Register at the Smart Commute Mississauga web site to win prizes just by biking to work

An interesting component of Bike To Work Day is the Corporate Leaders Challenge which encourages CEOs, managers, and team leaders/supervisors to cycle to work and encourage their staff to do the same. Leaders will have a chance to win a free half-page ad in the Toronto Star which features their Bike To Work testimonial. I have noticed an increase in the amount of companies registered for the Leaders Challenge. Could this be showing that employers are recognizing the benefits for making it easier for employees to bike to work? People that use a bicycle instead of a car are proven to have better focus on the job, harmful vehicle emissions are reduced, and the cyclist enjoys better health. When people cycle to work, everyone wins.

Bike To Work 2010 Announcement:

Smart Commute Mississauga invites YOU to peddle your way on
Bike to Work Day!

Join us at our main event, a group ride from Chappell House Lawn at Riverwood Park to the Living Arts Centre, where participants will be treated to a FREE PANCAKE BREAKFAST courtesy of the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Click here to register for Bike to Work Day & enter for a chance to WINgreat PRIZES:

Grand Prize: 2 X Bikes

Second Prize: Bike Accessory Gift Basket valued at $200

Third Prize: $100 Gift Certificate to Sports Check

Start Time: 7:00 a.m.
Start Location: Chappell House Lawn at Riverwood Park
Address: 4300 Riverwood Park Lane, Mississauga, ON L5C 2S7
End Location: Living Arts Centre
End Address: 4141 Living Arts Drive, Mississauga ON L5B 4B8
Breakfast location: Living Arts Centre
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Please note: All participants must wear a helmet.
Participants are advised to bring water, a hat and sunscreen.

From Riverwood west along Burnhamthorpe trail to Creditview Rd.
North on Creditview to Rathburn Rd.
East on Rathburn to Duke of York
South on Duke of York to Living Arts Centre

Individuals and group rides taking alternative routes are welcome to join us for breakfast at the Living Arts Centre.

Can’t make the group ride?

Participants who are unable to make the group ride (but who are cycling to work) are also encouraged to register for Bike to Work Day and become eligible to WIN great prizes.

So what are you waiting for!?

Simply register online to participate in this year’s Bike to Work Day event and be automatically entered to WIN!

The presentation begins at 7:30 p.m. Click here for POSTER.

The agenda for the evening is:

• 7:00 – 7:30  Informal open house to preview the presentation boards and network maps
• 7:30 – 7:45  welcome and overview of the project
• 7:45- 8:15  presentation of the draft cycling master plan
• 8:15 – 8:30  Q&A
• 8:30 – 8:50 Turning point questions
• 8: 50 – 9:00 Closing remarks and next steps

Click for the Draft Cycling Master Plan documents on the City’s webpage.

City of Mississauga, Press Release (April 7, 2010): Draft Cycling Master Plan Public Information Session.
Excerpt:
“‘We developed the draft plan by taking into account international best practices as well as relevant legislation and guidelines.  Most importantly though, over 1,000 Mississauga citizens have already provided their input,’ said Anne Farrell, planner, Community Services.  ‘We are returning to the public after the consultation process to show how their recommendations have helped shape the final plan.’”

BACKGROUND

The Draft Report (Volume 1), of the new Cycling Master Plan for Mississauga was presented for information at the General Committee of Council on March 24, 2010 (link to the Minutes will be provided here when available) and went to Council for Approval on March 31, 2010.

NOTE: Ward 2 Councillor Pat Mullin moved a Resolution (click to view), as requested by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC), for staff to provide Council with financial scenarios to accelerate the implementation of the Master Plan from 20 years to as soon as 5 years.  The Resolution passed unanimously at General Committee on March 24th and was adopted by Council on March 31, 2010.

Mississauga News article (March 25, 2010): City plans expanded bike system.  Excerpt: “Although Mullin hails the new plan as a ‘major shift’ in philosophy, from seeing cycling as primarily a recreational activity to an alternative form of transportation, she’d like to speed things up.  ‘It’s got to be now, not in 20 years…it’s doable if the political will is there.’  Currently, only about 0.3 per cent of vehicles on Mississauga roads are bicycles; the City hopes to boost that to 10 per cent. The new plan, which aims to put 95 per cent of residents within one kilometre of a major cycling route, would also include parking facilities at transit hubs and City facilities.”

Volume 2 of the Master Plan: Cycling Implementation Strategy, will be prepared in April and May and incorporated into the Final Master Plan Report which will go to Council for approval in June 2010.

