getting to gold - smart commutesmartcommute.ca/hamilton/wp-content/uploads/sites/... · getting to...

Getting to Gold Final Report

Vikram Hardatt Justin Jones Liz Nield Peter Topalovic Janelle Trant December 1, 2015 City of Hamilton Sustainable Mobility Programs 77 James Street N. (Suite 400) Hamilton, ON, L8R 2K3 [email protected] www.smartcommutehamilton.ca

of 33 December 1, 2015

Transportation Summit 2015 Getting to Gold

Executive Summary The City of Hamilton’s sixth Transportation Summit took place on March 23, 2015. Hamilton Public Works Staff organized the event, in partnership with LURA Consulting and Share the Road Cycling Coalition. It brought together municipal staff, community groups, engaged citizens, and local businesses for a day-long look at creating a gold cycling community and kicked off the public engagement stage of the Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan Update. A record 172 people attended the 2015 summit, highlighting the importance of transportation to Hamilton’s residents. Throughout the day, attendees were both entertained and educated by a series of speakers. The intended purpose and desired outcomes of the summit are listed in the table below.

Purpose Outcomes

Highlight current City of Hamilton transportation initiatives

Foster discussion between departments and stakeholders

Encourage new ideas

Develop action strategies to move forward

Develop a strategy for Hamilton to become a gold cycling community

Complement existing policies outlined in the Official Plan

Understand the Ontario context and how municipalities can support each other in developing strategy and policy

Begin the public engagement stage of the update of Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan

Engage the larger community

Participants were asked to discuss transportation-related matters in a series of workshops and breakout sessions. A summary of the key points of conversation from the workshops and breakout sessions is available in Section 5, while full notes are provided in the appendices. The first workshop focused on gathering an inventory of existing cycling infrastructure, policies and programs in Hamilton, as well as examining challenges associated with achieving a gold designation through the Bicycle Friendly Community Award Program. Three simultaneous breakout sessions were offered in the afternoon, and attendees had the opportunity to choose two out of the three to attend. The first concurrent session, “Getting to Gold”, asked participants to work together to develop the action blueprint for becoming a gold cycling designated community. In the second concurrent session, “Our City’s Transportation Future”, participants explored various elements of the Transportation Master Plan and provided feedback on the opportunities and constraints associated with its subject areas. The third session was a SoBi Hamilton bike share cycling tour of the downtown Hamilton’s cycling infrastructure. A series of conclusions and recommendations stemming from the discussion at the summit is provided in Section 7.



Contents Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 2 Contents ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 5

1.1 Purpose of Summit ............................................................................................................. 5 1.2 Expected Outcomes of the 2015 Summit ............................................................................ 5 1.3 Summit Theme: Getting to Gold.......................................................................................... 5 1.4 Previous Summit Themes and Results ............................................................................... 6

2 Communications ....................................................................................................................... 7

2.1 Invitations ............................................................................................................................ 7 2.2 Website ............................................................................................................................... 8

3 Changes from Previous Summits ............................................................................................. 9 3.1 Venue ................................................................................................................................. 9 3.2 Zero-Waste Goal ................................................................................................................. 9 3.3 Record Setting Attendance ................................................................................................. 9

3.4 Registration Fee................................................................................................................ 10 4 Summit Schedule and Presentation Overview ........................................................................ 10

4.1 Summit Agenda, Speakers and Topics ............................................................................. 10 4.2 Opening Remarks ............................................................................................................. 11 4.3 Keynote: Rod McPhail, Case Study of The Two Kings ..................................................... 11

4.4 Justin Jones – What Does it Mean to Get to Gold ............................................................ 11 4.5 Ryan Rzepecki – Founder & CEO of Social Bicycles........................................................ 12

4.6 Keynote: John Brodhead, Evergreen CityWorks ............................................................... 12

5 Breakout Sessions .................................................................................................................. 13

5.1 Workshop: Getting to Gold – What We’ve Done ............................................................... 13 5.1.1 Workshop Description and Organization .................................................................... 13

5.1.2 Topic 1: Engineering .................................................................................................. 13 5.1.3 Topic 2: Encouragement ............................................................................................ 13 5.1.4 Topic 3: Education ...................................................................................................... 14

5.1.5 Topic 4: Enforcement ................................................................................................. 14 5.1.6 Topic 5: Evaluation and Planning ............................................................................... 14

5.2 Concurrent Session #1 – Getting To Gold – Actions: Cycling Actions .............................. 14

5.2.1 Evaluation and Planning ............................................................................................. 15

5.2.2 Enforcement ............................................................................................................... 15 5.2.3 Encouragement .......................................................................................................... 15 5.2.4 Education ................................................................................................................... 15

5.2.5 Engineering ................................................................................................................ 15 5.3 Concurrent Session #2 – Our City’s Transportation Future: Transportation Master Plan Opportunities and Constraints .................................................................................................... 15

5.4 Concurrent Session #3 – Infrastructure SoBi Tour............................................................ 16

6 Feedback ................................................................................................................................ 18



6.1 Strengths .......................................................................................................................... 18 6.2 Improvement ..................................................................................................................... 18 6.3 Future Topics .................................................................................................................... 18

7 Conclusions and Recommendations....................................................................................... 19

Transportation Summit Agenda .............................................................................. 20 Appendix A Getting To Gold Workshop Summary ..................................................................... 21 Appendix B

Figure 1 - Attendees of the 2015 Transportation Summit



1 Introduction The sixth Transportation Summit took place on March 23, 2015. The event was organized by Hamilton Public Works, in partnership with LURA Consulting and Share the Road Cycling Coalition, with the aim of bringing together municipal staff, community groups, engaged citizens, and local businesses for a day-long look at creating a gold cycling community and kicking off the public engagement stage of the update of Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan. The Summit consisted of a series of presentations and multiple concurrent group breakout sessions, which dealt with various infrastructure issues in Hamilton.

