. In the Congress for New Urbanism’s 2012, Sustainable Street Network Principles, they define the following as a principle for road design:
The first recommendations defined in both the Pedestrian Death Review79 and Cycling Death Review from the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario is focused on developing complete streets: A ‘complete streets’ approach should be adopted to guide the redevelopment of existing communities and the creation of new communities throughout Ontario. S u c h a n a p p r o a c h w o u l d r e q u i r e t h a t a n d (re‐)development give consideration to enhancing safety for all road users, and should include: ‐ Creation of cycling networks (incorporating strategies such as connected cycling lanes, separated bike lanes, bike paths and other models appropriate to the community.) – Designation of community safety zones in residential areas, with reduced posted maximum speeds and increased fines for speeding. 80
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All people should be able to travel within their community in a safe, dignified and efficient manner. A sustainable street network makes that possible and ensures a choice of transportation modes and routes. People can walk, bicycle, take transit, or use a vehicle. Each mode is integrated, as appropriate, within each street77.
In its introduction the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach (2010) states that it:
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials describes this in Policy On Geometric Design of Highways and Streets: Emphasis has been placed on the joint use of transportation corridors by pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit vehicles. Designers should recognize the implications of this sharing of transportation corridors and are encouraged to consider not only vehicular movement, but also movement of people, distribution of goods, and provision of essential services. A more comprehensive transportation program is thereby emphasized. Cost‐effective design is also emphasized. The traditional procedure of comparing highway‐user benefits
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provides guidance for the design of walkable urban thoroughfares in places that currently support the mode of walking and in places where the community desires to provide a more walkable thoroughfare, and the context to support them in the future. 78
This should be referenced as a significant source of design guidance for the local streets that are more centrally located with greater diversity and urban mix of uses, such as the primary retail/commercial corridors.
77 Congress for New Urbanism, Sustainable Street Network Principles, 2012, page 14
78 Ins/tute of Transporta/on Engineers, Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context SensiNve Approach, 2010, pg. 3 79 Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Pedestrian Death Review, September 2012 80 Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Cycling Death Review, June 2012, pg. 20
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with costs has been expanded to reflect the needs of non‐ users and the environment. 81.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit’s 2009 Road Safety Report describes the health benefits of how we design for active transportation:
AASHTO also clearly defines the need to address pedestrian needs in all street designs:
The way our communities are designed is a contributing factor to injuries and deaths from motor vehicle‐ pedestrian collisions and motor vehicle‐cyclist collisions. Road design (sidewalks, roads, bike paths, etc.) and the types of features it contains (speed bumps, crosswalks, streetscape, etc.) affects how often, how far and how fast we drive, traffic volume, and our choice of transportation mode. Decreasing the amount of time we spend in a car can lessen our risk of being involved in a
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Pedestrians are a part of every roadway environment, and attention should be paid to their presence in rural as well as urban areas... Because of the demands of vehicular traffic in congested urban areas, it is often very difficult to make adequate provisions for pedestrians. Yet provisions should be made, because pedestrians are the lifeblood of our urban areas, especially in the downtown and other retail areas. In general the most successful shopping sections are those that provide the most comfort and pleasure for pedestrians.82
The Toronto Centre for Active Transportation’s describes the benefits of complete street design strategies: The implementation of Complete Streets results not only in improved conditions for cyclists, pedestrians, seniors, and children but also supports vibrant, healthy communities. Evidence shows that Complete Streets: Provide better and more transportation options Improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians Reduce traffic congestion Reduce greenhouse gas emissions Create more walkable, therefore, livable communities • Stimulate economic growth with increased shopping activity, sales, and property values.83
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The World Health OrganizaNon, World Report on Road Traffic Injury PrevenNon (2004, pg. 78) states “Speed has been idenNfied as a key risk factor in road traffic injuries, influencing both the risk of a road crash as well as the severity of the injuries that result from crashes”. This is why it is parNcularly important to focus on appropriate target speeds in road designs. The image above shows a complete street within an urban context. The appropriate design speeds and infrastructure for different modes of transportaNon make this designated State Truck Route funcNon well for all modes of transportaNon.
81 American Associa/on of State Highway and Transporta/on Officials, Policy On Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001, pg. xlii 82 American Associa/on of State Highway and Transporta/on Officials, Policy On Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, 2001, pg. 96
83 Toronto Centre for Ac/ve Transporta/on, Complete Streets by Design, 2012, pg. 5
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MVC. Designing communities that are less sprawled (leading to fewer vehicle trips) and providing for safer street environments that protect pedestrians and cyclists, can reduce or prevent road‐related injuries and fatalities.
