New plan could see 525 km worth of bike routes across Toronto's busiest streets

A new 10-year planproposed by the city staff could see hundreds of kilometresof new bike routes rolling out across eight of Toronto's busiest streets at a cost of more than $150 million.

TheCycling Network Plan, released in a city report Monday, says roughly 525 kilometresof cycling infrastructure could be put in place within the next decade.

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The report says280 kilometreswould be dedicated tobicycle lanes or cycle tracks on fast, busy streets, with another 190 km of cycling routes laid along quieter streets.

The remaining 55 kilometreswould consist of sidewalk-level boulevard trails along more high-traffic streets.

Building out a network

Major corridors identified as likely candidatesinclude Danforth Avenue, Yonge Street and Bloor Street.

The plan would see a more cohesive network of bicycle routes across the city with the goal of improving safety for cyclists.

"In the past we sort of had done cycling infrastructure planning on an ad hoc basis and it was sort of a patchwork of projects,"saidStephen Buckley, general manager of the city's transportation services division.

"Here we wanted to step back, take a comprehensive look at building out a network."

Roadmap for infrastructure investments

The 10-year plan is supposed to serve as a roadmap for the city's planned investments in cycling infrastructure between 2016 and 2025.

Its implementation would come with a $153.5 million price tag. The report recommends that it befunded at a rate of $16 million per year. That's roughly double the amount currently being invested in cycling infrastructure.

Buckley says the city would welcome any help from the provincial and federal governments, as well.

The city'sPublic Works and Infrastructure Committeewillconsiderthe proposal on Monday, May 16th.

If given the green light, the plan will go to city council for debate on June 7.