1.1 Purpose of Summit

The purpose of the Transportation Summit series is to:

Highlight current City of Hamilton transportation initiatives

Foster discussion between departments and stakeholders

Encourage new ideas

Develop action strategies to move forward

1.2 Expected Outcomes of the 2015 Summit

The desired outcomes of the 2015 summit were to:

Develop a strategy for Hamilton to become a gold cycling community

Complement existing policies outlined in the Official Plan

Understand the Ontario context and how municipalities can support each other in developing strategy and policy

Begin the public engagement stage of the update of Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan

Engage the larger community

1.3 Summit Theme: Getting to Gold

The Bicycle Friendly Community Award (BFC) Program, launched by Share the Road Cycling Coalition, provides incentives, hands-on assistance, and award recognition for communities that actively support bicycling. Communities complete a thorough application and are judged in five categories often referred to as the Five “Es.” These are Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories to be considered for an award at the Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum or Diamond level. Communities with more significant achievements in these areas receive higher awards. The BFC application is a great self-assessment tool, as it provides communities with the opportunity to identify potential areas for improvement in each of the aforementioned categories.

http://www.sharetheroad.ca/bicycle-friendly-communities-p138264

http://www.sharetheroad.ca/bicycle-friendly-communities-p138264



In Hamilton, one of the best examples of cycling infrastructure is the Cannon Street Cycle Track. The late 2014 installation of the bi-directional separated cycling infrastructure is an example of the type of infrastructure that would help Hamilton become a gold cycling community. The City of Hamilton is undertaking a review of the city-wide Transportation Master Plan (TMP) to guide the future of transportation programs and investment to accommodate future growth for 2031 and beyond. The Hamilton Transportation Summit served as the kickoff to the multiple public engagement events surrounding the TMP Update.

1.4 Previous Summit Themes and Results

The 2015 Summit was the sixth organized summit. Previous topics have included:

2008 – Hamilton Transportation Summit (General Transportation Issues)

2009 – Hamilton as a Liveable City (Transportation Demand Management)

2010 – Taking Back the Streets (Pedestrian Issues and Initiatives)

2011 – Environmental Pricing Reform

2012 – Exploring Complete Streets These cumulative summits have resulted in a better understanding of transportation systems in Hamilton, and have led to actions. Resulting projects and initiatives include:

Expansion of the Smart Commute Hamilton program

Rapid Transit planning

Sustainable Mobility and Land Use

Development of a Pedestrian Mobility Plan

Environmental Pricing Reform research and pilot Table 1 shows some of the resulting actions taken from the recommendations made in the 2012 Transportation Summit.

Table 1- 2012 Complete Streets Summit Recommendations and Actions

2012 Recommendation Action Taken

Review existing supportive guidelines and policies and inventory completed projects within the city

A review was undertaken and TDM guidelines for developments were established to ensure TDM elements are incorporated into the development review process

Specific policy implementation for Complete Streets

-Pedestrian Mobility Plan is approved by Council -TMP Five Year review will include Complete Streets as a core principle (in progress)

Build a business case for Complete Streets

Hamilton has worked with TCAT to develop a GTHA-wide business case. In addition, the TMP will provide a framework for Complete Streets.

Develop public engagement Public Works and Public Health developed a pamphlet,



strategy research paper and partnered with various community groups to develop a workshop series. A community-driven policy was developed by SPRC.

Guerilla street temporary design Tactical Urbanism (eg. Locke Street) now occurs with City collaboration. In 2015, Evergreen led a community-driven “100 in 1 Day” of urban interventions aimed at creating lasting change.

Find a forum for staff

Transportation Coordinating Committee and TDM Implementation Coordinating Committee

Identify upcoming road reconstruction projects and examine the possibility of completing them using context sensitive design

Work on this continues on a case-by-case basis. The upcoming TMP review will include a more methodical approach to reviewing each construction project for complete and liveable street considerations

2 Communications

2.1 Invitations

The summit aimed to bring together individuals from across the City. The event was open to any individual who was interested in registering. The initial ‘Save the Date’ e-mail was sent on January 27, 2015 to all previous attendees. Invitations were distributed through a number of mediums in order to maximize reach, including contacting all previous Summit attendees. In total, over 5,000 individuals were directly contacted, and received an invitation to the summit. These contacts included: Local Distribution

Chamber of Commerce

Environment Hamilton newsletter

Smart Commute Hamilton newsletter

Vision 2020 newsletter

All neighbourhood associations and groups on record with the City

Hamilton Smart Commute Employer List

Hamilton Chamber of Commerce

Hamilton Cycling Committee

Raise the Hammer

CBC Hamilton

Hamilton Spectator



Hamilton Community News

Hamilton Transportation Summit Communications Committee

McMaster University

Smart Commute Hamilton Employers

Open Streets Hamilton

Yes We Cannon

OPIRG

Burlington Cycling Committee

City of Hamilton eNet

New Hope Bike Co-op

Hamilton HIVE

Hamilton CLS

Sustainable Professional Network

Hamilton Conservation Authority

Naturalist Club

Staff contacts for transportation related department

All City staff in Suites 320 and 400

The Mayor, and all City Councillors Regional Distribution

GTHA TDM Coordinating Committee

Share the Road Distribution List

Act Locally In addition, a number of organizations and individuals promoted the summit through social media including Facebook posts, Twitter, and blog entries. Potential reach from these channels is unknown.

2.2 Website

A popular event organization page, Eventbrite, was used as the primary landing page where attendees could find more information about the summit and register. The Eventbrite website was created to highlight the event, and to provide materials from the event. The 2015 Transportation Summit Eventbrite website was https://gettingtogold2015.eventbrite.ca.

https://gettingtogold2015.eventbrite.ca/



3 Changes from Previous Summits Based on participant feedback from previous summits, and to improve logistical considerations, a number of changes were made to the 2015 summit.

