Active Transportation Master Plan
Project Description:
The primary objective of the Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP) study is to promote, encourage, and facilitate cycling and walking as viable, safe, and appealing transportation modes in the City. The plan has been initiated to develop a document that outlines the strategy, infrastructure, initiatives and programs to promote non-motorized travel in the City of Port Colborne which typically includes a network of facilities such as sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, crosswalks and transit stops that are designed to be safe, convenient and user-friendly for people of all ages and abilities who want to walk, bike, skateboard, use a mobility aid or access transit.
The master plan study encompasses a wide range of activities, including:
- Researching and evaluating existing active transportation initiatives within the City that pertain to infrastructure, programming, and policy. This information will be consolidated to form the foundation of an active transportation strategy.
- Establishing a comprehensive active transportation network that encompasses both on-road and off-road facilities. The aim is to create a network that encourages and supports practical and recreational walking and cycling.
- Developing an implementation strategy that will provide guidance to City staff in the successful delivery of the active transportation network.
- Enhancing Active Transportation policies by implementing changes and associated processes to make cycling and walking more attractive, safe, and feasible modes of travel.
- Improving and expanding programming initiatives aimed at fostering a cycling and walking culture within the City. This includes expanding existing programs and creating new ones that encourage, educate, and support active transportation.
- Creating a framework for monitoring and evaluating the progress of active transportation within the City. This framework will allow for the measurement and assessment of the effectiveness and impact of active transportation initiatives.
Through these comprehensive efforts, the ATMP seeks to transform the City into a place where cycling and walking are not only practical and safe options but also integral parts of the community's transportation and recreational fabric.
Background:
The ATMP is a planning document that the City of Port Colborne is developing in 2023. Once complete, the plan will provide recommendations to assist in planning and delivery of cycling and walking infrastructure over the next 25-50 years.
The ATMP will build upon Port Colborne's rich legacy of recreational trails and build a healthy, accessible, and sustainable community where active transportation is a key element of a safe, innovative and integrated transportation system that connects where we live, work, and play. A primary objective for the plan is providing infrastructure to encourage cycling as a viable means of transportation for both recreational and utilitarian purposes for the people of Port Colborne
Port Colborne, like many other municipalities, has a variety of challenges that it will need to address in the coming years related to establishing active transportation as a viable way to get around. These include:
- Safety and security - riding in traffic, unsafe pedestrian road crossings, missing or unmaintained sidewalks, and/or unmaintained roads and bike lanes.
- Existing land use patterns - low-density, single-use, auto-dependent development makes walking and cycling between destinations time consuming and unrealistic.
- Cold climates and physical barriers - Cold, wet, or snowy winters along with highway and river crossings make walking and cycling uncomfortable and inconvenient.
The following provides an overview of some of the key benefits of expanding and supporting active transportation in the City:
- Public health and safety - healthier form of transportation, well-designed networks and purpose-built infrastructure can also greatly improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.
- Environment and sustainability - generates far less air pollution emissions and is far less carbon intensive than other forms of transportation.
- Economic and financial – construction and maintenance costs are far lower than other transportation infrastructure, have positive local economic development impacts.
- Community and quality of life - positive impacts on overall community and individual well-being, social cohesion and community identity.
- Transportation and connections: improves connections to, and between, community destinations, which improves the broader transportation network, transit trips begin and end with walking, therefore there are public transit ridership benefits.
External Support:
The City of Port Colborne has retained McIntosh Perry to completed the ATMP. McIntosh Perry Consulting Engineers Ltd. is a multidisciplinary engineering and related professional services firm that has been helping shape communities across Ontario for 30 years.
Approved Budget:
Total Approved Budget: $100,000
- City Funding: $50,000
- Permanent Public Transit Program: $50,000
Grants:
Permanent Public Transit Program funding offers an opportunity for all orders of government and transit partners to work better together to enhance integrated planning and evidence-based decision-making and catalyze long-term investments in public transit that are responsive to local and regional needs.
