There is a presentation by Kevin Montgomery, Co-Chair, Cycle Advisory Committee, RE: The Pingstreet App – To Make Cycling In Brampton A Little Better. A slide deck is included in the agenda.
Delegation by Darnel Harris, Brampton Resident, RE: Living Green Infrastructure Design.
Other/New Business/Information Items
There will be an announcement about Building a Future Ready Brampton – Planning Vision (Council Sponsor – Regional Councillor E. Moore). R. Elliott, Commissioner, Planning and Development Services, will be present to make the announcement.
For Information Only
At the request of Kevin Montgomery, Co-Chair, Cycle Advisory Committee, RE: Propeller Project Grant.
Update by Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning and Development Services, RE: Cycling Content in Councillor News Letters – Wards 3 & 4.
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Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
There are 3 items from Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning and Development Services:
Discussion RE: Feedback on Brampton’s Application to be Designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community – Spring 2017
Discussion RE: Function and Design Review of the Heart Lake Road Corridor – Technical Advisory Committee – Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee Representative
Update RE: 2017 Project Updates – Franceschini Bridge and Kennedy Valley Trail
Good and growing network of cycling infrastructure with many new connections planned for 2017 and beyond.
Excellent community partnerships in place to support cycling.
Very strong cycling education and encouragement efforts, spearheaded by BikeBrampton and the Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee
A strong and growing culture of cycling in the City
The next steps to achieve silver include:
Initiate a Short Term Cycling Infrastructure plan to identify priority routes to be improved for cycling by 2020 to create a full network of safe cycling infrastructure in the City.
Expand resources available to community stakeholders working on cycling – both in terms of staff support and financial resources through contracted services, to continue to expand the education and encouragement efforts.
Expand encouragement efforts to include a marquis event like an Open Streets Event to showcase Brampton’s on-road cycling opportunities as well as the trails.
Make commuter cycling courses available to large employers.
Franceschini Bridge
Brampton city staff anticipate that construction of the Franceschini Bridge will begin in August upon MTO approval. A detailed construction schedule is not yet available.
Etobicoke Creek South (Kennedy Valley)
Detailed engineering work for the bridge is complete. Brampton staff are awaiting final execution of an agreement from Infrastructure Ontario. Project construction is anticipated to start this Summer with completion anticipated in Fall this year (weather permitting).
Kevin Montgomery, Co-Chair, has requested discussion RE: 2018 Work Plan
Correspondence
There are 2 items from David Monaghan, Traffic Operations Coordinator, Public Works and Engineering:
Correspondence dated June 21, 2017, RE: Bicycle Facility Implementation Program – Colonel Bertram Drive
Correspondence dated June 29, 2017, RE: Bicycle Facility Implementation Program – Queen Mary Drive
BFIP
The City’s Bicycle Facility Implementation Plan is a strategy intended to promote the use of bicycles as an alternate mode of travel to the automobile. The program is aimed to direct staff to consider the feasibility of bicycle infrastructure in conjunction with the implementation of key road construction opportunities.
Urban shoulders are typically proposed, as they are the same width as a bicycle lane, but are not used just for bicycles – they can also be used for on-street parking. The biggest challenge with implementing designated bicycle lanes continues to be pushback for on-street parking.
BikeBrampton continues to support urban shoulders as an intermediary strategy, until such time as either residents or Council or prepared to take the lead to reduce on-street parking, and instead focus on using roads primarily for transportation purposes.
In addition, there is correspondence from Jake Mete, Landscape Architect, Parks Maintenance and Forestry Division, Public Works and Engineering, dated July 6, 2017, RE: South Fletcher’s Creek Trail
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Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
There are 2 discussion items at the request of Julius Pokol, Member, RE:
Cycling Education and Awareness
Cycling to School – Increasing Numbers and Safety
There are discussion requests from Nelson Cadette, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning and Development Services regarding Ontario – Making it Safer and Easier to Commute by Bike, and a Community Ride Sponsorship Opportunity.
Nelson will also have an update regarding Province-wide Cycling Networks, and 2017 Community Bike Rides.
Lisa Stokes, Member, has requested a discussion regarding Active Transportation Master Plan – Status Update.
Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
The Policy Subcommittee met on April 1 (no joke!). The minutes from their meeting are included in this agenda. The Subcommittee discussed policy items from the 2017 Work Plan to send to IBI group, for inclusion into the Active Transportation Master Plan.
Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
There will be a delegation from Erica Duque, Active Transportation Planner for the Region of Peel, on an Overview of Region of Peel Sustainable Transportation Strategy – Bike Month and Bike to School Week 2017.
A slide deck is included in the agenda, which includes this encouraging piece of information:
Reports/Updates
There will be an update from Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation about Signalized Cross-ride Comparison and Input. This item includes a diagram with design options that could be applied to accommodate different site-specific requirements. The BCAC will have an opportunity to give input to standardize the layout of Crossrides implemented along multi-use pathways within the roadway boulevard, and to have a formal position on a preferred option that can be shared with the Region of Peel.
Other/New Business/Information Items
There will be updates from Dayle Laing, Member, about the Grow Green Network Launch Event and Bike to Work Day 2017. Dayle has a further discussion request on Committee Participation in Bike Month Activities and Promotional Materials.
