Waterfront Toronto and the City of Toronto have completed the Terms of Reference that will guide the Environmental Assessment regarding the reconfiguration of the Gardiner Expressway from just East of the Don River to Jarvis St. This is probably better known as the "Tearing Down the Gardiner" but the study includes much more than that. This will be on the agenda of the City of Toronto's Executive Committee this Tuesday June 2nd. for their approval. You can see the document at the following link Gardiner Expressway and Lake Shore Boulevard Reconfiguration EA Terms of Reference DRAFT

Removing the elevated Gardiner Expressway between Logan and Jarvis could allow this neglected section of the former Martin Goodman Trail north of Lake Shore between Cherry and Parliament to be incorporated into an extended Lake Shore East Boulevard path which could extend right to Jarvis Street.

The Environmental Assessment leading to the development of a plan for the study area from Jarvis Street to Logan Avenue provides an opportunity to look at how to improve the transportation network in the area and improve the linkages to the Lake for the communities to the north and east of the study area. During the consultation process that has led up to the development of the Terms of Reference there was a lot of support for not just looking at the automobile part of the transportation system but also the pedestrian, transit and cycling portions of the system as well. Looking at the terms of reference it is clear that those voices were heard.

Among the five goals of the EA 2 of them pertain directly to cycling infrastructure.
Goal 2: Reconnect the City with the Lake
One of the points listed under this goal recognizes the importance of bicycle routes in making those connections.

• Design the public realm to be attractive, accessible and connected. The qualities of experience offered by streets, plazas, parks, promenades, pathways, bicycle routes, and visual corridors will be major drivers of design decisions. Public

Any new configuration of the Gardiner Expressway will need to maintain an effective local and regional transportation system, including commuters and freight, and minimize negative impacts by balancing alternative travel modes, including transit (local and regional), cycling and walking within the system.

Further, over the coming decades it is expected that there will be decreased dependence on the private automobile and an increase in the use of active public modes and transit. This is due to a combination of factors, including lifestyle changes that are drawing people back downtown; increasing fuel prices; and climate change as people seek to reduce their “carbon footprint”.

Having these goals in the EA is important in that the alternatives developed will have to include measures to provide routes for cyclists in the plan. This doesn't mean the work is done. Those concerned that cyclists and pedestrians are well served by the new designs will have to continue to be involved in the ongoing consultations that are a part of the EA process.

There already are Bicycle Lanes and paths in the area, the Don Trail ends at Lake Shore Blvd, the Lake Shore East path ends a Don Roadway and parts of the old Martin Goodman Trail continue on the north side of Lake Shore Blvd. up to Parliament St. In this reconfiguration there is an opportunity to improve and extend these routes. A needed improvement would be to extend the Lake Shore East path right to Jarvis providing a direct commuter route from Coxwell to the heart of the downtown. The study area also includes existing and future north-south bike lanes. Sherbourne has bike lanes right to Lake Shore Blvd. There are bike lanes planned for Cherry Street and now for Jarvis. This project provides the opportunity to improve the north-south connections to make sure they link into the Lake Shore Blvd. east path and the new Queens Quay Martin Goodman Trail.

If you want to see this go ahead you can let the members of the executive committee know by writing the Committee and its Members. You can find the contact information for the secretariat of the committee and the links to the committee members at the following page Executive Committee.

The decision to be made by the Executive committee is to forward the Terms of Reference to the Minister of the Environment of Ontario. They will then have a 30 day comment period before the Terms of Reference for the EA are approved. Once that is done the EA will commence which means more rounds of consultation. It will be important to continue to be involved in all stages of the EA process to ensure we see that we do get a design that achives the goals of Balancing the Modes of Travel and reconnecting the City to the Lake. The report states that the final decision on the Terms of reference is anticipated to be made in late 2009 with the EA starting in 2010.