A second round of public consultation is being hosted by the City of Toronto on behalf of the High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS), which is looking to improve mobility within High Park. In addition to making travel around the park easier, other goals of the plan include increasing safety and accessibility, as well as maintaining the park’s ecological integrity.
The HPMS will focus the existing travel network of the park, including roads, driveways, parking lots, and paved trails.
Map of High Park showing roads and trails, image courtesy of High Park official website
Initial rounds of community consultation as well as technical studies of traffic conditions and infrastructure in High Park have resulted in feedback that is being used to help create a series of mobility options for the park.
Four draft travel network strategies have been developed based on the feedback. They range from visitor vehicles allowed anywhere within High Park, to vehicles allowed only at scheduled times, or on certain roads, to vehicles not being allowed in the park at all.
An online open house will be held online this Wednesday, July 27 from 6 to 8 PM. The project team will present suggestions, findings, and gather community feedback on possible improvements. Results from this round of consultations and the preferred option, will be incorporated into a 2023 report with recommendations for Council’s consideration.
Entrance to High Park, image courtesy of High Park official website
The timeline for the study includes four steps.
Currently, step one is in progress. It began in 2021 and is meant to run until the end of this summer; collecting all comments and feedback from both the community and project stakeholders, as well as draft a series of options for improving the travel network within the park.
Step two is expected to begin at the end of this summer, after all community engagement has concluded. It will include evaluating the options based on the feedback received, and is expected to conclude by the end of this fall.
Step three will be the selection of the preferred option, which is anticipated to take place between this fall, and next winter (2023).
Finally, by Spring of 2023, the preferred option is projected to begin to be implemented, following Council approval.
We will continue to follow progress on the project, but in the meantime, you can join in on the conversation in the space provided on this page.
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