Toronto Developing Holistic Approach to Street Development

TORONTO – URBAN – The City of Toronto is developing Complete Streets Guidelines that will provide a holistic approach to how streets in Toronto are designed.

“Developing a complete streets approach will help the City balance the many competing demands on its rights-of-way,” said Councillor Jaye Robinson (Ward 25 Don Valley West), Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. “Having guidelines on complete streets will streamline and consolidate our approach to road design, ultimately creating better street-design decisions.”

A complete street is a street that is designed to consider the needs of all users, such as those who walk, bicycle, drive, or take transit, as well as consider people of varying ages and levels of ability. Complete streets are also designed to consider uses such as the movement of goods, emergency services, sidewalk cafés, street furniture and trees.

In 2014, City Council directed staff to develop a set of Complete Streets Guidelines. The guidelines are intended to build on the many policies and guidelines currently in place that inform street design and construction projects in Toronto.

The goal of establishing guidelines is to help ensure that streets are safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities, as well as to give people a range of transportation choices, create healthy and livable neighbourhoods, create vibrant and attractive public spaces, support economic prosperity and improve environmental sustainability.

Members of the public are invited to join the conversation and provide staff with their thoughts and input into the development of the guidelines at any of the following events:

• Public Open House on June 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Central YMCA, 20 Grosvenor St.
• “Moving Conversations,” where staff will walk and talk with the public and experience streets in different neighbourhoods:
• Moving Conversation #1: June 20 at 10 a.m., with the starting point Yonge Street in front of Mel Lastman Square (5100 Yonge St.).
• Moving Conversation #2: June 20 at 10 a.m., with the starting point the plaza at the southwest corner of Dundas Street West and Islington Avenue (4743 Dundas St. W.).

The visual information panels from the open house event will be displayed at three of the City’s civic centres and at Metro Hall in June and July. Schedule:

• North York Civic Centre (June 22 to 25)
• Etobicoke Civic Centre (June 29 to July 3)
• Scarborough Civic Centre (July 6 to 10)
• Metro Hall (July 13 to 17)

For those unable to attend in person, materials can be reviewed on the City’s website at http://www.toronto.ca/completestreets. An online survey is available to collect input, comments and feedback on the concept of complete streets. The survey will be available from June 18 through July 2.

This first round of public engagement will focus on the purpose of the project and the guiding principles. A second round will be held in the fall of 2015, focusing more on the content of the Complete Streets Guidelines.

On Twitter, follow @TO_Transport and @CityPlanTO and use #TOcompletestreets to keep up to date on this and other projects.