3.1 Venue

Based on the expected number of participants at the 2015 Transportation Summit, it was decided to host the event at the Art Gallery of Hamilton. This new venue had many benefits including:

Increased variety of food options during breakfast, lunch and during the break

Close proximity to public transportation, bikeshare and carshare vehicles, located in the heart of the downtown

Beautiful pavilion provided an inviting and aesthetically pleasing venue

3.2 Zero-Waste Goal

The Summit has made a commitment to go as waste free as possible, with the goal of eventually being zero-waste. The Art Gallery of Hamilton was supportive of this endeavour, and were able to meet all of the requests. Some of the waste reduction techniques used included:

All water served from jugs (no bottles)

Coffee and pre-brewed tea (as opposed to tea bags)

Sugar, salt and pepper, cream, milk, etc. are all served from reusable containers (no individual packets)

No paper napkins

The agenda and feedback form were available online and on large boards at the event. No individual agendas were produced for the attendees

No handouts given by event organizers

A green bin was available to compost organic material throughout the summit

3.3 Record Setting Attendance

The 2015 summit saw a new attendance record set, despite the modest registration fee (Section 3.4). In total, 172 individuals registered for the summit, a 26% increase over 2012. These individuals represented the most diverse audience in the Summit’s history. Representatives included:

Chris Murray, City Manager, City of Hamilton

Municipal staff from Hamilton, Burlington, and Cambridge

Community associations including the Beasley Neighbourhood, Association, Durand Neighbourhood Association and the North End Neighbours

Community NGOs including: Open Streets Hamilton, Environment Hamilton, Green Venture, Sustainable Hamilton, and SoBi Hamilton



3.4 Registration Fee

The 2015 Summit kept the modest registration fee to help offset the costs of hosting the event as done at previous transportation summits. Fees were kept as low as possible in order to ensure accessibility for interested participants, while helping to ensure the Summit is as sustainable as possible. With lunch, a light breakfast, and snacks included, having a fee was considered reasonable. At this year’s summit, several new ticket types were introduced at different costs to ensure accessibility.

Not-for-profit employees: $15

Regular day pass: $30

Early-bird day pass: $25

Student/Senior (65+) day pass: $10

City of Hamilton employee day pass: Free

Unwaged day pass: Free

Pay-what-you-can day pass: Donation format Registration was handled through the Eventbrite.ca website.

4 Summit Schedule and Presentation Overview A copy of the event agenda is available in Appendix A.

4.1 Summit Agenda, Speakers and Topics

The following individuals spoke at the Summit:

Chris Murray, City Manager of the City of Hamilton and Dr. Ninh Tran, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Hamilton Public Health Services provided opening remarks;

Peter Topalovic, from the City of Hamilton, and Liz Nield from LURA Consulting provided an overview of the agenda and introduced the first keynote speaker;

Rod McPhail, Former Director of Transportation Planning, City of Toronto, discussed best practice examples of the transportation planning and policy developments that occurred on the neighbourhood scale;

Justin Jones, from Share the Road Cycling Coalition, discussed the 5 E’s and what it means to become a gold cycling community;



Ryan Rzpecki, Founder & CEO of Social Bicycles, presented the history of SoBi and how the system will benefit Hamilton; and,

John Broadhead, Evergreen CityWorks, presented the final keynote about how groups, organizations and communities are making changes happen in policy and infrastructure planning.

4.2 Opening Remarks

Opening remarks were provided by:

Chris Murray, City Manager, City of Hamilton;

Dr. Ninh Tran, Associate Medical Officer of Health, Hamilton Public Health Services. These speakers provided insight into a number of initiatives and projects the City is involved in related to active transportation and provided some rationale for moving towards a more active city. Highlights of their combined remarks include:

Investments to make active transportation more attractive including the launch of SoBi Hamilton, Cannon Street Cycle Track, and other new cycling infrastructure across the city;

The need for active transportation options in order to increase public health, by combating obesity, increasing air quality, and building for an aging population; and

Ensuring we consider how we build our city, as it has an impact on how well we live, and how long we will live.

4.3 Keynote: Rod McPhail, Case Study of The Two Kings

Rod McPhail provided an introduction about himself and the Toronto “Two Kings” (King-Parliament & King-Spadina) case study. Rod’s presentation highlighted the two historical districts in opposite ends of the downtown core of the City of Toronto. The Two Kings were designated as “reinvestment areas” with maximum flexibility and diversity of land uses. A total of 2,155 responses were received for the Kings Travel Survey in 2008 as a follow-up from the initial survey in 2001. Rod set the state for discussions on the Transportation Master Plan and used his experience in Transportation Planning to highlight the challenges and benefits of master planning.

4.4 Justin Jones – What Does it Mean to Get to Gold

Since, 2012 Hamilton has been working towards its gold standard for bicycle friendly communities. In this presentation, Justin Jones explored the Five “Es.”: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, and Evaluation & Planning. A community must demonstrate achievements in each of the five categories in order to be considered for the gold award designation.



4.5 Ryan Rzepecki – Founder & CEO of Social Bicycles

During his lunch presentation, Ryan Rzepecki presented the history of how Social Bicycles came to be and success stories of other SoBi systems around the world. Ryan discussed how this system would benefit Hamilton and create more opportunity for Hamiltonians to live an active and healthy lifestyle.

4.6 Keynote: John Brodhead, Evergreen CityWorks

Evergreen CityWorks is taking steps to change how we plan and design our cities to transform the way we live, and reduce the environmental impact of urban areas on a large scale. In this final keynote, John Broadhead presented an overview of how groups, organizations and communities are making changes happen in policy and infrastructure planning.

Figure 2 – Adding comments to the “Evaluation & Planning” category during the “Getting to Gold” workshop.



5 Breakout Sessions One large plenary workshop took place in the morning after Justin Jones’ presentation focusing on gathering an inventory of existing cycling infrastructure, policies and programs in Hamilton. Challenges associated with achieving a gold designation were also examined. Three simultaneous breakout sessions were offered in the afternoon with attendees having the opportunity to choose two out of the three to attend. In the first concurrent session, “Getting to Gold”, led by Justin Jones, participants worked together to develop the action blueprint for to gold. In the second concurrent session, “Our City’s Transportation Future”, participants explored various elements of the Transportation Master Plan and provided feedback on the opportunities and constraints associated with its subject areas. The third session was a SoBi cycling tour of the downtown core’s cycling infrastructure led by Peter Topalovic, Daryl Bender and Chelsea Cox.

5.1 Workshop: Getting to Gold – What We’ve Done

5.1.1 Workshop Description and Organization

This workshop was organized, designed and run by Justin Jones from Share the Road Cycling Coalition. It followed the ‘World Café’ style. Participants discussed what Hamilton has already done in relation to the Five “E’s”.

