Spring 2017 Newsletter
The Kingston Coalition for Active Transportation (KCAT) newsletter is distributed 3-4 times per year to inform and inspire people in Kingston about active transportation (AT), including ways to increase opportunities to help make AT more efficient, convenient, accessible, affordable, attractive and safer for users of all ages and abilities. AT refers to any human powered mode of travel including walking, cycling, in-line skating, skateboarding, running and getting around aided by walker or wheelchair.
You are receiving this e-Newsletter because you had previously indicated that you wished to receive information from KCAT or have been involved in KCAT activities. If you do not wish to receive this e-Newsletter from KCAT, please unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the e-Newsletter. |
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“The reality about transportation is that it is future oriented.
If we are planning for what we have, we are behind the curve.” Anthony Fox |
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| KCAT EVENT: Explore the K&P Trail with KCAT on Earth Day |
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| Walk or wheel 1 km, 5 km, 10 km or more! Whatever your comfort level or personal goals, join us for a two hour Earth Day walking/wheeling event on the newly paved urban portion of the K&P Trail.
Saturday, April 22, 2017. Meet at 10 AM, at the north end of Wellington St., in Doug Fluhrer Park. Rain or Shine! Parking is available.
This is an event for pedestrians and cyclists of all ages and abilities, including: babies and toddlers, people using walkers and wheelchairs, dog walkers, Nordic pole walkers, skateboarders, roller bladers, and everyone in between.
Learn more about this fabulous new addition to the Kingston Trail system. |
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| North King’s Town Secondary Plan |
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| The City is developing a Secondary Plan for the North King’s Town area – the Inner Harbour and Old Industrial areas just north of downtown. A revised draft report will be available for public review in the Spring 2017. Active transportation pathways and access have been identified as key elements.
Here is the draft report |
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| Active Transportation Master Plan Update (ATMP) – “Walk ‘n’ Roll” |
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| Walk ‘n’ Roll Kingston will be the City of Kingston’s Master Plan to encourage active transportation (walking and cycling) as a way to support health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money. The Walk ‘n’ Roll Kingston plan will be aimed at achieving the target of a 20 per cent active-transportation mode share for peak travel times by 2034 as directed by council.
Open house #2 will be held in the Spring 2017. The goal of the meeting will be for the City to:
– Present options and strategies and how these will be evaluated.
– Present the draft Active Transportation Network and proposed facility types.
– Seek input on phasing, implementation, specific recommendations and strategies.
More information: |
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| The City of Kingston is completing a series of studies related to the possible construction of a new bridge crossing the Cataraqui River, connecting John Counter Blvd and Gore Rd. Active transportation is intended to be an important element in the design. In April 2017 a final preliminary design summary report will be released for public review and comment. Open House #2 will be held later in the spring for review and comment by the public. Staff will then prepare and present a report with recommendations to City Council in the Spring 2017. Learn More |
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| This project is supported by the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program. The City is building a 1.7 km asphalt bikeway and multiuse pathway in the right-of-way along Bath Road from Collins Bay Road to Coverdale Drive. The new bikeway will be a significant addition to the City’s cycling infrastructure, strengthening the network of existing routes by connecting the Waterfront Trail and the Provincial Cycling Network routes. A portion of the multi-use pathway will be segregated from motor vehicle lanes by a physical barrier. Revised design drawings are available on the project website. Open House #2 is scheduled for March 28, 2017. Tender is scheduled for Spring 2017 with construction in Summer 2017.
More information: |
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| Kingston Penitentiary/Portsmouth Olympic Harbour Visioning |
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| Workshop #3 was held on Monday, Feb. 27, 2017. An emerging vision for the future of the former Kingston Penitentiary and Portsmouth Olympic Harbour was presented for public review and comment. Active transportation pathways and public access have been identified as key elements.
