Transportation Plan coming before council

By Dave Flaherty/The Oshawa Express

The document that will shape transportation in Durham Region for the next 15 years is one step closer to completion.

Regional council got its first look at the final draft of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) at the Dec. 6 committee of the whole meeting.

The sprawling 260-page document will define the policies, programs and infrastructure investments needed to manage anticipated transportation demands through to the year 2031 and beyond.

To make these improvements, it is estimated the region will need to invest $1.845 billion through 2031, including $1.525 billion on regional roads, $585 million on transit and $11 million on cycling facilities.

In the short term, the TMP calls for nearly $500 million in spending in the first phase of the plan through 2021.

Brian Hollingworth, director of IBI Group, the consulting firm behind the TMP, says it calls for the addition of 35 km of rapid transit routes, 165 km of high-frequency bus service, 172 km of new or widened regional roads (a nine per cent increase), as well as 80 km of routes to better connect cycling trails throughout the region.

Overall, the TMP includes more than 100 recommendations in all, focusing on areas such as enhancing regional transit, improving cycling and walkability in the region, optimization of road infrastructure and improvement of goods movements to boost economic development.

Hollingworth says these actions will bring about “more healthy and active communities” through investment and better planning for transit, walking and cycling.

“It will also help with appeals to the province for [funding] for highway, transit and GO updates and improvements,” he added.

A number of updates have been made to the document since it was last presented to council in June.

Over the summer and fall, local municipalities and other organizations gave final feedback on the plan.

Suggestions from the City of Oshawa included a request for a study on the impact of increased traffic on residential side streets due to a potential rapid transit system on the Simcoe Street North corridor, and analysis of the cost sharing of a proposed Regional Cycling Plan.

The city is also seeking more cycling links, notably in the areas of Ritson Road and Bloor Street.

Other modifications include the incorporation of provincial documents such as Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan and Metrolinx’s draft Regional Transportation Plan.

Class environmental assessment studies will now be required before any major rapid transit or road projects go ahead.

The region drafted its first transportation plan in 2003. The update process began in November 2014.

Should council support the plan, staff will issue a notice of completion, followed by a 30-day comment period.

Staff will then consider any feedback and start on incorporating elements of the TMP into the region’s official plan in 2018.

Although the plan addresses local cycling networks in-depth, Oshawa Councillor John Neal says the current situation, especially in his city, isn’t very friendly to those on bikes.

“I am quite concerned about (roads with) two lanes going into one. What’s really dangerous about it is cyclists don’t want to be squeezed off with nowhere to go,” Neal commented. “You are setting up that cyclist for a terrible accident to happen. We are getting that a lot on regional roads, I’ve seen it a lot.”

Hollingworth said these areas, referred to as  “pinch points”, are a result of past practices of rush the construction of bike lanes during large road rehab projects instead of focusing on cyclist safety.

The TMP also identifies regional road corridors in need of major rehabilitation and expansion including Harmony Road and Bloor Street in Oshawa.

However, Clarington Councillor Joe Neal questioned the inclusion of Oshawa’s Gibb Street and Olive Avenue corridor as a major priority, stating he has never seen any “considerable traffic on the road.”

Neal also questioned if there has been any consideration to downloading regional roads to local municipalities, especially in Oshawa.

Commissioner of works Susan Siopis told council Wilson Road and Park Road are currently under consideration for transfer to the City of Oshawa.

“Oshawa staff contacted us and asked for a face-to-face discussion on this,” Siopis says.

Council is scheduled to make its final vote on the TMP at today’s meeting (Dec. 13).