5.1.2 Topic 1: Engineering

Common themes:

Signage for bicycle routes

SoBi Hamilton

Cannon Street and Hunter Street bike lanes

Bike racks on buses

Multi-use trails

Cycling Master Plan

Bike parking facilities

Snow removal

5.1.3 Topic 2: Encouragement

Common themes:

Launch of Bike Share

Bike to Work Day

Car Free Day and other events

GO train to Niagara

Cycling school programs

Transportation Summit



5.1.4 Topic 3: Education

Common themes:

Smart Commute and Bike to Work Day

Bike for Mike

Programming for students with police and local non-for-profit groups

Bike Maps

5.1.5 Topic 4: Enforcement

Common themes:

Existing by-laws

Enforcement of cycling by-laws

Protected bike lanes

Police offers patrolling on bicycles

5.1.6 Topic 5: Evaluation and Planning

Common themes:

Pedestrian and cycling counters

Transportation Master Plan

Cycling Master Plan

Rapid Ready Plan

SoBi trip data

Vision 2020

Complete streets study

Smart Commute survey data

5.2 Concurrent Session #1 – Getting To Gold – Actions: Cycling Actions

As a way to brainstorm ideas surrounding what it takes to create a gold cycling community in Hamilton, Justin Jones ran a workshop to identify the next steps for Hamilton to become a gold community. Each one represented one of the “Five E’s” of Bicycle Friendly Communities: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement and Evaluation & Planning Attendees were encouraged to fill out a sticky-note to comment on the challenges, opportunities, strategies, best practices, key stakeholders, or any other idea they had related to a particular “E”. The following sections highlight comments provided by participants. See Appendix B for the



complete summary report prepared by Justin Jones and Share the Road Coalition based on participant input.

5.2.1 Evaluation and Planning

Continue to remove information silos

Integrate different plans and projects

Work towards more consistent and widespread data collection

5.2.2 Enforcement

Enforce by-laws related to cyclists (e.g. riding on sidewalks)

Reward cyclists who follow the rules

5.2.3 Encouragement

Continue to support events that celebrate cycling

Encourage employers to incentivize cycling for employees

Provide more end-of-trip facilities

Host a “Tour de Hamilton” cycling tour

5.2.4 Education

Provide cycle training for students and the broader community

Teach drivers about how to drive safely near cyclists

5.2.5 Engineering

Improve cycling connections between infrastructure (e.g. roads to trails)

More bike lane signage and pavement markings

Maintain street lights

Increase the capacity for bicycles on transit buses

5.3 Concurrent Session #2 – Our City’s Transportation Future: Transportation Master Plan Opportunities and Constraints

The second concurrent session was a public information centre about the City of Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan. Participants responded to a series of questions aimed at identifying transportation issues and priorities. Key findings from the workshop are summarized as follows: Rural, Suburban & Urban Transportation Issues

Limited access to integrated transit was identified as a key issue for rural and suburban residents

Auto dependency due to a lack of alternative options was noted as a key issue for rural residents



Safety for active transportation users (particularly cyclists) was identified as a priority in rural, suburban, and urban areas

Public Transit & Active Transportation Networks

Updating current bus schedules was identified as a potential opportunity for an improved transit experience in urban and suburban areas

Accessibility for persons with limited mobility (e.g. seniors) was identified as a potential transportation network issue

The integration of systems was identified as a key priority for improving the transportation network, particularly related to transportation up and down the Escarpment and access to GO Transit facilities

Complete Streets & One-to-Two-Way Street Conversions

Complete streets were noted as a priority and opportunity for improvements to the public transit and active transportation networks

Pilot projects were identified as a key opportunity to develop complete streets

One-to-two-way street conversion was noted as a priority but also a potential concern if not managed effectively

Goods Movement & Technology

Goods movement was identified as an important consideration in both rural and urban areas

Connecting the Presto Card with SoBi was identified as an associated opportunity and emerging trend that would have a positive impact on the transportation network

Other key associated opportunities and emerging trends identified as related to the transportation network include real-time information, integrated fares and zonal fares

5.4 Concurrent Session #3 – Infrastructure SoBi Tour

Peter Topalovic, Daryl Bender and Chelsea Cox took a group of participants on SoBi cycling tour of the downtown core’s cycling infrastructure. The tour focused on new infrastructure projects such as the Cannon Street Cycle Track and identifying gaps in the cycling infrastructure network.



Figure 3- Cycling Infrastructure Tour Route

Major destinations visited along this route included:

Cannon Street Cycle Track

Barton at Ferguson cycling activated signal

Challenges crossing Main Street

Hunter Street bike boxes Peter, Daryl and Chelsea stopped at key points and point out the good, the bad and other elements that may have been overlooked in the design. The tour was approximately 5 km long with frequent breaks and took approximately 1.5 hours.



6 Feedback Each attendee received a feedback form and was asked to submit it on their way out.

6.1 Strengths

Over 90% of respondents indicated that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the summit. Reasons provided for the summit not fully meeting expectations included a lack of emphasis on resource constraints and the format of workshop sessions.

Over 93% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the keynote speakers and workshop leaders.

The organization and coordination of the summit was well received.

Over 83% of respondents indicated that the information gained from this summit will be useful or very useful to their work or interest.

Many respondents were very happy with the summit and were unable to think of any suggestions for improvement.

6.2 Improvement

Several respondents suggested shorter breakout sessions, while approximately the same number requested longer sessions.

Improved sound quality.

More effective breakout sessions, such as working on more detailed strategies for improvement.

Include more considerations for pedestrians.

Allow more time for networking.

6.3 Future Topics

Twenty-five topics were suggested for future summits. The top three suggestions related to:

The Economic Impact of Traffic and Single Occupancy Vehicles

Improving Pedestrian Mobility

Successful Transportation Case Studies at the National and International Level



7 Conclusions and Recommendations Based on the conversation and topics explored at the Summit, the following conclusions are presented:

Transportation is a growing area of interest in the City, as evidenced by the 2015 Transportation Summit being the highest turnout to date

The City of Hamilton has accomplished a lot with respect the “Five E’s” of Bicycle Friendly Communities: Engineering, Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation & Planning)

Limited access to integrated transit is a key issue for rural and suburban residents

Auto dependency due to a lack of alternative options is a key issue for rural residents

Safety for active transportation users (particularly cyclists) is a priority

Accessibility for persons with limited mobility (e.g. seniors) is a potential transportation issue

Complete streets are a priority and opportunity for improvements to the public transit and active transportation networks