The development of the matrix will be a mul/‐disciplinary process with representa/ves from the Town’s Manger of Ac/ve Transporta/on, Engineering, Parks, Recrea/on & Culture, Planning, Public Works, Fire, and Police Departments; as well as, ci/zen representa/ves.
As part of developing complete streets it is important to identify the appropriate target speed for the design because it makes them safer. Appropriately designed streets do not have to rely on enforcement to address issues of speeding motor vehicles, as their characteristics inherently encourage appropriate speeds. It is obvious that collision severity is reduced with speed reductions. However, street safety is more importantly improved by reduced motor vehicle speeds, which allow for increased response times and reduced stopping distances, which in turn improve collision avoidance all together. The table below highlights the relationship between speed and collisions84:
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The matrix shall include specific sec/ons for each type of transporta/on mode, as well as public par/cipa/on and stakeholder involvement. The development of the matrix and use of it in the future shall be an interdisciplinary team approach that includes Engineers, Planners, Landscape Architects, Ac/ve Transporta/on experts, and others determined to be poten/ally insighzul and helpful. Of par/cular note is that the matrix shall integrate the use of “target speeds” as a primary parameter of street designs. Target speed is the speed at which vehicles should operate on a thoroughfare in a specific context, consistent with the level of mul/modal ac/vity generated by adjacent land uses, and to provide both mobility for motor vehicles and a safe environment for pedestrians and bicyclists. The design speed (no more than 5 mph over the target speed) should be designed to those geometric design elements where speed is cri/cal for safe vehicle opera/on. The target speed is based on the street type and context including neighbouring land uses. 85
Speed vs. Collisions Speed Drop 1 mph 3 mph 6 mph
Collision Drop 5% 15% 42%
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As such, the challenge for this Element requires the Town to develop a decision making matrix, and associated process, for (re)developing roads within Collingwood that is complete streets focused. This approach will ensure that all modes of transportation are addressed in the design/development process.
Contextual measurements/assessments criteria will also be important in this work (which should also take into account the intended future of the area as described in the Official Plan), because: Understanding the land use context provides guidance on who will need to use the road and how. This understanding influences the geometric design of the roadway and the types of ameniNes required in the right‐of‐way... Land use context and roadway type comprise the organizing framework for the selecNon of
84 Michael King, Nelson\Nygaard Associates, “Designing Complete Streets” presenta/on, May 29, 2007
85 Knoxville Regional Transporta/on Planning Organiza/on, Complete Streets Design Guidelines, 2009, pg. 10
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appropriate roadway design values. A context area is a land area comprising a unique combinaNon of different land uses, architectural types, urban form, building density, roadways, and topography and other natural features”. 86
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The basic complete streets design approach from which the matrix will be developed is outlined in the following categories that will all be addressed :
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• Safe: • for people first • real and perceived • Reliable: • well designed • appropriate infrastructure for all transporta/on modes • integrated modes of transporta/on • Effec/ve: • for all transporta/on modes • for needs of ci/zens and businesses • interconnected • efficient • Human‐centred: • addresses peoples’ needs • age appropriate transporta/on op/ons • easily understood • aesthe/cally designed • Context Sensi/ve: • land use suppor/ve • land value enhancing • target speed appropriate • Accessible: • diversity of transporta/on modes facilitated • affordable • “8/80” accessibility
86 Pennsylvania and New Jersey Departments of Transporta/on, Smart TransportaNon Guidebook, March 2008, pg 23
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10. Community‐wide Walkability/bikeability Audits Challenge
the environment. Therefore, this Element outlines how the Town, with local stakeholders, will conduct walking and biking audits of the en/re town within three years. These will be conducted to:
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The need to effecNvely review walking condiNons to encourage travel on foot intrinsically requires a systemaNc method for assessing pedestrian environments. Alongside this recogniNon, the importance of parNcular aspects of the public realm such as public spaces and interchange spaces are considered to be of key importance in the opNmizaNon of waling environments87 .
1) Develop and understanding of the current (baseline) condi/on of the community in terms of ac/ve transporta/on; 2) Iden/fy issues that need to addressed to improve ac/ve transporta/on within the community; and, 3) Build local capacity by informing and educa/ng local ci/zens about ac/ve transporta/on and road design.
