Report to: Development Services Committee                  Report Date:  December 13, 2010

 

 

SUBJECT:                         Cycling, Pathways and Trails – 5 Year Implementation Program

PREPARED BY:              Lorenzo Mele, TDM Coordinator Ext. 4000

 

RECOMMENDATION:

 

1)                  That the Cycling, Pathways and Trails - 5 Year Implementation Program, be received and endorsed, and;

 

2)                  That staff report back to Council with project work plans and the associated stakeholder and public consultation strategies, and;

 

3)                  That staff work with the Markham Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CPAC) to prepare updates of the annual implementation programs for Council approval, and;

 

4)                  That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

In July of 2009, the Town of Markham retained MMM Group to assist staff with the development of a detailed implementation plan that will serve as the Town’s Cycling, Pathways and Trails 5-Year Implementation Program. The implementation program builds upon the Town’s Cycling Master Plan and Pathways and Trails Master Plan that were received and adopted by Council April 2010.

 

It is the intention of the Town to continue advancing the development and implementation of the master plans and therefore the Town requires a detailed implementation plan which relates to the network development phasing associated with the master plans, links to York Region and Rouge Park pathway and trails plans and falls within a funding allowance approved by Council.

 

The Cycling, Pathway and Trails 5-Year Implementation Program provides a design feasibility level of analysis and recommendations for each project. In terms of process, it is important to note that detailed design, associated approvals including public and stakeholder consultations and Council approval are still required for each project. This detailed design process will confirm the exact pathway location, alignment, surface treatment, and provide a more detailed construction cost estimate. Town staff will then report back to the Town’s Development Services Committee with the details and cost of each project, property requirements and public input, and request Council’s direction to proceed with tendering and construction.

1. Purpose                    2. Background                    3. Discussion                        4. Financial      

 

5. Others (HR, Strategic, Affected Units)                                6. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this Cycling, Pathways and Trails 5-Year Implementation Program is to highlight key projects that will further the short-term implementation of the Master Plans that were adopted by Council in April 2010. The 5-Year program provides direction as to the necessary steps required to advance these projects to implementation.

 

BACKGROUND:

The Town of Markham has previously completed studies for a Cycling Master Plan and a Pathway and Trails Master Plan.  As well, the Region of York has prepared a Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan that includes links through the Town of Markham. The Rouge Park Alliance has also prepared a pathway and trails plan for Bob Hunter Memorial Park and they’ve recently embarked on a draft master planning exercise for the entire Rouge Park. Each of these plans has outlined an overall network of on-road and off-road facilities and has also detailed a proposed phasing plan for implementation. The Markham Pathways and Trails 5-Year Implementation Program identifies key projects that will further the short-term implementation of both Master Plans, and will provide direction as to the necessary steps required to advance these projects to implementation.

 

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

The 5 year implementation program was based on the phasing strategy associated with the Master Plans that were endorsed by Council in April 2010. A review of existing and previously proposed cycling and trail facilities was carried out to confirm the feasibility for their implementation according to the plans, and short-term priority routes within the Town of Markham that can be implemented within the 5-year timeline were identified.

 

It is important to note that as each project moves towards implementation, based on the nature of the undertaking, there will be varying degrees of public and stakeholder consultations required including:

·         Town wide consultation as part of a Class Environmental Assessment or similar study process (staff with external assistance by consultant)

·         Notification of proposed construction

·         Local neighbourhood meeting (Councillor and staff)

·         Consultation as part of design process and possible reworking of the design if there is external consultation as part of that process

 

As well, certain routes have been identified for further study and consultation before implementation and key stakeholders for each project have been noted. A preliminary cost estimate for this list of projects is provided to aid the Town in the overall Capital Project planning processes. Emphasis in the short term will be on establishing key corridors and making connections along them, which will lead to even greater opportunities for pathway connectivity in the future. Ultimately, this Implementation Program will allow for a cohesive strategy for implementing the Town’s proposed pathway system and cycling network.

 

The Cycling, Pathways and Trails 5-Year Implementation Program provides design feasibility level of analysis and recommendations for each project. In terms of process, it is important to note that detailed design is still required for each project. The future detailed design process will confirm the exact pathway location, width, surface treatment, alignment and provide a more detailed construction cost estimate. Staff will report back to Development Services Committee with the details and cost of the project, property requirements, approval issues and public input, and request Council’s direction to proceed with tendering and constructing the projects. Overall, 22 individual projects have been identified and described in the Program, and these are illustrated in Attachment A.

 

Information sheets have been prepared for each project to provide details regarding:

·         location;

·         rationale for the project;

·         key notes related to the future design or planning/EA study;

·         considerations regarding public consultation and approvals;

·         an opinion of probable cost for construction (based on the level of information collected) or probable cost for a future EA study; and

·         recommended next steps to advance each project.