Pilot projects are an opportunity to develop complete streets

One-to-two-way street conversion is a priority but needs to be managed effectively

Goods movement is an important consideration in both rural and urban areas Based on the conversation and topics explored at the Summit, the following recommendations can be made:

Undertake consistent and widespread data collection to support informed decision-making. Be sure to coordinate efforts to avoid duplication

Enforce by-laws related to cycling (e.g. riding on sidewalks)

Reward cyclists who follow the rules

Continue to remove information silos and integrate different plans and projects

Continue to support events that celebrate cycling

Encourage employers to incentivize cycling for employees

Provide more end-of-trip facilities

Host a “Tour de Hamilton” cycling tour

Provide cycle training for students and the broader community

Teach drivers about how to drive safely near/around cyclists

Improve cycling connections between infrastructure (e.g. roads to trails)

Provide more bike lane signage and pavement markings

Maintain street lights

Increase the capacity for bicycles on transit buses

Update current bus schedules to improve transit experience in urban and suburban areas

Integrate systems in an effort to improve the transportation network, particularly related to transportation up and down the Escarpment and access to GO Transit facilities

Connect the Presto Card with SoBi

Explore the opportunities related to real-time information, integrated fares and zonal fares



Transportation Summit Agenda Appendix A

"Getting to Gold" Hamilton Transportation Summit Agenda

March 23, 2015

8:30 AM Delegates Arrive & Breakfast

9:00 AM Welcome - Chris Murray (City Manager) & Dr. Ninh Tran (Associate Medical Officer

of Health, Hamilton Public Health Services)

9:20 AM Agenda Review & Introductions - Peter Topalovic (City of Hamilton) & Liz Nield

(Lura Consulting)

9:30 AM Policy to Action (Keynote Address) - Rod McPhail (Former Director of

Transportation Planning with the City of Toronto)

10:00 AM What does it mean to get to gold: Justin Jones (Share the Road Cycling Coalition)

10:15 AM Workshop: Getting to Gold - What We’ve Done: Inventory of Cycling

Infrastructure, Policies and Programs

11:30 AM Lunch – Future of Shared Mobility: Ryan Rzepecki (CEO/Founder, Social Bicycles)

12:30 PM Workshops - Let’s get Moving! ROUND 1

Concurrent Session 1: Getting to Gold

Concurrent Session 2: Our City’s Transportation Future

Concurrent Session 3: Infrastructure SoBi Bike Tour

2:00 PM Break

2:15 PM Workshops - Let’s get Moving! ROUND 2

Concurrent Session 1: Getting to Gold

Concurrent Session 2: Our City’s Transportation Future

Concurrent Session 3: Infrastructure SoBi Bike Tour

3:45 PM Final Keynote – John Brodhead (Executive Director, Evergreen CityWorks)

4:00 PM Closing Remarks - Peter Topalovic (City of Hamilton) & Liz Nield (Lura Consulting)



Getting To Gold Workshop Summary Appendix B

In 2012, the City of Hamilton received a Silver Bicycle Friendly Communities (BFC) designation from the Share the Road Cycling Coalition. Since then, Hamilton has had its sights set on building an increasingly bicycle-friendly community and they have continued working to improve cycling conditions and creating a positive cycling culture. Wanting to accelerate their progress and ensure resources are maximized, Hamilton hosted an all-day workshop on March 23, 2015 that brought together more than 150 City of Hamilton staff and engaged collaborators to explore how Hamilton can become a Gold-level Bicycle Friendly Community. This session was facilitated by Justin Jones of Share the Road, who compiled this appendix for the City of Hamilton. During the workshop, participants helped to:

identify Hamilton's existing cycling assets;

discuss opportunities for building a safer, more connected place for cycling;

articulate a five-year vision for cycling in Hamilton; and

develop a two-year workplan for making progress toward that vision. FIVE-YEAR VISION The following vision for Hamilton building a more bicycle-friendly community over the next five years (or sooner) was compiled based on the feedback received from workshop attendees and on best practices from other Bicycle-Friendly Communities across North America. The vision also takes into consideration available resources. By 2020, the City of Hamilton will have experienced a:

200% increase in bicycle ridership from 2011 levels (from 1.3% to 4%); and

Reduction of trips under 1km made by car from 57%1 to 45%2.

This increase in cycling rates will be achieved by focusing on the five essential elements of being a bicycle-friendly community:

Engineering - creating a connected, integrated network of low-stress cycling infrastructure that provides people of all ages and abilities with cycling routes travelling both east-to-west and north-to-south. This network will include a number of new protected bike lanes,

1 from Transportation Tomorrow Survey

2 This figure would be consistent with a strong increase in walking and cycling trips as identified within the City’s Cycling Master

Plan, which aims for a combines walk/bike mode share of 15% by 2019, and the City’s Pedestrian Mobility Plan (2012)



neighbourhood greenways and trails that are well-lit, well-signed, maintained year-round and leading to destinations where there is ample, secure bike parking;

Education – making cycling education part of the educational program for all students in Hamilton schools to create a culture of respect between all road users. Educational efforts will also be targeted at people who drive, new Canadians, seniors and other traditionally underserved populations within the cycling movement;

Encouragement - expanding on the strong base of existing programs, such as Bike to Work Day and Open Streets Hamilton, and introducing new programs that provide information and encouragement to get residents excited about cycling on a regular basis;

Enforcement - building more effective partnerships between the Hamilton Police Service and the various community partners to make the roads safer for all road users; and

Evaluation & Planning - collecting the data necessary to produce a robust “State of Cycling” report in order to make the case for investing in cycling and celebrate progress, and integrating cycling into overall transportation demand management planning.

The workplan that follows, organized under the 5 Es of the BFC Program, outlines recommended actions Hamilton could take in the next two years to help it work towards achieving this 5 year vision. With more than 150 attendees at the workshop, it was not surprising that the initial list of potential actions was quite long and varied, and contained far more than would be realistic to achieve given the two-year period and resource constraints. The initial list of brainstormed actions has been refined to include a number of high-impact activities, many of which are proven best practices in communities across North America. It is important to remember that there are many ways to build a more bicycle-friendly community. This report contains suggestions for one path that could be followed to get there, however, it may be possible for Hamilton to substitute other actions that are not included in this plan and still achieve this five year vision for increasing bicycling.



