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West-end cyclists will be interested to know that the City of Toronto has concluded its Environmental Assessment Study for the long-awaited West Toronto Railpath Extension. To run more-or-less alongside the existing Kitchener/Georgetown GO Line, the extension will add roughly 2km to the existing path, doubling its current length, and bringing cyclists within striking distance of the western edge of Liberty Village and Fort York. While Phase I runs between just north of Dupont south to Dundas West (just south of Bloor), Phase II will follow the curve of the rail line towards the city centre, ending at Abell St (just east of Dufferin). In conjunction with the ongoing redevelopment of Fort York, and in particular, with the plans now underway for the Fort York Pedestrian and Cycle Bridge, a to-be-determined Phase III will ostensibly link the final 1km portion of the West Toronto Railpath with Fort York. For now, however, there is much to consider with the plans now underway for Phase II.
While Phase I of the West Toronto Railpath currently carries cyclists along an unbroken, paved, off-road bike path immediately adjacent to the GO tracks, Phase II will encounter several obstacles, including a narrower approach (made tighter by imminent plans to double sections of the track), complex urban landforms and uses, and a series of underpasses and overpasses that must be either bridged or circumnavigated by future users - all of which will complicate both the construction, and eventual user experience, of the West Toronto Railpath Extension. Seen in the rather busy map below, a series of competing, alternative routes are shown, broken down by section and subsection, to reveal all of the available options in regards to on-and-off-road solutions to the aforementioned obstacles that lay ahead:
Taken from Section 7 of the much larger, Final Report Summary & PDFs, as made available from City Hall, the above map highlights the extent of the West Toronto Railpath Extension, with Phase II comprising Sections 1, 2, 3.1, and 3.2. The darkest-coloured route, following closest to the tracks constitutes what the Report refers to as the "Dream Trail," that which satisfies all or most of the criteria for a continuous, fully-separated cycle route from Roncesvalles to Liberty Village (and eventually, to Fort York). Alternatively, the yellow, blue, and purple routes provide a range of hybrid, on-and-off-road solutions which could feasibly bypass any possible impasses met along the rail corridor, or Dream Trail. Seen in the following images, the Dream Trail (or rail corridor path), will likely appear as one of the alternatives illustrated below, each depicting a variant on the available 8.5 metre width as foreseen for the construction of the new path:
Design Concepts 1 and 2 are nearly identical, with the difference being the extra space given for users in the 2nd design, at the expense of green space. Concept 3, however, allows for a fully separate pedestrian footpath, adjacent to a slightly narrowed cycle path and further reduced green space.
Looking through the Report, it is clear that the final result will likely be a hybrid of on-and-off-road conditions, with cyclists and other users forced to alternate between path and city streets as dictated by the conditions set by the rail corridor. At the northwest end of the Extension, for example, there is the possibility that users will be made to take a rather circuitous route through city streets before re-entering the path, while towards the eastern stretches, it appears that even the alternative routes will stay more-or-less in line with the rail corridor. Whatever the case, the end result will more than likely see cyclists competing for space on city streets through portions of the Extension. Ready for such an eventuality, the Report includes an in-depth look at the available, on-street solutions that could help ease the transition from path to street. These options include a mixture of the usual on-street, road-sharing options, including a mixture of sharrows, two-way raised cycle track, and separated bike lanes with buffers:
Beyond the decisions concerning alternative routes, and differing types and configurations of cycle path, there remains one final complicating factor, that of the five custom bridges that must be built along the length of Phase II in order to safely and efficiently transport users across a series of overpasses and underpasses that exist in different forms from one end to the other. From Dundas West to Strachan Ave, there are a total of eight crossings that must be made, five of which will require the construction of custom rail bridges similar to those implemented in Phase I. While the option to rehabilitate existing rail bridges is floated in the Report, it is dismissed out of hand in favour of new construction for reasons of complexity and cost. The crossings in question constitute a mixture of rail lines and major arterial roads, including, the GO Barrie Rail Line, Landsdowne Ave, Brock Ave, Dufferin St, and Queen St West. The illustrations below highlight the differences between the appearance of a rehabilitated rail bridge (made of lumber rail ties) with that of a new, custom rail bridge (constructed wholly from new materials) of the type that the Report identifies as the preferred option:
Once complete, Phase II of the West Toronto Railpath Extension will bring west-end cyclists some much-needed commuter relief, allowing riders to travel from the far reaches of The Junction to the western edge of Liberty Village, and perhaps one day, eventually to Fort York and beyond to the city centre. Combined with the newly-implemented east-west cycle tracks on Richmond and Adelaide through the downtown core, the lot of urban cyclists (at least in a few corners of the city, has begun to show some positive signs of progress and forward-thinking. In the meantime, while completion of the West Toronto Railpath Extension remains years away, cyclists can take comfort in the fact that the current study and report has been completed, and that further progress can now get underway.
For those interested in more information, the Environmental Study Report will be held for public viewing at three Toronto Public Library Branches (Parkdale, College/Shaw, and Fort York) for 30 days, from January 14th to February 15th. In addition to this, the City of Toronto website (toronto.ca/westrailpath), contains all of the relevant information, along with links to the various reports and other files associated with this project. To speak in-person about any concerns or additional inquiries regarding the project, Senior Public Consultation Coordinator, Maogosha Pyjor will be available via email at westrailpath@toronto.ca, or over the phone at 416-338-2850.
UrbanToronto will continue to provide updates on this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the Forum, or join the conversation in the comments section below.
