Helping February 2014 to shape the future of walking and cycling in Waterloo Region Region of Waterloo Active Transportation Master Plan FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PART 1: WALK CYCLE WATERLOO REGION PART 2: GREEN CHAPTER DESIGN GUIDE DOCS# 1303884 February, 2014 February, 2014 FOREWORD It is my great pleasure to introduce the Region of Waterloo’s Active Transportation Master Plan entitled “Walk Cycle Waterloo Region”, a comprehensive travel strategy for pedestrians and cyclists in our community. Waterloo Region is a vibrant global community that is experiencing unprecedented investment, growth and change. Already the fourth largest community in Ontario and the tenth largest in Canada, Waterloo Region continues to grow and prosper. In recent years, we have seen a series of significant economic, environmental and social changes in our community. We often refer to these changes as “big shifts”. Walk Cycle Waterloo Region will be another important element of our “Big Shift Toolbox”, which can be found at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/bigshift, and supports many of these changes. With our population expected to reach 729,000 by 2031, we have committed ourselves to ensuring our growth is both compact and largely concentrated in existing built-up areas. This means that our roads and transit systems must function well, and that we also offer other quality choices for pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities. Walk Cycle Waterloo Region is a very important part of achieving this diverse transportation system. It is important to note that we are already achieving significant progress in making it easier to get around our community. Walk Cycle Waterloo Region is part of our larger Regional Transportation Master Plan, which was approved in 2010, and includes substantial investment in transit and roads as well. Survey results suggest that over 90,000 people are regular walkers, and over 10,000 people are regular cyclists in our region. New cycling lanes are being built, and new pedestrian safety and accessibility features are being installed on a regular basis. Regional roads now include over 300 kilometers of cycling facilities, and we hope to more than double that amount over the next 10 years. Walk Cycle Waterloo Region will help us continue to build safe, efficient and uninterrupted Region- wide travel systems through wise investment decisions. The creation of a comprehensive plan like this cannot happen without the dedicated effort of so many members of our community, and our sincere thanks to all who have offered their ideas and energy. The ongoing collaboration with all of our Area Municipalities has also been critical, as we all work to coordinate our travel systems. These collective efforts will again lead to shared successes. Realizing the vision of Walk Cycle Waterloo Region is expected to evolve over a number of years, and will require financial commitments from a variety of sources. Over the course of 2014 and 2015, we will focus on developing a detailed financial strategy that can support the realization of this plan. I hope you find Walk Cycle Waterloo Region to be an exciting and forward-looking initiative that enhances our transportation system and supports our broader community vision for years to come. Our thanks to everyone who is helping to make this strategy a reality, and we welcome your comments. All the best, Ken Seiling Regional Chair i February, 2014 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY TABLE OF CONTENTS EX 1 THE VISION AND GOAL FOR WALKING AND CYCLING .......................................................................IV EX 2 NETWORK ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................................... V EX 3 STRATEGIC SIGNAGE ACTION PLAN .............................................................................................. VII EX 4 WINTER NETWORK ACTION PLAN ................................................................................................ VIII EX 5 BEHAVIOURAL SHIFT ACTION PLAN ............................................................................................. VIII EX 6 PERFORMANCE MONITORING ACTION PLAN ...................................................................................IX EX 7 DELIVERING THE PLAN .................................................................................................................. X EX 8 POLICY UPDATES ........................................................................................................................ XII EX 9 PART 2: GREEN CHAPTER DESIGN GUIDE .................................................................................... XIII EX 10 WALKING AND CYCLING FORWARD .............................................................................................. XIII iii February, 2014 EX 1 THE VISION AND GOAL FOR WALKING AND CYCLING Walk Cycle Waterloo Region is the Region of Waterloo’s plan for making it easier to walk and cycle in our community. By promoting and integrating active forms of transportation, Walk Cycle Waterloo Region will help to achieve the Region’s “Vision for a Sustainable and Liveable Waterloo Region” articulated in part by these excerpt from the Regional Official Plan: “[to be] an inclusive, thriving, and sustainable community committed to maintaining harmony between rural and urban areas and fostering opportunities for current and future generations” and “[to] plan and manage integrated, accessible and safe multi-modal transportation systems that provide transportation choice, and promote sustainability, a healthy population and the effective movement of goods” The Regional Transportation Master Plan (RTMP, 2010) was based on population and employment in Waterloo Region increasing to 729,000 and 366,000 respectively by 2031. This significant growth is planned to be accommodated through growth that is both compact and largely concentrated in existing built-up areas. Getting around by using active modes is a large part of the transportation solution planned in the RTMP. In fact, one recent study shows that in one of our densest areas we are already achieving nearly a 20% share of trips by active modes at some times. The Region has committed to ensuring that the health and social benefits of an active lifestyle direct transportation planning and design decisions. Generally, priority for travellers will be given in the following order: walking, cycling, public transit, carpooling and other smart commuting strategies, and then driving alone (single occupant vehicles). However, this priority order and can be influenced by the local context of a particular project. For example, highways are typically designed for motor vehicles first as walking and cycling is not permitted. In the Regional Transportation Master Plan, the Region has set a goal for how many trips should be made by walking and cycling to meet its vision. This goal was developed to complement the transit mode share in the RTMP and minimize the road expansion requirements over the next 20 years. Current mode share for The target mode share for walking and cycling for PM walking and cycling for PM peak hour trips in the peak hour trips in the Region is 7.8% Region is 12% by 2031 Walk Cycle Waterloo Region looks at the people who live, work, study and play in the Region and considers where there is the potential for them to choose walking and cycling for short trips. The walking and cycling networks and supportive policies developed in this plan are designed to iv February, 2014 encourage cycling and walking in our communities. This plan contains five action plans and new policy directions that were developed through consultation with the following stakeholders: Project, Technical and Consultant Teams consisting of Regional staff and Councillors, Area Municipal staff and consultants Stakeholders including the Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) and Grand River Accessibility Advisory Committee (GRAAC) Members of the public through three Public Consultation Centres with combined attendance in excess of 360 people EX 2 NETWORK ACTION PLAN One of the most effective strategies for the Region of Waterloo to achieve its walking and cycling mode share goals is to encourage more active transportation in the Region by providing a safe, comfortable and convenient network of facilities. The primary aim of the network recommended as part of this plan is to connect the tri-cities and rural communities within the townships by providing accessible routes for pedestrians and cyclists. The existing Regional Walking Network includes 365 km of sidewalks along one or both sides of Regional Roads. The existing Regional Cycling Network is made up of 117 km of dedicated bike lanes and 453 km of improved rural roads. There are 17 km of existing boulevard multi-use trails along Regional roads that are included in both the walking and the cycling networks. The recommended Regional Walking and Cycling Networks were developed considering: A comprehensive review of the upcoming transportation projects in the Transportation Capital Program. The need to improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Other master plans in the region Physical barriers. Parallel options for constrained corridors. Potential demand and need (i.e. identifying areas where there is good potential for active transportation trips, but minimal facilities or missing connections). The Recommended Walking and Cycling Networks include four areas for implementation: The Transportation Capital Program (TCP) action area is intended