ENGINEERING: Creating safe and convenient places to ride and park bicycles through physical infrastructure and hardware that supports cycling. Hamilton has demonstrated a commitment to ongoing engineering efforts that support cycling. For example, attendees praised the City's efforts in maintaining some of the cycling infrastructure, such as the Cannon Street Cycle Track, year round - clearing the snow reliably throughout this past winter. Attendees emphasized the importance of creating a continuous, low-stress network of cycling infrastructure made up of protected bike lanes and bicycle boulevards to enhance cycling in Hamilton. When updating Hamilton’s Transportation Master Plan, it is strongly recommended that a grid of protected or buffered bike lanes be included along urban arterials to complement Hamilton’s existing trails and bike lanes, and that high-quality bicycle boulevards be included in the City’s future cycling plans.

Actions Description Groups Involved Suggested Timeline

Est. Cost

Conduct a cycling network gap analysis and identify priority areas for improvement

Hamilton has many very good pieces of cycling infrastructure in place, but there are a few gaps that leave cyclists with no choice but to face a high-stress cycling situation. Since a cycling journey is only as safe as the least safe part of the trip, those small gaps can be a deterrent for many potential riders. Filling these gaps will help unlock some of the pent-up demand for cycling among the "interested by concerned" population.

Engineering In year 1 as part of the Transportation Master Plan review

Install new cycling infrastructure to close 50% of identified gaps in the cycling network, with particular emphasis on creating continuous routes and protected bike lanes where feasible

This could include the creation of four continuous, uninterrupted routes - two east-west and two north-south - as recommended by workshop participants. Also popular among attendees was a protected, north-south route going up the mountain and a protected bike lane link from Herkimer/Charlton to the Waterfront via Bay Street.

Engineering In year 2

Develop cycling wayfinding strategy and install signage

Determine where wayfinding signage needs to be installed, choose signage design standards,

3 and

secure funding. The signage should indicate distance and estimated time, and feature connections to other

Engineering, Parks & Recreation, community members

In year 1

3 The City of Waterloo has developed a very good model for wayfinding signs and is happy to share it with other municipalities. Contact [email protected]

for more details.



key cycling routes to help those riders that are not as familiar with route selection in safely navigating their way to their destination.

Eliminate "Councillor Veto" provision for cycling infrastructure when updating the Transportation Master Plan

4

A well-connected cycling network has been identified as a top priority for Hamilton, however, the current "Councillor Veto" provision can easily undermine that goal. This veto is unique to Hamilton and facilitates the creation of gaps in the cycling network.

Council In year 2

Install bike parking in high-demand areas

Conduct an inventory of existing bike parking and survey community members about where bike parking is needed before installing new bike racks.

Engineering, community members

In progress

EDUCATION:

Cycling Education: Giving people of all ages and abilities the skills and confidence to ride a bicycle by offering educational programs and activities designed to engage with residents on how to ride safely and conveniently throughout the community.

Driving Education: Educating car and truck drivers about how to share the road safely with cyclists, demonstrating respect and care for all road users.

City staff and community partners have been working to offer educational programs to residents to increase road safety. Hamilton hosted their first Bike to School Week in 2015, expanding on the successful Stepping it Up and Active and Sustainable School Transport pilot projects. Cycle training has also been offered to youth through New Hope Community Bikes and Bike for Mike, who partnered to teach nearly 2,000 Hamilton students how to safely ride a bike. The City of Hamilton has a very successful “Share the Road” campaign, complete with bumper magnets and stickers for bikes, as well as signs and banners across Hamilton that encourage all road users to be respectful on the roads. With the installation of new and innovative infrastructure, such as the Cannon Street Cycle Track and bike boxes, the City has been disseminating information on how to use these new pieces of infrastructure through PSAs, social media and print brochures.



Actions Description Groups Involved Timeline Est. Cost Run education blitzes

5 to engage

with residents (cyclists and drivers) on how to navigate new cycling infrastructure safely, e.g. on Cannon Street and bike boxes

This could involve the creation of postcard/brochure handouts, but the main activity is having people on the street to stop and interact with cyclists and drivers as they pass by, handing out information and teaching how to use the cycling infrastructure.

Volunteers/ Advocates Police

In 1st half of year 1: plan blitzes In 2nd half of year 1: produce handouts, finalize locations and timing, recruit and train blitz 'instructors' In year 2: run blitzes

Support New Hope Community Bikes, as necessary, to bring cycling education to more schools

New Hope community Bikes is already spearheading a cycling education program in schools; help them expand the reach of the program, i.e., perhaps through in-kind support promoting the already-funded program, or exploring what resources there are to scale it up.

TDM Staff Public and Catholic School Boards New Hope Community Bikes

In year 1

Run "Stay Safe, Stay Back" trucking campaign with City of Hamilton staff and large employers that use trucks

6

City employees should be ambassadors for safe driving practices and training them on how to share the road safely with cyclists will help them be good role models.

TDM Staff Share the Road Large Employers

In year 1 $25,000 (including decals, bus back ads, launch event and social media promotion)

5 Share the Road has worked with several communities to develop and execute Share the Road safety blitzes so this is a tested approach that is known to be

effective for educating people and encouraging respect among all road users. Share the Road is happy to share templates for educational handouts and

evaluation tools, resulting from blitzes in other communities. 6 This campaign has recently been adopted by the City of Toronto, City of Ottawa, Tomlinson, Cavanagh and Karson Group. Digital resources are “ready-

made” for printing and sharing online.



Actions Description Groups Involved Timeline Est. Cost Identify education programs/ campaigns that could be replicated or modified for use in Hamilton, e.g. Thunder Bay’s cycling education videos

7 and You

Know Me, I Ride a Bike campaign

8 or Waterloo Region’s

Thumbs Up! Campaign9

Other communities have created and tested education videos and campaigns, so why reinvent the wheel? Adapting existing resources and developing a dissemination plan can yield impressive results at a reduced cost. Also consider working with Share the Road and collaborating with other communities to create a provincial video series that any community can use to educate citizens on sharing the road safely.

TDM Staff, Advocacy Organizations, New Hope

In 1st half of year 1: research options, select programs or campaigns, secure resources, plan for dissemination In 2nd half of year 1: modify/ create program/ campaign materials. In year 2: Disseminate.