The Cycling Master Plan, two years in process starting in 2008, has been informed by significant public and stakeholder engagement and by collaboration with the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee (MCAC), which is an advisory committee to Council with twelve (12) volunteer citizen members from every Ward in the City.

MCAC received an update on Hurontario corridor project and were very dismayed to read that our cycling lanes have been shuttled to the side roads and back alleys of this thriving commercial corridor. This perception that cars must have priority has taken the heart out of our city.

Our goal should be to provide a living, green healthy and vibrant community in which to live. A more appropriate direction to take would be to provide vehicle bypasses to the east and west of this corridor for vehicles using this route as a north south connector and to develop the residential and commercial sections of Hurontario into places where people can shop, dine and travel free from the noise, pollution and congestion of commuter vehicle traffic.

We hope you will reconsider your position and enhance access to our commercial activity centers for pedestrians and cyclists in an environment that looks to the future and not to the past.

Sincerely,
Jeff Wachman Chair of MCAC

Where are the cycling lanes?

This letter represents a true love for the City of Mississauga. It’s not radical. It simply represents a belief that Mississauga can be all that it can possibly be. Being bike-friendly improves life for everyone in the area – and not just to those that ride bikes.

March 2010 is when Mississauga is releasing the draft of their Official Plan. This is the strategic document of all documents that all city planning studies should refer to. The Hurontario study should not be the great exception to this rule. Here are some excerpts from the Mississauga Official Plan (draft) that should be held up when inspecting the Hurontario Corridor study:

“Mississauga is at a decisive moment in its history – most of its greenfield lands have been developed and much of its infrastructure is in place. New growth will take place primarily through infilling and redevelopment in appropriate areas, which can benefit from growth and change, such as the Hurontario Street corridor.” (draft MOP, section 1.1)

“While arterial roads will continue to move large volumes of traffic, the design of these thoroughfares must be sensitive to surrounding land uses. Arterial roads in employment areas will continue to prioritize goods movement to support the vital role the transportation system plays in the economic health of the city. This will contrast with transportation priorities in Intensification Areas, where the needs of transit, pedestrians and cyclists will be in the forefront. In Intensification Areas, transportation decisions will support the creation of a fine grain street pattern, low traffic speeds, a mix of travel modes and attention to the design of the public realm.” (draft MOP, section 7.1)

"Corridors connect the city and link communities. They are where people experience the city on a day - to - day basis and over time will accommodate multi-modal transportation facilities. Dundas Street and Hurontario Street have been identified as Intensification Corridors where growth will be directed." (draft MOP, Figure 4-14)

It’s  easier for planners and leaders to find the courage to integrate cycling into the core of the city when they know there is public support. Please  send a note to the project leader of of the Hurontario Corridor study. As a convenience we have put a form below that will send it directly through email to them. Let them know that cycling facilities in the area will be used. Please state this in your own words. A message expressed uniquely from your personal passions is much better than any form letter.

For more information see the city’s listing of the Hurontario study and also the Hurontario-Main Street Study web site.

Fill out the form to express your desire for tighter integration of cycling into the Hurontario Corridor study. Click on ‘Send’ and it will immediately be mailed to the Hurontario Study’s Project Lead:

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Excerpt from “Cycling” section of the Hurontario-Main Street Study Status Update Report, Feb 4, 2010:

In addition to the Study recommendation for implementing LRT technology, a key issue has been the extent of cycling amenities and integration proposed for this corridor. It is recognized that access to the rapid transit system and our Urban Growth Centre primary roadway should accommodate cyclists and that developing connections between the Hurontario corridor and the adjacent cycling network is a priority. An issue has been the extent and nature of continuous cycling lanes within the corridor itself, especially in areas with limited right-of-way, costly structure expansion requirements, potential conflicts with trafñc, on-street parking and high pedestrian transit volumes. For these reasons, and given plans for the development of key parallel cycling facilities, the study is not recommending the provision of a continuous cycling corridor on the entire Hurontarìo corridor, but supports the development of significant segments. Where on-road facilities are planned, special attention should be paid to balancing safety and mobility. Consideration should be given to curb separated facilities if feasible.