The above was said in terms of the PERS (Pedestrian Environment Review System) which looks at a variety of parameters, including: moving in the space; interpre/ng the space; personal safety; feeling comfortable; sense of place; opportunity for ac/vity; quality of the environment; and maintenance. The County’s Transporta/on Master Plan states:
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Walking and cycling infrastructure should be designed in such a way as to connect to the exisNng trails network, provide access to local commercial areas, encourage increased walking and cycling for local short trips, and provide safe walking and cycling routes to neighbourhood schools and community centres. 88
The most effec/ve method of analyzing the built environment when designing for new developments is through first‐hand, on‐the‐ground experience. This provides insights into the physical features and uses of the area that are not able to be assessed otherwise. Addi/onally, the people most familiar with an area, the local ci/zens, are oLen more acutely aware of design issues because of their familiarity with
Walkability (and bikeability) is determined by looking at the features and characterisNcs of the environment and how people use it. There are four basic categories that this informaNon falls into as illustrated above. Assessments of these categories and features are part of walkability/ bikeability audits.
87 David Allen, Transport researcher, TRL Ltd, AudiNng Public Spaces and Interchange Spaces, presented at Walk21 the 6th Interna/onal Conference on Walking in the 21st Century, September 2005 88 Simcoe County, County of Simcoe Transporta/on Master Plan, 2008, pg. 5‐2
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The walkability audits shall consider the full range of factors that affect walkability in a community or neighbourhood, specifically: directness; con/nuity; street crossings; visual interest and ameni/es; and, security. A single methodology shall be used throughout the audi/ng process. However, amendments can be made if determined to be appropriately addressing a shorzall or concern resul/ng from experience with previous audits. This will help increase awareness and help develop the priori/es of the community in terms of future ac/ve transporta/on ini/a/ves. The Ins/tute of Transporta/on Engineers’ Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context SensiNve Approach (2010) describes the “Con/nuum of Walkability” as falling into a range which includes: Pedestrian Places; Pedestrian Suppor/ve; Pedestrian Tolerant; and Pedestrian Intolerant. 89 The walkability audit process will help the community iden/fy and categorize its corridors, neighbourhoods, places, and districts within this con/nuum with specifically iden/fied characteris/cs. This informa/on will be used to directly inform implementa/on ac/ons.
Walkability/bikeability audits will help idenNfy how well the community fits the “8/80” rule; which indicates the town’s overal safety/comfort for pedestrians and cyclists (image source Dan Burden). As described by Walk and Bike for Life’s Trails for AcNve TransportaNon: Town of Collingwood report (2009, pg 44) the 8/80 rule is: “Step 1: Think of a child that you love and care for who is approximately 8 years of age. This could be a child, grandchild, sister, brother, cousin, et cetera. Step 2: Think of an older adult, approximately 80 years of age who you love and care for. this could be a parent, grandparent, friend, et cetera. Step 3: Ask yourself: would you send that 8 year old along with the 80 year old on a walk, or a bike ride on that infrastructure? If you would, then it is safe enough, if you would not, then it is not safe enough.”
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This will be conducted with the ci/zens and business owners of the area with facilita/on by Town staff and external consultants as necessary. The purpose of this will be to inform future necessary ini/a/ves, programs, or improvements that could be added to the near‐range and 100 projects sec/ons of the ATP. These audits should be conducted in day/me hours as well as aLer dark to iden/fy concerns for personal security; which will beMer facilitate targe/ng of improvements.90
The Walking Audit developed by the Walkable and Livable Communi/es Ins/tute is an excellent tool for use in Collingwood for a number of reasons: it is a well established tool that has been used with hundreds of communi/es, and as of 2012 promoted by the United States Environmental Protec/on Agency as a community tool;
89 Ins/tute of Transporta/on Engineers, Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context SensiNve Approach, 2010, pg. 5 90 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010
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it uses community resources of volunteers; it helps generate solu/ons to specific problems that are predominantly within the capacity of the community. The Town should also consider augmen/ng this methodology with others that are innova/ve such as the ones iden/fied by the intergovernmental network for coopera/on in research, COST (European Coopera/on in Science and Technology), in their report Cost 358 Pedestrians’ Quality Needs 91:
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a) Mapping emo/ons of the urban pedestrian: which explores the link between peoples’ emo/onal experiences to urban spaces and pedestrian movements; b) Urban atmospheres shaping the way we walk: which examines how, and to what extent, architectural and urban atmospheres affect pedestrians’ decisions; c) Coun/ng children to assess their risk exposure: which helps iden/fy comfort and walkability of areas based on the number and characteris/cs of child pedestrians within neighbourhood areas.
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The following image shows a site and what a community survey looks like92
91 European Coopera/on in Science and Technology, Cost 358 Pedestrians’ Quality Needs, 2012, pg. 15 92 Environmental Protec/on Agency, Walking Audit Survey Tool, 2012, pg. 4
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The images above are a photograph of a street that was audited and an audit sheet filled out by a ciNzen. These walkability audits will provide needed informaNon relaNng to the posiNve and negaNve aspects of the built environment that affect pedestrian, and cyclisctravel in the community. This will provide measureable evidence for the community to take further acNon. Note that this kind of informaNon can oZen be a necessary component of future grant applicaNons.