Expand the Active and Sustainable School Travel Certification Program from pilot phase to include all schools in Hamilton.

The Active and Sustainable School Travel Certification Pilot Project came out of the ASST working group, which includes both school boards, City Staff, Public Health and Hamilton Police, and is an evolution of the Stepping It Up Pilot Project. Given this strong collaborative environment and the results from the pilot, the City should expand these successful programs to all schools within Hamilton.

ASST Committee Hamilton Road Safety Division TDM School Boards

In Year 2

Finalize and approve the Active and Sustainable School Travel Charter at all levels – both school boards and the City should endorse this Charter and work

The Charter has been written and is in the process of being approved at both the public and the Catholic school boards as of June 20, 2015. The Charter should be adopted by City Council as well, and the principles should guide future actions related to

School Boards City Council

Complete

7 http://www.thunderbay.ca/Living/Getting_Around/Active_Transportation/Resources.htm 8 http://www.safecyclingthunderbay.com/article/you-know-me-i-ride-a-bike-127.asp 9 http://thumbsupwr.com/resources/



Actions Description Groups Involved Timeline Est. Cost towards ensuring that the principles therein are adhered to.

school travel planning

Require all schools in Hamilton to undertake a School Travel Plan and ensure that there are resources in place, including staff resources (potentially shared between the City’s Road Safety division, Public Health and the School Boards) to ensure implementation and updating of the Plans.

School Travel Plans are already a part of the ASST Pilot. They can be expanded across the City, and assisted with shared resources similar to the SRTS Pilot Project recently completed through Green Communities Canada. These results should be available in the fall – Share the Road will share them with the City as soon as they are available.

ASST Committee Hamilton Road Safety Division TDM School Boards Schools

Year 1 (School Travel Plans) Year 2 (Implementation and hiring staff for ASST program)

ENCOURAGEMENT: Creating a strong bike culture that welcomes and celebrates bicycling through incentives, promotions and events that inspire and enable people to ride. For the most part, attendees expressed a significant amount of satisfaction with the City's cycling encouragement efforts. A variety of events, campaigns and programs have been rolling out across Hamilton for the past several years, and the benefits are starting to become readily apparent. As a result, some of what appears in the table below are improvements to or expansions of existing initiatives.

Actions Description Groups Involved Timeline Estimated Cost

Ensure a current map exists highlighting cycling assets (routes - depicted to show which parts are dedicated lanes, which are on-road/off-road; parking; water fountains, etc.)

Consider highlighting/emphasizing low-stress routes. This map can be printed and/or online. Be sure to plan how you will distribute any printed maps.

Engineering TDM Community Groups Parks and Rec (Trails) McMaster/Mohawk

In 1st year

Work with community partners to deliver a City-organized “Tour de Hamilton” event showcasing cycling.

City organized cycling events like the Tour de Mississauga provide the city with a highly visible way to show its support for cycling, encourage new riders and draw tourists into the City to ride.

TDM Bike for Mike SEAT City Council

Year 1




Offer public bike-abouts during bike month – local rides showcasing neighbourhood routes and destinations

Showcase low-stress routes that illustrate the possibilities for utilitarian cycling in each neighbourhood. Could be similar to "Jane's Walk"

10

events, but for cycling.

TDM Staff, Community Groups

In years 1 and 2

Create a Bike Buddies or Bike Mentor

11 program to kickstart the

development of new cyclists

This type of program provides customized route planning and guidance to residents interested in cycling. Experienced cyclists (volunteer mentors) are paired with new cyclists to share advice, test out potential routes and navigate tricky connections. The program can be used to help increase cycling to work, for errands or for recreational purposes and is a great alternative to cycling events for “interested but concerned” residents.

TDM SoBi Hamilton, Cycling advocate volunteers Smart Commute Large employers Neighbourhood associations

In year 1: research, plan and secure funding In year 2: pilot test including evaluation, document results

Offer more Open Streets events in more areas of the City

Hamilton is currently host to successful Open Streets events on James Street North. There is a desire to spread these events to more communities, increasing opportunities for partnership building with businesses, community groups and residents

TDM Open Streets Hamilton

In years 1 and 2

Expand Bike to Work Day Hamilton’s existing Bike to Work Day events currently involve 900 participants from 15 different workplaces, with 350 participating in the Bike to Work Day celebration at Gore Park. City staff should set a goal of increasing participation by 10% each year among workplaces and individuals.

TDM Year 1

Work with large employers to offer By offering partially or completely subsidized SoBi TDM In year 1

10 Jane's Walk is a movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their

cities, and connect with neighbours. For more information, visit: http://janeswalk.org/. To Share the Road's knowledge, this type of activity has not been tried

before in other communities so Hamilton would be a pioneer in testing this approach, and is encouraged to share any results and lessons learned if this action is

executed. 11 http://www.biketoworkottawa.ca/en/events/bikebuddies




SoBi memberships to employees as part of a TDM Strategy

memberships to employees, workplaces could reduce vehicle parking demand, help improve employee health, and provide a new transportation option for short trips during the work day.

SoBi Hamilton Smart Commute Chamber of Commerce

Launch & expand Bicycle Friendly Workplaces

Bicycle Friendly Workplaces is a program offered by Share the Road that assesses and rewards workplaces for their efforts at creating a bicycle friendly culture, e.g. by encouraging cycling as a way to get to/from work, by providing secure bike parking and shower facilities. Work is already underway to launch the program in Hamilton, with the goal of receiving upwards of 20 applications in Fall 2015. Collect baseline data about cycling rates at participating workplaces at project launch and then measure again at end of year 2.

TDM Share the Road Local Workplaces

In yr 1: Launch is scheduled for Sept 11, 2015. In yr 2: expand

ENFORCEMENT: Ensuring drivers and cyclists share the road safely through equitable laws and activities that hold both groups accountable for their

behavior and actions on the road.

Hamilton has a high number of police officers that regularly patrol the downtown area by bike. The City has strong bylaws in place to prevent driving or stopping in bike lanes, and has been working to spread messaging about road safety in partnership with law enforcement. With the recent passage of Bill 31, all Ontario municipalities have the opportunity to re-engage their police force to share messaging about the one-metre safe passing law as well as the new fines around distracted driving and using bike lights.

