Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop
Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop
Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
Time: 10:00am to 2:30pm Address: 55 Ste. Marie Street, 3rd Floor, Library Building, Collingwood Ontario
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
ROBERT VOIGT
rvoigt@collingwood.ca
Hello,
The materials in this booklet cover a number of issues that Collingwood is working on associated with creating our active transportation plan. These items are part of the work we are undertaking with Dan Burden on November 21st and 22nd, and will also inform some of the activities of the Active Transportation Workshop you will be attending. Take some time to review these as you prepare for our work together on the 22nd. See you then,
Rob Voigt
WATERFRONT WALKWAY
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Challenge
Public access to the waterfront at the foot of Collingwoods downtown is something that the community has only recently been able to appreciate. Until the shipyards were redeveloped they were the home to the communitys ship building industry for over 100 years. As part of the redevelopment a public promenade has been created that rings the development along the edge of the water. There are a number of challenges that have arisen with this new amenity that need to be addressed: 1) Do we, and how, create better physical connections to the water to improve placemaking? 2) Are there water based activities to support number 1 above. 3) How do we allow pedestrian and bike access to this area given that it is a particularly appealing amenity to both visitors and residents alike?
Location: downtown/waterfront
4) How do we deal with waynding, bike parking, and connections to our downtown? 5) How do we improve the relationship to the new hillside amphitheater?
Confusing relationship between regular sidewalk and shared walkway (10ft wide).
Very generous space that can lend itself to higher speed travel for bikes. The visual beauty of the area can be distracting for users and affect safe use of promenade.
How does the interface with the shared walkway, trail, pedestrian only hillside trail, street function and make sense for users?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
MID-BLOCK CROSSINGS
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Safety
Challenge
The recent downtown streetscape redevelopment was specically focused on improving walkability. that included: wider sidewalks, careful arrangement of storefront uses, attention to travel routes and widths, curb extensions at corners to reduce walking distances, countdown and audio crossing signals, and aesthetic improvements. Cycling through this area of downtown is intended to be directed to the two neighbouring streets because of the angled parking and trafc volumes. The mid-block crossings that have been provided address signicant travel routes that have existed for many years, and generally coincide with pedestrian connections through the built portions of the blocks as well. These crossings are marked and have signage warning pedestrians that vehicles have the right of way. 1) Are there any additional best practices that could help further improve the safety at these
Location: downtown
locations that are also cost sensitive and do not detract from the overall aesthetics of the downtown heritage district?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Challenge
Moving throughout the downtown on foot is beneted from the throughblock pedestrian connections that are provided. These are especially useful for accessing neighbouring streets off of the mainstreet of Hurontario, to reach the municipal parking areas, and to access some very unique laneway businesses. Note that cycling through this area of downtown is intended to be directed to the two neighbouring streets because of the angled parking and trafc volumes. Therefor these through connections are important for people who ride their bike into the district. Unfortunately it appears that many visitors are not aware of these helpful shortcuts and access routes. 1) Are there waynding methods that would help people navigate through our downtown districts network of sidewalks, mid-block crossings, and through-block
Location: downtown
connections that would help them reach destinations and parking areas? 2) What physical improvements, with a focus on tactical urbanism or lighter, quicker, cheaper (LQC) could be employed to enhance the use of these areas. 3) How do we create effective bike parking at the ends of these routes so that cyclists can park their bikes and access the mainstreet of Hurontario.
Example of a through-block pedestrian connection. Could we have bike parking in some of these areas?
Example of a through-block pedestrian connection; this one leading to a series of laneway businesses
Not all these access ways are very visually appealing; nor do people unfamiliar with them understand where they lead to (poor waynding signals)
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
LANEWAYS
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Placemaking
Challenge
The laneways in the downtown district are underutilized for pedestrian and cyclist access, and in terms of placemaking opportunities that could enhance business interests and overall livability. 1) What physical improvements, with a focus on tactical urbanism or lighter, quicker, cheaper (LQC) could be employed to enhance the use of these areas. 2) Are there active transportation oriented measures that would be a great t for these areas? 3) How do we improve waynding along these so that people know that they are the access points for parking areas? 4) Can these be designed as appealing and safe shared spaces (aka: woonerf) that are specically intended to be self organizing pedestrian AND vehicle areas? Note: that some of these spaces essentially already function this way, but are not visually appealing
Location: downtown
nor designed as purposeful places other than to move through as quick as possible.
