Cycling Route Research Project

1. Cycling Route Research Project Summary of Findings June 2012

2. Outline • Roles and Responsibilities • Recent MTO Cycling Initiatives • Project Background • Project Methodology • Key Findings • Planning and Design • Partnerships • Other Considerations • Questions

3. Roles and Responsibilities - Provincial highways capital budget - Provincial highways design & engineering - Provincial highways operations - Traffic Law (the HTA) -Road user education - Long-term, strategic planning - Air, rail, marine and transit policy - Transit capital budget

4. Recent MTO Cycling Initiatives • Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has undertaken several initiatives to support cycling in Ontario: • Transit Supportive Guidelines • (With municipalities) Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 18, Bicycle Facilities • Ontario Bikeways Planning and Design Guidelines • Paved shoulder pilot project on Highway 6 • Update of the Driver’s Handbook • Road Safety Community Partnership Program

5. Project Background • Goals of the project: • To collect information on best practices in planning, operating and marketing cycling routes, primarily for tourism and recreational purposes • To catalogue a selection of major municipal and regional cycling routes in Ontario • Requests for accommodating cycling on provincial roads are increasing, so understanding what is already in place is important • Information gathered could, if mandated or directed, be useful in developing priority areas for accommodating cycling on ministry roads

6. Project Methodology • Municipal Questionnaire • Staff asked about the characteristics of key cycling routes • Jurisdictional Scan • 9 major cycling routes or networks—3 each in Canada, the United States and Europe • Consultations • Tourism industry, trails organizations, road user groups, the planning profession, cycling retailers and others • Route Selection Criteria • Identifying key characteristics to consider when planning a regional cycling route

7. Current State • Municipalities reported 8,479 km of priority cycling routes: on- and off-road; existing and planned • Few routes that cross municipal boundaries were reported • The importance of cycle tourism varies widely across the province • Cycling generally is not a primary motivator for travel, rather a secondary activity for visitors • Anecdotal information and some primary data indicate cycle tourist in Ontario are residents of Ontario or bordering US states • Generally young to middle age adults holding white collar jobs with middle to higher incomes

8. Perceived Barriers • Lack of alternatives to mixed traffic on busy highways in some areas • Lack of coordination between route providers, leading to poor or missing connections between routes • Lack of understanding by governments and businesses about the economic benefits of cycle tourism and how to serve cycle tourists • Lack of cycle touring support facilities such as public washrooms, drinking water, cycle-friendly businesses • Insufficient signage on existing cycling routes • Lack of maps, online trip planning tools and other promotion for cyclists • Limited opportunities to transport bicycles on trains and buses • Difficulty crossing over Canada/US border with bicycles

9. Key Findings Planning • Most important criteria when planning a cycling route: • Attractiveness (e.g. lakes and rivers) • Safety • Connection to town centres and mobility hubs important • Option to bypass town centres also important • Security of route (e.g. cell phone service, emergency access) • Continuity of route Design • Off-road facilities essential for attracting diverse users • Consistent design and maintenance is desirable

10. Key Findings Partnerships • Beneficial for planning to be coordinated by a single organization • Capital funding from all levels of government identified as a key factor essential to the success of a major cycling network • Capital expenditures typically shared between senior-level and local governments in most jurisdictions with major cycling networks • Broad willingness on the part of stakeholders to participate in marketing a provincial cycling network • Support for adding a provincial brand to existing routes, but not for replacing the existing brands with a provincial one

11. Key Findings Other Considerations • Potential for conflicts between bicycles, ATVs and horses and buggies in some areas • More information needed about best practises in bike route maintenance • More information needed about protection against liability

12. Questions?