Actions Descriptions Groups Involved Timeline Estimated Cost

Run campaign(s) to address local topics of concern. (suggestions from workshop included promotion of by-law number of bike lane signage, sidewalk cycling and

Campaigns can include print and online media resources and/or a community blitz where officers distribute informational tickets.

Hamilton Bylaw services Engineering (signage) City Communications

In 1st half of year 1: identify most important topic(s) of concern,



enforcement around parking in a bike lane)

research campaigns done by other communities about the topic(s), plan campaign, secure resources In 2nd half of year 1: create resources, finalize dates In year 2: run campaign(s)

Organize a “Ride a Mile in My Shoes” event including plainclothes police officers and cycling advocates

12

This type of ride around common cycling routes allows officers to experience first-hand what regular cyclists face on their journeys. (Drivers often behave differently - safer - around police officers in uniform.) It also helps to build/strengthen the relationship between police and cycling advocates.

Hamilton Police Community Groups

Once each year

Run a positive "ticketing" campaign

13

This type of community engagement rewards people who bike for positive behaviours such as young people wearing helmets and people who stop at stop signs.

Year 2

12 This recommendation is based on a successful ride like this in Toronto. You can read more about it on page 21 of the 2015 BFC yearbook in the article, Ride a

Mile in My Cycle Shoes. 13 This recommendation is based on a successful positive ticketing campaign in Niagara Region that rewards young people for wearing helmets. You can read

more about it on page 23 of the 2015 BFC yearbook in the article, Caught You Using Your Head.



EVALUATION & PLANNING: Processes that measure results, and planning for bicycling as a safe and viable transportation option. Participants were supportive of the collection of more and better data about cycling in Hamilton, but recognized that someone needs to take a lead role in determining what information is already being collected to avoid duplication of effort. Data is essential to making wise choices about where to invest limited resources for maximum impact and for evaluating the effect of various initiatives. Data collection can be very expensive, however, so it should be planned carefully and executed with assistance from low- or no-cost partners wherever possible.


Take stock of what data is currently being collected about cycling, e.g. SoBi data, trails research, ASRTS research from schools, Transportation Tomorrow survey. Consolidate the existing data and determine what additional data you need.

14 Plan a strategy for

collecting data,15

Might include working with McMaster University masters student or with University of Waterloo professors/students.

TDM University Partner

In year 1: take stock, determine additional data needs, find university partner, plan strategy, secure funding and in-kind resources. In year 2: data collection and analysis, detailed summary report

Review police collision reporting process and ensure it captures

Hamilton Police In year 1

14 In particular, have a system in place for measuring cycling rates. Might also want to calculate number of residents living with 2 km of major bike route;

measure route connectivity not just total km of cycling lanes; collect feedback from cycling infrastructure users about their satisfaction; measure % of students

cycling to school; track injury rates or other information about cycling safety; assess % of people riding on sidewalks; track number of cycling-related collisions

and infractions and number of by-law complaints. 15 Might include intercept surveys, online surveys, phone surveys, surveys at community events, cycling counts and/or automated bike counters. Review data

collection methods and tools used by other communities including Waterloo (which did a great survey spearheaded University of Waterloo

http://www.waterloo.ca/en/contentresources/resources/living/King_streetscape_cyclists_report.pdf), and Ottawa (which does a great survey every five years

by phone http://ottawa.ca/en/residents/transportation-and-parking/traffic/commuter-attitudes-survey)




details about cyclist collisions.

Create and distribute a celebration document, summarizing progress to date to build support for investment in cycling, and enthusiasm to cycle more.

16

This could be a more comprehensive document like Calgary's Bicycle Program Yearbook

17 or a summary

of the info contained in your BFC application with additional data collected since then. The audience for this document would be decision makers and the public.

TDM City Communications or Share the Road

In year 2

Update City’s existing Transportation Demand Management Plan

Ensure that the new TMP sets a vision for a multi-modal Hamilton

Community groups City Staff City Council

In year 1

Approve a Complete Streets Design Guide as part of the Transportation Master Plan review

Council TDM Staff Engineering

Year 2

Ensure existing Cycling Advisory Committee has representation from all stakeholder groups (including police services, by-law, public health, etc.) and meets regularly

This is important to ensuring that all stakeholders are informed about what is going on, and have opportunities to play a role in planning and executing cycling initiatives.

Public Health New Hope Community Bikes Hamilton Police TDM Staff Public and Catholic School boards Bike for Mike

Ongoing No cost - members' time, meeting space and any refreshments all in-kind donations

Hire additional staff or contractors to work on bicycling initiatives

Hamilton has achieved a lot so far with a small number of staff but to accomplish all of the actions described in this report, it will be necessary to expand the staffing resources dedicated to cycling. Compared to other Bicycle Friendly Communities in

In yr 1

16 Share the Road provides a fee-for-service option to help you create such a document based on your BFC application. 17 http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation/TP/Documents/cycling/cycle-yearbook.pdf. The League of American Bicyclists has a great reference document

(Bicycle Account Guidelines) that can help with crafting a State of Cycling Report - see

http://bikeleague.org/sites/default/files/Bicycle_Account_Guidelines.pdf.




Ontario, Hamilton has a much lower number of cycling staff per capita.

18

Support provincial cycling advocacy efforts through the Ontario Cycling Advocacy Network (OntarioCAN).

Many activities of provincial scope were highlighted throughout the workshop that would help to improve cycling conditions in Hamilton. This includes cycling education in schools, investments in infrastructure and driver training. City staff should encourage local advocates to represent Hamilton as part of the Ontario Cycling Advocacy Network. This Network is facilitated by Share the Road and our aim is to have 1 representative in each electoral district (provincially)

Residents/cycling advocates Share the Road

Ongoing

18 Hamilton has 1 cycling staff person per every 200,000 residents. Ontario’s Gold level BFCs, Toronto and Ottawa, have 1 per 133,000 and 1 per 186,000

respectively. Cities like Waterloo and Guelph (both Silver level BFCs) have staffing levels that are much higher, at 1 per 41,000 and 1 per 30,750 residents,

respectively. Among Silver level BFCs, Hamilton has the lowest staffing levels per capita in Ontario on cycling.