On Wednesday January 17th, 2007 the Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation will hold a public forum to discuss the Lake Ontario Park Master Plan. Lake Ontario Park will include all the waterfront area between Cherry Beach at the foot of Cherry Street in the west to the Tommy Thompson Park at the foot of Leslie Street in the east.

This is of interest to cyclists not only as a destination but also since the Martin Goodman Trail runs through this future park and there are sections of this that are in need of improvement such as the part where the trail runs along the shoulder of Unwin Avenue.

Also in the scope of the project is the road on the Leslie Street Spit which is open on the weekends and is a favorite ride of Toronto cyclists. There are plans for a network of walking paths and trails on the Leslie Street Spit as part of the Tommy Thompson Park Master Plan. You can see those plans at the following link: Trails Master Plan. These show the road where cyclists currently ride being replaced by a recreational path with only 3.5 m path for trail users divided from the other half of the road by a 'traffic separator' creating a reserved vehicle lane or emergency access lane. Currently upgrades to the Martin Goodman bring it up to at least 4 m. The trail user traffic has increased on the Spit over the last few years and a wider lane would be needed. Hopefully feedback from trail users have had some influence on the plans and that a better design will be on the plans that are presented this Wednesday.

If you want to attend the meeting the details are quoted below from the TWRC's announcement. You can also see a flyer at the following link Public Forum: Lake Ontario Park - January 17, 2007

Public Forum: Lake Ontario Park - January 17, 2007

The Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Corporation (TWRC) would like to invite you to the next Public Forum for Lake Ontario Park. The design team, led by Field Operations will present the draft concept plan for the Lake Ontario Park Master Plan.

Lake Ontario Park is more than 900 acres and will become a regional destination on Toronto?s revitalized waterfront. Public input is important to the planning and design of this project and we encourage you to join us for a second public forum:

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Open House: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Presentation & Facilitated Discussion: 7:00 p.m. ? 9:00 p.m.
Radisson Admiral Hotel (Ballroom)
249 Queens Quay West, Toronto

Please be advised that as part of the Open House, we will be providing the community with an update on the status of the Port Lands Transitional Sports Fields.
For more information, please contact Andrea Kelemen at 416-214-1344 ext. 248 or akelemen(a)towaterfront.ca

This will be a good opportunity to see the plans for one of the most natural sections of Toronto's waterfront and how access for cyclists can be improved through it.