MCAC has not received any preliminary notices on the cycling details. We may need to wait until the end of March 2010 as everyone else.  Here are some topics to consider:  

• I have cycled on portions of Hurontario not because it is safe, but merely because it was a direct path to where I needed to be. Cyclists may not need a bicycle freeway running start to finish, but there are key areas such as crossing the QEW and getting to downtown that should be built up strong for cycling.
• The Study wants to bring life to business and retail in sections of Hurontario. Since success of these businesses depend on people spontaneously “popping in”, these areas should ensure cycling lanes and bike parking are available.
• If people may not cycle all the way up or down the corridor, the transit system (LRT) should make allowances for bikes on-board the LRT and have safe bike parking facilities a key stops. I would love to cycle across town to Hurontario and then take an LRT to the GO Station when I must travel to Toronto.
• For sections that cannot hold dedicated cycling lanes, at least make sure a parallel route is within a block of the corridor. Experienced cyclists don’t go hundreds of metres out of their way just because a bike lane ends. Planners may find both safety and mobility are at risk as a cyclist “takes the lane” as the designated bike lane ends.

Public Information Centres

The first Public Information Centre (PIC) was held in June 2008, and provided background information on the study. The second PIC was held in June 2009, and provided an assessment of potential rapid transit alignment options and station stops as well as planning policies and standards.

The third PIC will be held in both Brampton and Mississauga at the end of March, 2010 and will present study findings and recommendations.  Please join us at one of the following locations:

Brampton
Tuesday, March 30
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
City Hall Atrium
2 Wellington Street West

Mississauga
Wednesday, March 31
5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Mississauga Civic Centre, Great Hall
200 City Centre Drive

Check them out on the web at www.hurontario-main.ca or on their “Hurontario / Main Street Study” Page on Facebook, where you can view photos, join a discussion board and post comments. They also welcome e-mail inquiries, which can be sent to: inquiries@hurontario-main.ca.

MIRANET also gives a good overview of the Hurontario-Main study’s progress.

Congratulations to Glen Erin residents and their councillor, Pat Saito. They have long advised that Glen Erin Drive has never been built for what it really was meant to be: A park, school, and residential community drive. Instead, it invites drivers to speed past areas active with children and residents using a street formula much better suited for neighboring thoroughfares like Erin Mills Parkway.

Come to the public sessions to show your support and see the exciting plans the city has for cycling facilities in the area. City staff will be on hand to respond to your comments and questions. The following is a notice from Ward 9 Councillor Saito:

Proposed Cycling Facility on Glen Erin Drive

Tuesday March 30, 2010
7:00 pm – 9:00pm.
Erin Meadows Community Centre
2800 Erin Centre Boulevard

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
7:00 pm – 9:00pm.
Meadowvale Community Centre
6655 Glen Erin Drive

Dear Resident:

The City of Mississauga is going through significant changes and we are working to create a more liveable and transit friendly City. We are also striving to be a more environmentally responsible city that promotes active transportation. In this regard we have been increasing the number of bicycle routes throughout the city and conducting ongoing reviews of new opportunities for these facilities.

Some years ago I held public meetings to discuss options for bike lanes along Glen Erin Drive. At that time we were trying to find ways to slow down traffic on this residential roadway and bike lanes were one option we reviewed. For various reasons this did not come to fruition.

However, staff approached me in the fall to advise that Glen Erin Drive has now been identified as a good candidate for an on-road cycling facility. Before we proceed any further, I want to give the community an opportunity to view a concept design to implement an on-road cycling facility on Glen Erin Drive from Derry Road to Eglinton Avenue. This project will examine a lane configuration proposal which includes an on-road cycling facility and sections of on-street parking.

I will be hosting two Publîc Information Sessions to provide background information and to present the design concepts. Representatives from the City of Mississauga will be present at these sessions to answer questions. The Public information Sessions will be held as follows:

Session #1

Focus: Glen Erin Drive between Eglinton Avenue and Britannia Road
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Erin Meadows Community Centre, Multipurpose Room A, 2800 Erin Centre Boulevard (click for map).

Session #2

Focus: Glen Erin Drive between Britannia Road and Derry Road
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meadowvale Community Centre, Youth/Seniors Room, 6655 Glen Erin Drive (click for map).

Public consultation is a vital component of this process and I want to ensure that you have the opportunity to get involved and provide input. I will also try to post the designs on the ward 9 website at www.ward9.ca. While each meeting is focused on a specific area, if you are only able to attend one, you may ask questions about either of the locations. I hope you will be able to attend but if you cannot and have any comments or questions, please contact me by email at pat.saito@mississauga.ca or at 905-896-5900.

Yours truly,
Patricia (Pat) Saito Councillor, Ward 9