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This map illustrates the general sub‐areas for the walkability/bikability audits.
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IV.
100 Day Implementa3on Projects
Immediate Projects ‐ yearly
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These Elements in this Sec/on are of a scale that they can be completed in approximately 100 days. These are quick ac/on projects. These Elements are low‐cost, high‐impact type projects that will affect all aspects of ac/ve transporta/on in the community: p l a c e m a k i n g ; n e t w o r k d e v e l o p m e n t a n d improvements; community asset development; community par/cipa/on; communica/on; and ac/ve transporta/on culture support. These projects will be primarily lead by the Town’s Manger of Ac/ve Transporta/on.
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Preferences for project timeframes defined in the ATP
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Near-range Mid-range 100 Day Projects Long-range
In the 2012 community survey relaNng to the ATP, people were asked what their preference was for the four SecNons that describe the implementaNon projects. The majority of people were most interested in the shorter‐range projects by a significant margin.
AF T 1) Bikeable Collingwood Wiki Map 2) Shared Walkways/Promenade Strategy 3) Downtown Parking Analysis 4) Downtown “Walking Time” Wayfinding Signage 5) ATP Ci3zen “DO‐TANK” Task Force 6) Town Facility Bike Parking Program 7) Annual ATP Mee3ng of the Public 8) Annual Public Informa3on Program 9) Annual Community AT Audit
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1. Bikeable Collingwood Wiki Map Challenge
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This Element will help build the ac/ve transporta/on culture within Collingwood, and by working with ci/zens this will help the Town access community knowledge; while building support for ac/ve transporta/on. Each feature on the map will include a photo and descrip/on.
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An effec/ve ac/ve transporta/on bike network includes not only designated routes and signage, but also other suppor/ve features such as bike parking and air pumping sta/ons. Addi/onally, community members need to be made aware of these if the culture of ac/ve transporta/on is to be supported. This Element is intended to provide an informa/on resource for the community that both informs people, but also engages them in the development of this helpful tool.
As a wiki‐map there will be no publishing costs associated with its produc/on and distribu/on.
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For this Element the Town will work with a group of ci/zens to develop an online wiki map of Collingwood’s bike infrastructure.
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Pictured here is an example of bike parking provided at a local business. This kind of locaNon will be included in the Bikeable Collingwood Wiki Map.
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The wiki map will be an ongoing and evolving resource for the ciNzens and visitors of Collingwood. It is expected that eventually this tool will be linked with other maps and wikis associated with acNve transportaNon.
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2. Shared Walkways/Promenade Strategy Challenge
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A mul/‐disciplinary team including Town staff from a variety of Departments (with specialized consultant assistance as determined necessary) will conduct a review of all the shared use pathways in Collingwood to determine the best course of ac/on to improve their func/on. This will be developed with clear direc/on for the specific characteris/cs of each pathway’s context, including use, neighbouring land uses, appearance, conflicts, purpose of pathway, and, linkages to other ac/ve transporta/on routes.
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To improve ac/ve transporta/on opportuni/es throughout the community a number of “shared walkways” have been created in recent years. These were intended to provide a safe alterna/ve to on‐ street riding for cyclists. These have been implemented along two of Collingwood’s busiest streets (First and High Streets); with preliminary design work completed for a similar arrangement on Hume Street when it is redeveloped. Similar shared walkways are located as part of the redevelopment of the shipyards, and along the waterfront of Sunset Point Park.
An excellent resource that has recently been published is from the UK Department for Transporta/on. Their September 2012 document Shared Use Routes for Pedestrians and Cyclists94, and other similar reference materials should be used to inform the underlying principles, cyclist categories, strategy, process, and design criteria used throughout this project.
The difficulty with these is related to the conflict poten/al between cyclists and pedestrians; and, conflicts at driveways between cars and cyclists. These are issues related to expecta/ons, familiarity, travel speed, and lack of signage. Note that these facili/es are generally too narrow to allow for segrega/on of users. The TAC Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada states the preference not to separate these uses but indicates that the Pathway Organiza/on Signs can be used in specific instances:
This process will include, at a minimum, the following:
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On mulN‐use paths, segregaNon of bicycles and pedestrians should be avoided, wherever possible. However, where study has shown that this type of operaNon is suited, these signs may be used.93
This Element will involve crea/ng an effec/ve community‐wide strategy for these shared pathways to improve their func/onality and safety for users.
93 Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines for Canada, February 2012, pg. 25 94 Department for Transporta/on, Shared Use Routes for Pedestrians and Cyclists, September 2012
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Pictured is an example of signage that could be used in locaNons where the use of bicycles on shared pathways would c r e a t e c o n fl i c t s a n d safety concerns for other users.
