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Cycling Route Research Project

Cycling Route Research Project. Summary of Findings June 2012. Outline. Roles and Responsibilities Recent MTO Cycling Initiatives Project Background Project Methodology Key Findings Planning and Design Partnerships Other Considerations Questions. Roles and Responsibilities.

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Cycling Route Research Project

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  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?

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