There is a discussion at the request of Kevin Montgomery, Co-Chair, on a Bike Month Proclamation, Active Transportation Master Plan – Policy Recommendations, Region of Peel Transportation Road Safety Strategic Plan – Workshop updates, attendance, and correspondence, and 2016 Committee accomplishments and 2017 Work Plan – review of presentation to Planning and Development Committee.
Correspondence
The Committee has received correspondence from Share the Road Cycling Coalition, dated March 6, 2017, about Province of Ontario Should Invest $50 Million in Cycling Infrastructure.
Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
Montreal, Canada had the honour of hosting the annual Winter Cycling Congress for 2017. The event was live-tweeted using the Twitter hashtag #wcc17, some of which we “re-tweeted” on our own Twitter account. The WCC was full of wonderful insights to encourage winter cycling this year. These are our top 5.
1. There Is No Magic…
Making a city safe and enjoyable for winter cycling requires a little more than good will and wishful thinking. It requires planning, engineering, maintenance, and promotion. There were 2 cities mentioned that stood out as setting the standard in this regard.
Oulu, Finland
Oulo, Finland is the winter bike capital of the world. 200K residents 150 kms below arctic circle. 77% of the population of Oulu use bicycles, and 42% use them in the winter. In Oulu, they don’t use salt on cycling routes. Instead, Oulu keeps their paths hard packed for traction and accessibility. Priority routes in Oulu are plowed and cleared by 7am. They are ready to use for the morning commute, and networks can be relied on.
Copenhagen recognizes that bicycle infrastructure provides the best return on investment of any infra investment when you factor in health, jobs, time saved etc.
In Brampton, more people cycling could mean we realize extra savings in costs of first responders to automobile collisions, long-term health care, and insurance rates, for example.
Emphasis is placed on the ease, pleasure and community benefits of cycling in successful winter cycling cities. Cycling in winter should be fast, easy, and comfortable. The primary reason that will stop residents from riding in winter is ice and snow not being cleared. In car-oriented suburbs like Brampton, councillors represent their constituents desires. Therefore, Active Transportation must be made appealing. The right choice must be the easiest choice. In Copenhagen, people don’t ride their bicycle because it is greener; they do it because it’s the fastest and easiest way to travel.
In both Copenhagen and Oulu, they recognize that you can’t only have success using “carrots”. Sometimes “sticks” are needed. For example: In Oulu, most residential streets are dead-ends. This cuts down on through traffic & improves conditions for cyclists & pedestrians. Cars can drive in snow and ice, and they’ll make it. Bike riders generally won’t attempt to ride if their route isn’t clear.
3. Change The Manuals
The engineering profession still focuses primarily on automobile throughput. Trying to dismantle this is an uphill battle and results in asking the wrong questions. We should be asking how to build the kind of city we want: What kind of economy? People driving to shop centrally (in malls), or people cycling to shop (locally)? Also important: The narrative about cycling must change. It needs to move away from a summer recreation activity to a year-round transport choice.
4. Demand Safe Streets…
…Instead of putting the onus on cyclists.
It’s important to remember that as recently as 1978 Copenhagen was still a car-centric city. It was the residents that demanded change. They wanted public space instead parking lots. Gathering spaces instead of highways. And bike trails instead of free, abundant parking. There is safety in numbers. As the number of cyclists increased, the number of serious collisions declined.
Safe Streets, Not Helmets
We should not demand that cyclists protect themselves. Instead, we should demand that the city protects cyclists, and make cycling safe.
“If it’s not safe for kids, then who is is safe for?” – Ty of @elgruponorte on the need for advocating for better infrastructure
5. Maintain It!
Temperature is not a significant deterrent to winter cycling. Poor maintenance is. Until -25C, temperature doesn’t discourage cycling in Oulu. Before then, there is no “bad weather”, cycle track maintenance is key. Sweepers and brine work better than plows and salt for bike lanes. Copenhagen, like many Ontario communities, gets sleet, freezing rain, snow, etc. Their bike lanes are cleared first and have been for the past 10-11 years. It is seen as providing an essential service. Regular preventative maintenance is that reduces reconstruction costs by half. As the network grows, the maintenance budget also has to grow to keep up.
Were you following, or were you at the Winter Cycling Congress? What were your favourite takeaways? Let us know in the comments!
There will be a presentation from Dayle Laing, Member, about Cycling Infrastructure Best Practices from the 2016 Ontario Bike Summit
Reports/Updates
Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning and Development Services, will present a Summary of the 2017 Work Plan
Other/New Business/Information Items
Dayle Laing, Member, has submitted correspondence from dated February 2, 2017 regarding the Etobicoke Creek Trail Signage Audit. Dayle has also requested discussion about:
Networking with Brampton GrowGreen
Committee participation at the Toronto International Bicycle Show, and a request for volunteers
Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
A discussion has been requested by Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning and Development Services, about the 2017 Work Plan. There aren’t any more documents included with this item. However, the last draft was submitted in the July 2016 agenda.
There will be a verbal update from the Programs Subcommittee about 2017 Community Rides.
And finally, a discussion at the request of Kevin Montgomery, Co-Chair, about the Grow Green Network Launch Event. More information has been included on this item in the agenda.
Brampton Cycling Advisory Committee meetings are open to the public. Please come out to see and to ask questions!
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