The shared pathways in Sunset Point Park are an example of infrastructure that is not appropriately designed to support both cycling and walking. As seen here, the radii of the path curves force cyclists to cut corners, creaNng conflicts with pedestrians. This Element will provide design and/or management soluNons to these kinds of conflicts for the shared pathways throughout Collingwood.
Pictured are examples of the signage that could be used on shared pathways throughout the community. This Element will determine the most appropriate use of such signage.
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Assessment of pathway use (including on‐site monitoring); Review of best prac/ces documents; Development of preferred op/ons; On‐site tes/ng of preferred op/ons with monitoring; Review of findings and implementa/on of recommended ac/ons.
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3. Downtown Parking Analysis Challenge
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There have been no significant coordinated programs implemented for parking management in downtown (some of which are outlined in the 2009 Strategy Report) that address the “perceived” or prac/cal 90% capacity for off‐street parking and support growth, such as: progressive pricing structures; zoned space alloca/on; refinements to zoning and ITE based es/mates for our local context; opportuni/es for more efficient on‐street parking inventory s/ll available as a result of recent downtown improvements; ac/ve transporta/on and transit use; and, employee parking demand management strategies.
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The strategies and implementa/on projects of this ATP are intended to address all forms of transporta/on in a way that makes ac/ve transporta/on safe, and convenient. Integra/ng elements that facilitate the effec/ve use of vehicles into an ac/ve transporta/on plan is a unique strategy of this ATP. By making it more efficient for vehicles to park in the downtown district the Town we will be facilita/ng a park once strategy whose intent is to get people out of their cars sooner and having them walk between nearby des/na/ons, as opposed to repeated parking throughout downtown. The sooner people are out of their cars, the sooner they are pedestrians and reducing the amount of car traffic flowing throughout the downtown district, benefi/ng vehicle traffic, pedestrian traffic and commercial establishments.
The 2004 Edi/on of the Ins/tute of Transporta/on Engineers (ITE) Parking GeneraNon Report (commonly used to determine parking genera/on rates) clearly states characteris/cs of its data that skew its applicability for our parking context, making this kind of updated approach necessary:
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Contemporary knowledge about parking genera/on rates, needs, management mechanisms, and impact on the success of downtowns con/nues to be refined (especially since the comple/on of the Town’s 2002 Downtown Parking Study and 2009 Parking Strategy Downtown Collingwood report). Therefore, this Element seeks to develop a community generated parking analysis of the Downtown district. This will be used to develop an ac/onable parking strategy for downtown to support businesses, ac/ve transporta/on, and effec/ve parking (linked with the Element on page 46).
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Most of the data currently available are from suburban sites with isolated single land uses with free parking”. The informaNon provided in these reports is also admiced by the ITE to not yet address factors such as type or area, parking pricing, transit availability, mulN‐ stop trips, land use mix, and pedestrian friendly design; all of which are characterisNcs of our downtown.
In reference to the parking genera/on rates of the ITE Report, the TransportaNon Planning Handbook states “thus, they need downward adjustments where these condi/ons do not apply, especially in CBDs”. Combined with the assistance of the BIA this Element will allow staff to more fully understand the need for and use of parking in the downtown district; and, access to all modes of transporta/on, and how they work together. This will facilitate the implementa/on of the key recommenda/ons of the past parking strategy and parking review
All parking spaces are not equal in terms of their funcNon. The Victoria TransportaNon Policy InsNtute notes that “100 public parking spaces can be equivalent to 150 to 250 private parking spaces”; something that is also not addressed in the ITE manual or Town parking requirements. AddiNonally, InternaNonally recognized transportaNon engineering experts Nelson/Nygard note that “if you require more than 3 spaces per 1000 sq. Z you’re requiring more parking than land use”. ParNcularly as it relates to off‐street parking lots, the fact that the raNo of parking to land use is so high in our downtown should be seriously examined in terms of overall economic prosperity, walkability, ROI, lost tax revenues from development, TransportaNon Demand Management (TDM) strategies, et cetera.
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studies, along with contemporary best prac/ces. This Element will directly inform the Element focused on right‐sizing the parking system in the downtown district.
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4. Downtown “Walking Time” Wayfinding Signage Challenge
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The inspira/on for these signs comes from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student MaM Tomasulo (who) decided to engage in some “guerilla urbanism” with fellow fans of ac/ve transporta/on ac/vity, pos/ng 27 signs at three Raleigh, NC intersec/ons as part of the “Walk Raleigh” project. The signs contained snippets about how many minutes it would take to walk to must‐see des/na/ons like Raleigh City Cemetery, as well as QR codes for downloading direc/ons.97
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“A recent poll indicated that 82% of Canadians would like to walk more and that 66% would like to bike more”.95 To support a culture of walking where this desire is so strong, is important to provide coherent and consistent informa/on and signage systems. 96
This Element meets the challenge of developing a signage program that is centred around the experience of the pedestrian; to do so will require a keen sense of the needs of downtown pedestrians.