Emerging Vision
Presentation slides |
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An open house was held on Wednesday, March 1, to receive public input on the recommended preliminary roadway designs for Highway 15, including recommendations for:
• walking, cycling, transit and driving;
• Highway 15 and Highway 2 intersection;
• the proposed visual character and landscaping plan including plant and fencing materials.More information |
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| Kingston Gets Active Month – April 2017 |
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| During the month of April, take advantage of free physical activities every day. Try something new, get active and have fun. Activities include walking or wheeling on the K&P Trail with KCAT, walking with the Kingston Outdoor Adventure Club, urban pole walking, skating, swimming, fencing, martial arts, junior tennis, early years gym activities, and fitness classes like pilates, yoga, group cycle, & Zumba. There is something for every age and every ability. For more information and to download a calendar. You can also tune in to the Kingston Gets Active Facebook page and Twitter (@DiscoverKGA). |
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| Great Cycle Challenge Canada |
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HOW FAR CAN YOU RIDE? FIND OUT.
Challenge yourself to get on your bike this June and clock your kilometres over 30 days in the 2017 Great Cycle Challenge!
You set yourself a goal of km to pedal for the month…and ride. |
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| Walk ‘n’ Roll – TAG Cycle and Walking Tours
As part of the work to develop the Kingston Active Transportation Master Plan, the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) participated in cycle and walking tours. These tours provided an important opportunity to experience first hand the realities of those using active transportation in Kingston. Information gleaned from these tours will help to set priorities to reach the cycling and walking target of 20 percent by 2034. |
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| On November 28, 2016, a 17-km bike tour was completed beginning and ending at Market Square. The tour included the LaSalle Causeway, Wellington Street north to Cataraqui Street, and other busy and quiet streets with and without various kinds of cycling infrastructure. Participants then discussed: gaps in the network including bike lanes, signage, and intersection challenges; Causeway concerns; conditions of bike lanes; and the need for signed bicycle commuter routes including quiet roads. Participants also noted that of the 12 TAG riders, only one was a woman and that the prevalence of female compared with male cyclists in a city indicates how bicycle-friendly, or not, the community is. Another observation made on the tour were transitions between travel lanes, sidewalks, and driveways which affects the mobility of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. |
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| On February 23, 2017, a walking tour was completed by TAG. Kingston Transit was used to travel between the tour locations. The tour started at Springer Market Square, and followed a loop around downtown and hitting locations that showcase different pedestrian infrastructure, including the new K&P Trail along the Inner Harbour, the new pedestrian crossing on Rideau St. and the Brock St. traffic calming speed humps at the Hotel Dieu Hospital. The second leg of the tour followed a loop that started at the new Palace Rd. Express Bus stop, crossing Sir John A. MacDonald Boulevard and then along some of the residential streets/pathways built in the 1960s in Calvin Park, and finished up at the Calvin Park Library for a group discussion. |
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| Sir John A. MacDonald Blvd (SJA) Safety Working Group Update |
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| The SJA Safety Working Group works with City Councillors and staff to find ways to address growing safety issues on SJA. What started out as local residents writing to their City Councillors about safety issues on SJA has evolved into the formation of the SJA Safety Working Group. City Councillors from Williamsville, Portsmouth and Sydenham Districts, school board trustees, representatives from each of the three Community Associations, and other interested local residents, have worked together with City staff to collect information on speeds and pedestrian/bicycle counts, to help guide this important work.
As a first step, in August 2016, City Council unanimously voted to lower the speed limit on SJA from 60 kph to 50 km/h, from King St. north to Princess St. The Norman Rogers Dr. intersection has been identified as particularly high risk for those crossing to access the new Kingston Transit Express Bus on Palace Rd. A speed feedback device was installed in early December 2016. Monitoring is ongoing with a report expected from staff in the Spring 2017. |
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| Bicycle Friendly Community – Bronze |
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| Kingston has received a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community designation for the second time in four years. Although there have been gains in each of the 5 E’s since 2012, one of the crucial reasons why Kingston wasn’t awarded a Silver designation is because of low spending on infrastructure. The Share the Road Cycling Coalition emphasized that “Kingston is in a very good position to move up the Bicycle Friendly Communities rankings in the relatively near future” and that “a few key investments in higher-order active transportation infrastructure such as multi-use trails could make Kingston one of Ontario’s leading municipalities when it comes to cycling”.
Two key recommendations are:
• Installing protected or buffered bike lanes or cycle tracks along key routes, and
• A system of bicycle boulevards or neighbourhood greenways utilizing quiet neighbourhood streets that creates an attractive, convenient, and comfortable cycling environment welcoming to cyclists of all ages and skill levels.
Learn more about Share the Road |
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| Do we need an urban revolution? |
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