 

An example of a project information sheet is noted as Attachment B.

 

A number of the 22 projects in the recommended 5-Year program are ready to proceed to the detail design and construction stage, whereas others are ready to advance to a more detailed planning and approval stage, i.e. through an Environmental Assessment (EA) process or similar. The level of analysis and detail in the 5-Year Program is intended to “set the stage” for the next steps on each of the projects and provides a field level investigation and conceptual alignment for each facility, including connections to other existing and planned alignments where appropriate. It also identifies key issues for each project that will need to be addressed as part of the next steps moving forward.

 

Consultation on the Draft 5 Year Implementation Program

The consultations for the development and review of the draft 5 year program were carried out internally as follows:

·         Markham Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CPAC) was instrumental in reviewing the draft implementation program and endorsed it at their April 29, 2010 meeting;

·         Council was provided an opportunity to review the draft program on May 11, 2010 and additional projects and specific considerations were identified at that time;

·         Operations department staff were consulted on June 10, 2010 and resulted in a more refined approach being developed for the on-going maintenance considerations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Implementation Schedule

On an annual basis the Markham Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (CPAC) will assist staff in updating the annual and 5 year implementation program. As each project is examined at a further level of detail, either through the detail design process or EA process, additional opportunities and constraints may be revealed and will need to be addressed. It is logical to consider grouping some of the projects that have been identified as requiring further study through an EA (or similar) process.

 

Year One Project - Toogood Pond to Bob Hunter Memorial Park – Multi-use Pedestrian Pathway

This project addresses the new pathway initiative to be constructed from Toogood Pond to the newly established Bob Hunter Memorial Park in the Rouge River Valley area.  The public and stakeholder consultation process was endorsed by Development Services Committee on November 16, 2010.  The work plan for this project builds on the work already completed by the Town and the Milne Working Group to review the trail linkage between the existing and proposed trail areas.  The project is being carried out under the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (EA) process.  Within the Class EA process, the Town’s consultants, Council, local stakeholders and agencies and the general public will work to identify design options and eventually a preferred pathway alignment and an implementation plan.

 

Maintenance Considerations

Maintenance and monitoring of facilities once they are constructed is a critical aspect of any plans to move forward with implementation of the off-road pathways and on road routes. It is recommended that the Town budget for maintenance cost on an incremental fashion along with the incremental, annualized basis, as the planned network of facilities is constructed.  As each new network segment is added the impact to the operations budget should be calculated by Town staff so that it can be added into the annual maintenance budget request. Maintenance costs for on-road facilities are estimated to range from $5,000 to $9,000/km/year depending on the facility type (paved shoulder with edge /signs, bike lane in urban area, painted lines vs. thermo plastic etc.) and economies of scale gained from incorporating cycling facility maintenance in the Town’s current road maintenance program. Maintenance of ‘mature’ off-road multi-use trails, particularly in greenways and parks can range between $4,000 to $6,000 per linear kilometre of trail (3.0 to 4.0 m wide), depending on the level of service standard. Annual maintenance typically includes drainage and storm channel maintenance, sweeping, clearing of debris, trash removal, vegetation management, mowing of grass along shoulders, minor surface repairs, repairs to trail fixtures (benches, signs) and other general repairs. Costs for the replacement or repair of major items such as bridges are usually allocated through capital budgets.

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE:

The 5 year capital implementation program is valued at approximately $10 million, or $2 million per year. Funding currently available in Engineering Capital accounts totals $2,952,549.50 to support the implementation of the year one project – Toogood Pond to Bob Hunter Park multi-use pedestrian pathway. Engineering staff, in coordination with the Finance Department, will identify sources of funding in the estimated amount of $6,610,712.50 to implement the subsequent pathway, trail and cycling projects through annual capital budgets. Additionally, adequate budget resources will also be required on an annual basis to support ongoing maintenance and capital upgrades of the existing and future network. To date the following sources of funding have been made available for the purposes of network development and maintenance;

  • Town wide and area specific development charges
  • Town of Markham – Federal Gas Tax Revenue
  • Various federal, provincial and York Region infrastructure grants
  • Property tax to support maintenance

 

 

HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS

Not applicable at this time.

 

 

ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:

The Cycling, Pathways and Trails - 5 Year Program will assist with the implementation of the following key Town of Markham strategic priorities: Building Markham’s Future Together and the related Growth Management Strategy and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) objectives, Markham’s Green Print sustainability plan and the Leisure Master Plan.

 

 

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

The Operations and Finance Departments have been consulted.

 

 

RECOMMENDED BY:

 

 

______________________                               ________________________

                                     

Alan Brown, C.E.T.                                              Jim Baird, M.C.I.P., R.P.P.                                                 

Director of Engineering                                        Commissioner Development Services                              

ATTACHMENTS:

Attachment A – Overall 5 Year Program map

Attachment B – Example of a Project Information Sheet