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
SHARED WALKWAYS
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Challenge
To improve active transportation opportunities throughout the community a number of shared walkways have been created. These were intended to provide a safe alternative to on-street riding for cyclists. These have been implemented on two of Collingwoods busiest streets (First and High Streets); with design work completed for a similar arrangement on Hume Street when it is redeveloped. The difculty with these is related to two specic characteristics: the conict potential between cyclists and pedestrians; and, conicts at business driveways between cars and cyclists. These are issues of expectations, familiarity, travel speed, lack of signage. 1) What signage and markings are best to use in these instances? 2) How do we improve safety at vehicle driveway entrances? 3) What kind of education program would be effective to improve the
Would this kind of marking improve safety and reduce conicts between cyclists and pedestrians?
How do we educate people about courtesy and safe use of sidewalks and shared walkways?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
SKATEBOARDING ON SIDEWALKS
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Safety
Challenge
Many young people choose to skateboard as a way of getting from one place to another. Unfortunately the current regulatory framework makes it illegal for these citizens to do so on both streets and sidewalks. 1) What regulation framework could we develop that would make it safe for skateboarders and other users to travel on our sidewalks and shared walkways? 2) Recognizing that the mainstreet sidewalk corridor of Hurontario Street, in our downtown business district, is likely to always be to congested for this kind of shared use; what information signage to describe this limitation would be most effective and least visually obtrusive?
How do we make the active transportation choice of many people in our community legal?
Is this a best practice sign that would work in the downtown, and be appropriate for the context?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Safety
Challenge
Collingwood is renowned for its extensive trail system; having received attention throughout the Province and beyond for a decades long commitment and success in developing the network. Given the increasing use of this trail system by a growing population, more visitors, and people choosing to use portions of the trail network for active transportation, conicts are beginning to become an issue. Managing the conicts between users (particularly between cyclists and pedestrians) in areas of high use, such as along our extensive waterfront park, are a challenge. These are issues of expectations, familiarity, travel speed, lack of signage. 1) What signage and markings are best to use in these instances 2) What kind of education program would be effective to improve the safe use of the trail network?
How do we manage the safe and courteous use of our trail system?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
TRAIL CROSSINGS
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Safety
Challenge
Collingwood is renowned for its extensive trail system; having received attention throughout the Province and beyond for a decades long commitment and success in developing the network. Given the vast amount of trails there are a number of street crossings throughout the community. Many are relatively innocuous because of the design of trial at a particular location and the characteristics of the street being crossed. However there are locations where safe and effective use of trail-street crossings needs to be improved. This is because of the increasing use of the trail system by a growing population, more visitors, and people choosing to use portions of the trail network for active transportation; increased vehicle trafc; and, the specic arrangement of some crossings. 1) How do we improve the physical design of these crossings to improve their safety?
Key points
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
MARKET SQUARE
Town of Collingwood Active Transportation Workshop November 2011
Placemaking
Challenge
Placemaking and creating an interesting and functional built environment is as important to active transportation as providing a network along which to travel. The Pine Street parking lot currently provides some parking for the downtown business district. It also provides a location for Collingwoods Farmers Market, bus stops for local and regional transit, and staging for other events throughout the year. It is bounded on two sides by some of the best restaurants with outdoor seating areas within the community, including those along Schoolhouse Lane. It is linked to the mainstreet of Hurontario by two through-block pedestrian connections. Unfortunately from an urban design and placemaking perspective the potential of this site and in-turn its uses, and those adjacent to it, are severely limited by it being primarily a parking lot.
Location: downtown
1) What uses could be programed and allowed in this space to make it more effective for the downtown and its businesses/ livability? 2) What design initiates would be needed to create a great place in this location. 3) What economic benets can be expected from this adaptive higher and better reuse?
The Farmers Market materials are stored on site, and when underway still feels very much like an event in a parking lot.