The idea is to create a signage system based on the /me it takes a pedestrian to walk from one loca/on to another. This approach will beMer address how people understand their environment and how they travel through it than does signage that iden/fies distances to loca/ons. By developing an easily used tool that can be used to navigate throughout the district, and to important sites and services the downtown will become more pedestrian friendly.
By using the assistance of a “DO TANK” team, as described in another Element of the ATP, the Town will develop the walking /me signage designs and program. This will also be done in coopera/on with the Downtown BIA for their input. Once a final recommended signage program has been developed to fulfill this Element, it will be presented to Council for final approval and authoriza/on for implementa/on.
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This approach will help highlight the walkable scale of the district and overall town to both those that currently choose to walk and those that do not yet, but could be encouraged to through beMer understanding of the community and ac/ve transporta/on op/ons.
95 Go for Green The Ac/ve Living & Environment Program, Fikng Places: How the Built Environment Affects AcNve Living and AcNve TransportaNon, pg. 2 96 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010
97 Media5 Interac/ve Corpora/on web site, www.media5.org
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Pictured are examples of the pedestrian oriented “walking Nme” signage that inspired this Element of the ATP.
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5. ATP Ci3zen “DO‐TANK” Task Force Challenge
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To implement this Element a recruitment process and selec/on parameters will be defined for bringing together the needed members of this special working task force.
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One of the greatest challenges with efforts to improve ac/ve transporta/on in Collingwood is gemng ci/zens and stakeholders engaged and mobilized. It is only through the collec/ve efforts and resources of the broader community that the goals and projects of the ATP can be completed; therefore the Town needs to be crea/ve in mee/ng this challenge.
The membership of the DO‐TANK is important as it must be broad and skilled. 98 The ci/zens that are part of this evolving group will include: professionals (Planners, Landscape Architects, Engineers); business owners; moms and dads; to ensure that the diversity of the interests and exper/se are achieved. These groups will also include youth members because they have a fresh and unique perspec/ve and skills rela/ng to the local environment as it pertains to their needs. This will also help iden/fy issues associated with social inclusivity, limited mobility of children, and the loca/ons where they generally travel and the specific hinderances they encounter. 99
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The Town also has extensively used commiMees to support its work. However, the mandates of these are oLen not dynamic or focused on specific ac/onable projects to be fully effec/ve with short‐term or changing circumstances. This Element seeks to create a more flexible and empowered volunteer task force structure to assist the Town’s ac/ve transporta/on staff in implemen/ng the ATP. The challenge will be to develop the structure for a “DO‐TANK” with a project specific revolving membership, that is made up of ci/zens that volunteer their /me and skills for the implementa/on of Elements of this Plan.
This Element will be developed to ensure that the DO‐TANK is a “Working” task force, where the members will be expected to fully par/cipate and contribute concrete materials and ac/ons, and products beyond just their opinions and review of others’ work. This group will be focused on gemng things done! Upon the ini/al forma/on of this evolving group, the Town will work with the membership to develop a work plan rela/ng to the Elements of the ATP.
98 Walk21, InternaNonal Charter for Walking, 2010 “Consult, on a regular basis, local organiza/ons represen/ng people on foot and other relevant groups including young people, the elderly and those with limited ability”. 99 Catherine O’Brien, PhD. Centre for Sustainable Transporta/on, Child and Youth Friendly Planning, presenta/on, 2008
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Collingwood’s ATP DO‐TANK will be carefully structured to have a diverse representaNon as well as appropriate skill sets for execuNng its evolving work program. The membership of this groups will be flexible and changing depending upon the work being done at the Nme.
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6. Town Facility Bike Parking Program Challenge
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Through a staged program the Parks Recrea/on and Culture staff, will help develop and implement a strategy to have safe and convenient bicycle parking installed at all municipal facili/es, including parks. This shall be designed to suit the specific context of each site and its use.
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Municipal buildings, and parks typically have parking facili/es provided for vehicles; and given the high cost of providing these parking stalls, this represents a large investment of public funds being made by the Town to provide access for those that use vehicles as transporta/on. Unfortunately many of these loca/ons do not provide the same for bicycle parking. Yet the provision of bike parking facili/es throughout the community at all Town facili/es has been recommended as a necessary in a recent review conducted for the Town. 100
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The challenge of this Element is to provide bicycle parking at all municipal buildings and parks to support ac/ve transporta/on. This Element is about more than just providing needed infrastructure; it is also intended to facilitate the culture of ac/ve transporta/on. This is an appropriate and easy way for the Town to take the lead in providing safe and convenient bike parking in the community.
