- That the Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee Minutes be received, and,
- That the Committee endorse the following recommendation from the February 20, 2025, Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee meeting:
Whereas when weather allows, Markham residents benefit from an extensive system of parks and green spaces, and pathways through those parks and green spaces; and,
Whereas most of our park assets are not accessible for as many as 4 months a year due to winter weather; and,
Whereas outdoor winter activity should be encouraged to address the physical and mental health of residents; and,
Whereas City Council has endorsed an Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP) in 2021 that recommends pedestrian and cycling network capital improvements to encourage people of all ages and abilities to walk and cycle; and,
Whereas the ATMP includes a recommendation on “Implement a pilot project to provide winter maintenance of a cycling spine network to evaluate costs and uptake; and,
Whereas the City of Markham implemented the winter maintenance pilot project for some paved park pathways since 2021, and provided a feasibility analysis (See appendix 1, staff report May 10, 2021, and appendix 2, staff memorandum July 13. 2021); and,
Whereas the 2021 reports analysed paving and maintaining all park pathways and at that time the cost was determined by council to be excessive; and,
Whereas the council-endorsed Greenprint Sustainability Plan suggests aggressive measures to reduce the environmental impact of city activities; and,
Whereas the council-endorsed Markham Municipal Energy Plan includes a commitment to net zero emissions by 2050; and,
Whereas Markham is currently developing the Vision Zero Road Safety Plan, School Zones Safety Guide and the Transportation Master Plan, all of which would have a variety of means to provide a safer walking and cycling network; and,
Whereas the city is committed to the development of “complete communities” such that extensive walking facilities are provided and walking is encouraged for short trips; and,
Whereas walking facilities of all types should be considered as part of the city’s transportation network 365 days a year, as are roads; and,
Whereas the current service level includes ploughing only a limited number of already-paved pathways that do not constitute an integrated network designed to serve significant destinations; and,
Whereas networked transportation systems that serve destinations are typically more heavily used than non-networked transportation assets, such as dead-end streets; and,
Whereas park and open space pathways often provide more direct routes to destinations than the ploughed sidewalk network; and,
Whereas the city sponsors an Active School Travel program to encourage walking to and from schools, while approximately 40% of the school year (ten months between September to June) is in the winter (four months between December and March); and,
Whereas pathways linking ploughed city sidewalks to school yards are generally not ploughed; and,
Whereas unploughed park pathways are often heavily used but pose a safety risk due to icing and uneven surfaces; and,
Whereas many local streets in mature neighbourhoods do not have sidewalks that might otherwise be ploughed in the winter; and,
Therefore, now be it resolved:
That the Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CPAC) recommends that Markham Council direct staff to commission a feasibility study taking into consideration the engineering, operations and financial aspects with the aim of identifying a network of existing unpaved pathways to be paved and/or ploughed through parks and green spaces that links destinations, especially those frequented by children and youths throughout the city, such as public and secondary schools, community centres, shopping centres, and all roads with transit stops; and,
That it is not recommended that all existing unploughed pathways be paved and ploughed; only those identified in the feasibility study that are considered part of a complete active transportation network serving appropriate destinations, should be considered for paving and ploughing; and,
That CPAC recommends that the City work continue with the school boards to address unploughed pathways between ploughed city facilities and school yards; and,
That CPAC recommends that Markham Council direct staff to include a 2026 capital budget submission to undertake the feasibility study; and,
That CPAC recommends that staff report back to Markham Council in 2027 on the findings and recommendations of the feasibility study, and that staff update the Markham Active Transportation Master Plan to include the identified existing unpaved pathways as part of a prioritized multi-year capital implementation program; and further,
That CPAC recommends to Markham Council that this motion be shared with the directors and all trustees of the York Region District School Board and the York Catholic District School Board.