The businesses along Schoolhouse Lane, and throughout the downtown could benet greatly from a central well designed and programed public space,; who do we partner with to make it happen?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Placemaking
Challenge
(the following wording is adapted from the Project for Public Spaces) Asset Based Community Development (APCD), Tactile Urbanism or Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper (LQC) describes a local development strategy that has produced some of the worlds most successful public spaces one that is lower risk and lower cost, capitalizing on the creative energy of the community to efciently generate new uses and revenue for places. LQC can take many forms, requiring varying degrees of time, money, and effort, and the spectrum of interventions should be seen as an iterative means to build lasting change. We often start with Amenities and Public Art, followed byEvent and Intervention Projects, which lead to Light Development strategies for long-term change. These are all placemaking and livability improvements that are closely related to walkability. By championing use over design and capital-intensive construction, LQC interventions strike a balance between providing comfortable spaces for people to enjoy while generating the revenue necessary for maintenance and management. 1) What ideas/initiative could Collingwood benet from? 2) How do we make this happen, and who do we work with? 3) What projects and program ideas from elsewhere would like to see happen here?
Location: anywhere
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Challenge
One of the greatest challenges with active transportation efforts is getting citizens and stakeholders engaged and mobilized to realize the goals and projects that will improve a community. In Collingwood we have used: public meetings; workshops; blogs; Facebook; town web site; volunteer trails committee; yers; school notices; and, news paper ads. 1) What tools and strategies should the Town use and how? 2) What Town departments should be involved in this kind of work? 3) Who should become partners in this work? 4) What role does the Town play in active transportation? 5) Who is always missing from the discussion but shouldnt be?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Placemaking
Challenge
Hurontario Street is Collingwoods mainstreet and one of the most signicant corridors for entering the community from the south. It also passes directly in front of our public highschool. Hurontarios current design includes signicantly large paved shoulders. These represent an opportunity to create a more attractive gateway into the heart of the community and an active transportation corridor as well. 1) What street cross section could we develop to improve the function, look, and feel of this major corridor in our community? 2) Who needs to be part of this design exercise to make sure it is practical, and will help see it realized?
Currently the paved should is often used informally by cyclists, although denitely not designed for this use.
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Challenge
The Active Transportation Plan currently in development is focused on developing a practical and easily understood on-street bike route network. The map shown here is based on the long standing suggested bike route network shown on the Towns trail maps, with some minor amendments. The intent of this proposed bike route network is to have two specic types of routes: a) those with enough rightof-way to have a bike lane painted on the road, and b) those with enough right-of-way to have sharrow markings. All the routes will have signage indicating the bike route. 1) What changes do we need to make to this network? 2) This network will be linked to the share the road network and to our trail and shared walkway network. Whats missing? 3) How do we help people nd their way around the bike route network?
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Share the road signs will be used at the edges of the community.
What is the best signage for us to use throughout our bike route network?
How do we educate people about the areas where biking may be most appropriate or restricted?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Placemaking
Challenge
St. Lawrence street along Collingwoods waterfront connects the community to our major waterfront park, and most popular playground. This street also weaved through a residential area. There have been a number of initiatives in the past to include progressive approaches to improving safety in parking areas, and include on-street bike lanes. Unfortunately the current condition of the street is one of it being excessively wide, confusing, and out of context from a design perspective. St. Lawrence street is also scheduled for improvement within the next year because of its physical condition has deteriorated. 1) What design improvements could we make to have this street function more as a parkway? 2) How do we improve the safety of this street through the park for pedestrians and cyclists?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Challenge
The strategy for the Collingwood Active Transportation plan is to create a document that is implementable within a 3 to 5 year time frame, with some long term guiding policies that will be used to regenerate the Plan for the next 3 to 5 year cycle. By doing this the document will be an active and living tool for improving active transportation within the community. It will also make it more manageable and scaleable for the needs and available assets of Collingwood. 1) What are the things that you thinks should be included in each year of the rst ve year cycle? 2) What are the policies you would like to have included in the plan for its long term development? 3) Are there partnerships that need to be made to ensure that the Plan and its components can be executed? 4) What role do the citizens of Collingwood play, or should play, in making this Plan a reality and implementing it?
Suggested Actions
Necessary Partners
Examples
Go for a walk
During the lunch break you will be given a chance to stretch your legs and experience a number of examples of active transportation associated improvements that have been implemented in the area around Collingwoods Library building. These examples will key into the work and discussions of the day, examples of: integrated trail and walkway network; place making; human scaled development; tactile urbanism; infrastructure improvements; development requirements. This optional short walking tour will be lead by Dan Burden and Robert Voigt.
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