100 Victor Ford and Associates Inc., On & Off Road Cycling/Pedestrian FaciliNes & TransiNons: Safety & Improvement RecommendaNons, December 2009, pg. 58
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Example of bike parking being used at a local park by school children who use the locaNon as a school bus stop. This is part of an excellent example of how different modes of transportaNon are used by people to make their trips.
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7. Annual ATP Mee3ng of the Public Challenge
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The Town will development of a process/schedule and conduct an annual “Mee/ng of the Public” event. This will provide opportuni/es for ongoing community input into the evolu/on, implementa/on, and audi/ng of the ac/ve transporta/on plan. The results of these annual mee/ngs will help inform work programs, engage ci/zens, and foster meaningful rela/onships between various stakeholders; all of which will posi/vely influence the culture of ac/ve transporta/on and overall effec/veness of the implementa/on of the ATP.
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The Town has extensively used a variety of methods to communicate with the public, including contemporary methods using online tools and social media. However, while some of these methods work beMer for informing people, they all share similar limita/ons in terms of there successes and ability to really engage people. The most effec/ve way to have meaningful exchange with Collingwood’s ci/zens is s/ll face‐to‐face. There is no forum currently available for the people of Collingwood to get together with representa/ves from the Town on a regular basis to exchange ideas and informa/on. This is just as much about “educa/ng” people as it is about learning from them. The Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada speaks to how important this is in rela/on to implemen/ng ac/ve transporta/on ini/a/ves: “Public educa/on will be a major key to success. Without it poli/cal leaders will not have the mandate to move in the right direc/on”. 101
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Therefore, the challenge for this Element is to create such a forum to facilitate open and effec/ve communica/on between the people of Collingwood and the Town rela/ng to ac/ve transporta/on.
Pictured are the over 75 people that acended the AcNve TransportaNon Workshop in November 2011 with Town staff and Dan Burden of the Walkable and Livable CommuniNes InsNtute. Work from this event directly influenced the form and content of the ATP.
101 Transporta/on Associa/on of Canada, Urban Transporta/on Council, A New Vision for Urban TransportaNon, Reprint November 1998, pg. 6
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Establishing good communicaNon between, and amongst, the Town and the ciNzens of Collingwood is criNcally important to having a successful implementaNon of the Elements idenNfied in the ATP. The exchange of ideas and informaNon is a value acNvity and resource that must be leveraged in an Asset Based Community Development approach; as is engrained in the structure and intent of this ATP.
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8. Annual Public Informa3on Program Challenge
The challenge of this Element is for the Town to improve the level of awareness and educa/on the public has on ac/ve transporta/on and the implementa/on of the ATP.
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Community awareness and educa/on is an important component of effec/ng change and providing good governance. Most municipal plans, reports, and strategies quickly fall from ci/zens’ awareness and interest shortly aLer their adop/on. This is par/ally due to their complexity and the oLen technical nature of their presenta/on. It is also partly due to the lack of updated informa/on on these.
The Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute discusses how this informa/on/educa/on plays an important role in ac/ve transporta/on: Individual travel behaviour is influenced by a combinaNon of factors – infrastructure, promoNon, educaNon – all of which are integral to increasing the number of acNve transportaNon users. In addiNon to building new acNve transportaNon infrastructure, it is important to promote new faciliNes and offer informaNon on safe cycling skills and sharing the road.
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The Town of Collingwood has used tradi/onal methods to inform and engage people: newspaper no/ces; public mee/ngs; and, workshops/ open house mee/ngs. The Town has also recently lead efforts within the region to use social media such as: blogs; Facebook; the town web site; volunteer trails commiMee; flyers; school no/ces; and, news paper ads to address this communica/on challenge with various levels of success.
102 Ontario Professional Planners Ins/tute, Healthy CommuniNes and Planning for AcNve TransportaNon: A Call to AcNon, 2012, pg. 5
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By providing an Element in the ATP that focuses on community awareness and educa/on the Town of Collingwood is rising to the challenge by addressing the Chief Coroner’s educa/on recommenda/on made to the Ministry of Transporta/on, which states:
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A comprehensive public educaNon program should be developed to promote safer sharing of the road by all users… Such a program should include: ‐ a targeted public awareness campaign, in the spring/summer months, with key messages around cycling safety. 103
The schedule, media sources, and content of this informa/on program will be developed by Town staff with close coopera/on/assistance from the ci/zen DO‐TANK described in a previous Element.
