Cycling infrastructure (Separated bike lanes)

[Northern Light]

Today's Infrastructure & Environment Committee meeting looks like it will be a long one! 56 speakers registered for the TransformTO item (a.k.a. Toronto's climate action plan) and another 51 speakers for the bike plan item (which includes Kingston Road). You can follow along at the YouTube link starting at 9:30 AM.

Ok..... that's it. I'm sicking @TwinHuey on the Cliffcrest Scarborough Village SW Residents Association!

I'm going to post their submission on the Kingston Road improvements.

https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2025/ie/comm/communicationfile-199440.pdf

From the above:

 

[ThenWhat]

Looking for any news about the Don Mills Crossing Trail Bridge, planned for where the Don Mills Trail currently has a dead end.
The proposed bridge has its own thread, but that has not been updated for over a year. Ditto for information on the city web site.

 

[Northern Light]

Looking for any news about the Don Mills Crossing Trail Bridge, planned for where the Don Mills Trail currently has a dead end.
The proposed bridge has its own thread, but that has not been updated for over a year. Ditto for information on the city web site.

As of the 2025 City Budget, the bridge was funded for construction in 2027 (1 year project).

Digging around.......the project appears to be under consideration for advancement to the 2026 budget year. No guarantees!

 

[bearcat]

As of the 2025 City Budget, the bridge was funded for construction in 2027 (1 year project).

Digging around.......the project appears to be under consideration for advancement to the 2026 budget year. No guarantees!

In the same area it would be nice if the city added some protected intersections or just even crossings signed for bikes with a bike light at the two intersections of York Mills on either side of the bridge over the railway. And further North at Sheppard and Leslie, where there's a trail ending at the Southeast corner and the trail ending at the Northwest corner, but no way to legally cross between them on a bicycle without dismounting and walking across the crosswalk.

And at least some sharrows on the local streets leading from York Mills to the beginning of Betty Sutherland trail.

 

[Northern Light]

In the same area it would be nice if the city added some protected intersections or just even crossings signed for bikes with a bike light at the two intersections of York Mills on either side of the bridge over the railway. And further north at Shepherd and Leslie, where there's a trail ending at the the Southeast corner and the trail ending at the northwest corner, but no way to legally cross between them on a bicycle without dismounting and walking across the crosswalk.

And at least some sharrows on the local streets leading from York Mills to the beginning of Betty Sutherland trail.

Given the current situation, who knows how these things will unfold, but York Mills Rd east of Lesmill is in the cue for cycle tracks in 2032.

That doesn't intersect the existing trail but would be a logical opportunity to piggy back work.

I realize sooner would be nicer; just thought I'd put that out there.

One other possible is the Mx Storage yard for GO that's proposed in this area. Its possible (but not likely) that it could trigger some work on nearby intersections/signal timing that might also provide a window.

 

[DSCToronto]

As the Infrastructure committee ran out of time (it was about to lose quorum) the Cycling Motion is going "Without Recommendations" to Council. Not quite sure why the committee did not return tomorrow but better it goes to Council next week - though I fear there will be lots of motions, if no deputants, there.

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

As the Infrastructure committee ran out of time (it was about to lose quorum) the Cycling Motion is going "Without Recommendations" to Council. Not quite sure why the committee did not return tomorrow but better it goes to Council next week - though I fear there will be lots of motions, if no deputants, there.

IIRC, there haven't been any cases where committee meetings lasted more than one day. Given this was probably one of the most effed up IEC meetings in recent memory, there needs to be a cap on the number of speakers for these committee meetings going forward as was done for the annual budget deputations.

 

[DSCToronto]

IIRC, there haven't been any cases where committee meetings lasted more than one day. Given this was probably one of the most effed up IEC meetings in recent memory, there needs to be a cap on the number of speakers for these committee meetings going forward as was done for the annual budget deputations.

Probably a good idea but I still cannot see why the Committee did not adjourn and reconvene today or Monday.

 

[Northern Light]

As the Infrastructure committee ran out of time (it was about to lose quorum) the Cycling Motion is going "Without Recommendations" to Council. Not quite sure why the committee did not return tomorrow but better it goes to Council next week - though I fear there will be lots of motions, if no deputants, there.

Two of the four members of I&E ctte are also on North York Community Council which is meeting today. That conflict likely to determined the impossibility of convening today. Cllr. Peruzza is also on the Exhibition Board which is also meeting today.

Fletcher (chair) would have a conflict with a TO Live HR Ctte meeting on Monday.

Fletcher is also the Chair of Corporate Nominations Ctte, meeting on Monday and her Vice Chair is Colle.

 

[DSCToronto]

Two of the four members of I&E ctte are also on North York Community Council which is meeting today. That conflict likely to determined the impossibility of convening today. Cllr. Peruzza is also on the Exhibition Board which is also meeting today.

Fletcher (chair) would have a conflict with a TO Live HR Ctte meeting on Monday.

Fletcher is also the Chair of Corporate Nominations Ctte, meeting on Monday and her Vice Chair is Colle.

There is usually lots of business at CCs in November and, though I agree that with the 'new' smaller Council, people are busy and have multiple commitments, Councillors need to look carefully at time allocation - their own and those of committees, and need to work longer hours if it is necessary to get through business.

 

[txlseries4]

My gut says this is an unfortunate shitty reality of Ford slashing the size of council. Everyone's overworked and going from one meeting to the next all the time, even during lunch breaks. At committee meetings and when Council meets, councillors are doing other work at the same time. I didn't pay attention to city politics before 2018 so maybe it happened then too, but the extra workload obviously hasn't helped.

 

[DSCToronto]

My gut says this is an unfortunate shitty reality of Ford slashing the size of council. Everyone's overworked and going from one meeting to the next all the time, even during lunch breaks. At committee meetings and when Council meets, councillors are doing other work at the same time. I didn't pay attention to city politics before 2018 so maybe it happened then too, but the extra workload obviously hasn't helped.

That is true, the real problem is that 24 Councillors are trying to do the work of 48 (or whatever). The answer would be to get more Councillors (impossible with Mr Ford) or have less work. Councillors spend lots of time dealing with things that staff ought to do and/or discussing things that are really not the concern of a municipality.

 

[TwoWheelPoli]

There is usually lots of business at CCs in November and, though I agree that with the 'new' smaller Council, people are busy and have multiple commitments, Councillors need to look carefully at time allocation - their own and those of committees, and need to work longer hours if it is necessary to get through business.

It also doesn't help that 2026 is a super compressed election year. After yesterday's IEC meeting, there will only be five committee meetings left with the next one on February 25, 2026 - likely due to the budget process - and the last on July 15, 2026.