The dominant pattern of development in Greater Toronto and Hamilton (GTHA) has for decades been low-density, with the various land uses—residential, commercial and other—separated. Unfortunately, the region's transportation network has not developed at the same pace and to the same extent. As a result, the region is highly dependent on single-occupancy motor vehicles for its transportation needs, a dependency which is having negative impacts on the health of GTHA’s people, economy and environment. Toronto Public Health estimates that transportation-related air pollution causes 440 premature deaths, 1,700 hospitalizations and 200,000 restricted activity days per year in the City of Toronto alone, for example (Toronto Public Health 2007).

 

Active transportation—i.e. walking and bicycling—is a compelling alternative to single-occupancy motor vehicles for a great many reasons. Walking and bicycling do not result in emissions of air contaminants or greenhouse gases, so if more trips were completed on foot or bike there would be fewer illnesses and deaths associated with air pollution and less need to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Furthermore, the capital costs associated with constructing pedestrian and bicycling infrastructure are more modest than the capital costs associated with constructing motor vehicle infrastructure; and because pedestrians and bicyclists cause so little wear and tear, the costs associated with maintaining their infrastructure are low, as well. Finally, there are health benefits associated with incorporating physical activity into one's daily routine. A daily bike ride to and from work, or a daily walk to and from a grocery store, greatly reduces the likelihood of a number of serious illness such as diabetes and the costs associated with them.

 

To improve the quality of life in the GTHA and to ensure that the region continues to be competitive against other urban regions, it is essential that trips be shifted away from less sustainable modes of transportation, such as single-occupancy motor vehicles, and shifted toward more sustainable modes, such as active transportation.

 

In August 2007, Metrolinx contracted the services of the Clean Air Partnership (CAP) to prepare an overview of: a) active transportation policies, programs and infrastructure in GTHA municipalities; b) barriers to GTHA municipalities doing more to support active transportation; and c) examples of active transportation policies, programs and infrastructure from other, comparable urban regions where walking and bicycling have a larger share of the mode split.

 

CAP found that active transportation policies, programs and infrastructure in the GTHA lag behind that of other urban regions. There are fewer kilometres of on-road, dedicated bike lanes and off-road, multi-purpose trails in the GTHA, per capita, than in Calgary and Vancouver, for example. Similarly, very few transit buses are equipped with bike racks in the GTHA, whereas they are universal in Portland and San Francisco. Furthermore, the most innovative active transportation programming, such as bike sharing/lending programs and mass celebrations of walking and biking, are occurring elsewhere—in Montréal and Ottawa, for example—but not here.

Among the other challenges mentioned by staff at GTHA municipalities: 

As for why other urban regions have been able to do more than the GTHA in promoting active transportation, the most obvious difference is that in most other jurisdictions examined there are important partners at the regional and/or provincial level that provide support: through cost-sharing programs with municipalities; through direct capital investments in parallel, regional or provincial networks; and through the provision of staff with expertise in the field.

 

Based on these findings, CAP recommends the following actions be taken to support active transportation in the GTHA:

 

1. Support should be sought for continued investment in the infrastructure necessary to better integrate active transportation with transit—ensuring that there are bike racks on all GO buses, for example, and secure bike parking at every GO station; and
 

2. An active transportation research program should be established to examine in greater depth the key issues identified by the research thus far, as well as any related issues identified in the future. In the short term, specific research projects might include:

With these investments in policy development and capacity-building, the GTHA will take a big step toward improved accessibility, increased sustainability and a higher quality of life.