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This Element will help build awareness and knowledge about acNve transportaNon and the ATP in the community. It will also provide a way of improving the culture of acNve transportaNon and keep stakeholders engaged in the progress toward the implementaNon of the ATP.
103 Office of the Chief Coroner for Ontario, Cycling Death Review, June 2012, pg. 22
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9. Annual Community AT Audit Challenge
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The specific characteris/cs of the yearly audit will be determined at the /me of its development with assistance from the DO‐TANK group.
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OLen plans such as this are referred to a “living documents”, implying that they are amendable to deal with changes in community circumstances or needs. Unfortunately there is seldom a process or mechanism for the plan, or even its elements, to be reviewed and poten/ally changed within a /meline that is effec/ve and not reac/ve. When changes are made to these kinds of plans it is oLen done well past the /me when it could have been most effec/ve to deal with evolving circumstances, and instead results in a plan that becomes inherently less effec/ve at guiding the communi/es ac/ons. These kinds of amendment processes also generally require extensive study for their periodic reviews because there is no baseline or benchmark informa/on available about the plan and it’s impacts, except that which was used at the ini/al wri/ng of the plan.
However, these audits should at a minimum include tracking and measurements that fall into the following characteris/cs from the Share the Road Cycling Coali/on’s “5 Es” for reviewing bike friendly communi/es 104: • Engineering ‐ a review and assessment of what is on the ground and what has been built to promote ac/ve transporta/on in the community; • Educa/on ‐ determining the amount of informa/on and educa/on there is available for both ac/ve transporta/on and motorists; • Encouragement ‐ assessing how the community promotes and encourages bicycling; • Enforcement ‐ examining the way enforcement personnel are trained and conduct their du/es specifically associated with the rights and responsibili/es of all road users. The enforcement category contains ques/ons that measure the connec/ons between the cycling and law enforcement communi/es; and, • Evalua/on & Planning ‐ reviewing the systems and plans in place for AT and their success and/or progress toward implementa/on.
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To make this ATP more nimble and proac/ve in its ability to influence posi/ve change for ac/ve transporta/on in Collingwood, an annual audit process will be undertaken. The AT audits will help inform and “calibrate” the ATP. The results of this will be used to provide direc/on rela/ng to any needed changes to the Plan, and as a way of benchmarking and measuring progress for future analysis. The intent is also to have informa/on from the audit help with defining new Elements to be added to the 100 Day Projects Sec/on of the ATP to replace those that have been completed.
The 2009 Walk21 presenta/on “Understanding the characteris/cs, needs and abili/es of walkers” iden/fies the kinds of walking specific indicators that should be part of the audit:
104 The Share the Road Cycling Coali/on uses the “5 Es” outlined when reviewing communi/es for their Bicycle Friendly Community award. These, along with the walkability audits from the Walkable and
Livable Communi/es should be adapted to outline the basic structure of the audit for this Element of the ATP.
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• Walking ac/vity; • Ac/vity in the public realm; • Local accessibility; • Mo/va/ons; • Barriers; • Percep/on of the walking environment; • Measures to improve the walking environment; and, • Transport spending priori/es
the ATP audit include: Pedestrian Traffic Counts; Sta/onary Ac/vity Surveys; Assessments of Public Space Quali/es (Atmosphere, Physical Space, Ground, Connec/ons). 105
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The measures and benchmarks that are used in the audit should be broadly based, including local, regional, and province‐wide comparable.
Opportuni/es to partner with the local school administra/on, parents of students, and students, shall be integrated into this Element. These partnerships can help provide “safe route to school” and youth specific assessments of the quality, effec/veness, and evolu/on of Collingwood’s ac/ve transporta/on system. The criteria used for this por/on of the annual audit should mirror the “Key Indicators of Success for Safe Routes to School Efforts” described in the Center for Health Training and the Na/onal Highway Traffic Safety Administra/on’s Safe Routes to School PracNce and Promise, (2010, pg. 14); these include before and aLer measures of the: Behavior of Children; Behavior of Drivers; Community Facili/es; Crashes and Injuries; Community Buy‐in; and, Environmental Quality.
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The community audit shall also include developing an understanding of the people in Collingwood and how they use the urban spaces of the community. There are many resources available to the community and its ci/zens that can instruct and assist with this work. One noteworthy example is Neighbourhoods for People, Seacle Toolkit by Gehl Architects (2010). This document was specifically designed for a municipality and the diversity of people that will be engaged in this audi/ng process: neighbourhoods, non‐profit organiza/ons, professionals, and students. The public life and public space analysis methods that are described in the document, and could be used for
105 Gehl Architects, Neighbourhoods for People, Seacle Toolkit, 2010, pg. 39
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