Minutes

Cycling Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

5:00 P.m. - 6:30 P.m.

Council Chambers - 4th Floor, City Hall - Webex Electronic Meeting

Members Present:

• Rani Gill (Co-Chair)
• Pauline Thornham (Co-Chair)
• Leslie Benfield
• Laura Bowman
• Alina Grzejszczak
• Stephen Laidlaw
• Dayle Laing
• Barry Lavallee
• Eric Lister
• Kevin Montgomery
• Lisa Stokes
• Regional Councillor Rowena Santos

Members Absent:

• Patrick McLeavey

Staff Present:

• Tammi Jackson, Legislative Coordinator
• Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning, Building and Economic Development

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1.

Call to Order

Note: In consideration of the current COVID-19 public health orders prohibiting large public gatherings of people and requirements for physical distancing between persons, in-person attendance at this Committee of Council meeting was limited and physical distancing was maintained in Council Chambers at all times during the meeting.

The meeting was called to order at 5:25 p.m. and adjourned at 6:21 p.m.

As this meeting of the Cycling Advisory Committee was conducted with electronic participation by Members of the Committee, the meeting started with the City Clerk calling the roll for attendance at the meeting, as follows:

Members present during roll call: Rani Gill (Co-Chair), Pauline Thornham (Co-Chair), Leslie Benfield, Laura Bowman, Alina Grzejszczak, Stephen Laidlaw, Dayle Laing, Barry Lavallee, Eric Lister, Kevin Montgomery, Lisa Stokes, Regional Councillor Rowena Santos

Members absent during roll call: Patrick McLeavey

2.

Approval of Agenda

• CYC009-2021

  That the agenda for the Cycling Advisory Committee Meeting of April 20, 2021, be approved, as published and circulated.

  Carried

3.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Nil

4.

Previous Minutes

The minutes were considered by Planning and Development Committee on March 8, 2021, and were approved by Council on March 24, 2021.  The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

5.

Presentations / Delegations

5.1

Delegation by Manvir Tatla, Project Manager, Sustainable Transportation, Region of Peel, re: Region of Peel 2020/2021 Active Transportation Implementation

 Manvir Tatla, Project Manager, Sustainable Transportation, Region of Peel, provided an overview of the Region of Peel 2020/2021 Active Transportation Implementation and answered questioned for clarification. Mr. Tatla advised the Committee that an annual report targeting the first quarter of each year would be brought forward to the Committee to provide updates. 

The following motion was considered. 

• CYC010-2021

  That the Delegation from Manvir Tatla, Project Manager, Sustainable Transportation, Region of Peel, to the Cycling Advisory Committee of April 20, 2021, re: Region of Peel 2020/2021 Active Transportation Implementation, be received.

  Carried

6.

Reports / Updates

6.1

Discussion item at the request of Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning, Building and Economic Development, re: Winter Maintenance of Cycling Facilities 

Nelson Cadete, Project Manager, Active Transportation, Planning, Building and Economic Development, provided an overview of the Winter Maintenance of Cycling Facilities, and responded to questions of clarification from Committee.

The following motion was considered. 

• CYC010-2021

  It is the position of the Cycling Advisory Committee that staff be requested to review the City’s current winter maintenance practices relating to cycling facilities and investigate enhancements to existing programs to address the following list of gaps. This review shall include the impact these changes will have on operating budgets, equipment needs and resources.
  
  • AT facilities that accommodate cycling in both directions (i.e. in-boulevard multi-use paths) should be maintained at a minimum width of 2.4 m;
  • The ATMP Priority Cycling Network should be maintained at the same level of a Class 1 or 2 road type (ON. Reg. 239/02);
  • Collector roads with bike lanes should be maintained to “bare pavement” condition as opposed to “tracked bare” condition and snow should be plowed back to the curb (ensuring a minimum width of 1.0 m is provided in the bike lanes);
  • Maintenance programs should be revised to include maintenance of all active transportation infrastructure within the road boulevard (i.e. there are instances where a sidewalk and bicycle boulevard path run adjacent to one another but only the sidewalk is maintained);
  • Special attention is required at bridges & underpasses and where maintenance activities of different service providers transition (i.e. where a path/trail meets a road) as these present the most challenges and probability of deficiencies;
  • A permanent inspection routine be implemented along the City’s major recreational trails, similar to the inspections conducted for the Winter Wonderland program.
  • That an approach for maintenance of new types of cycling infrastructure (protected bike lanes along East-West Cycling Corridor) be developed in advance of their implementation to ensure a smooth seasonal transition.

   

  Carried

6.2

Discussion item at the request of Councillor Santos, re: Creating an Active Transportation Culture at the City of Brampton

Councillor Santos advised Committee that a motion was being brought forward at the April 21, 2021 Council meeting pertaining to creating an Active Transportation Culture at the City of Brampton. Councillor Santos advised the motion she is brining forward summarized what the Committee has achieved together. Councillor Santos asked for the Committee's support with endorsing the motion. 

The following motion was considered.

• CYC011-2021

  Whereas in 2019, the City of Brampton declared a climate emergency and on Sept, 23, 2020 unanimously endorsed the Community Energy and Emissions Reduction Plan with a target to reduce green house gas emission targets by 80% by 2050;
  
  And whereas transportation represents 60% of GHG emissions generated in Brampton;
  
  And whereas enabling and encouraging other sustainable modes of transportation and transitioning away from a car based culture will help reduce GHG emissions;
  
  And whereas during the past year, the City and Region has seen an increased demand and use of active transportation infrastructure;
  
  And whereas, investments in the built environments that facilitate active mobility support the health and well-being of residents;
  
  And whereas Council unanimously passed the Active Transportation Master Plan on September 25, 2019 which sets out an implementation framework to deliver a connected city-wide AT network and supporting policies and programs;
  
  And whereas on January 28, 2021 the City of Brampton identified the implementation of active transportation infrastructure as a Term of Council Priority;
  
  And whereas the Region of Peel unanimously passed a motion on April 8, 2021 to advance Sustainable Active Mobility and work collaboratively with lower tier municipalities and community advocates to improve the active transportation network across the region;
  
  And whereas, on February 10, 2021 the Federal government announced $14.9 billion of funding over the next eight years to support infrastructure projects as part a plan to create one million jobs, fight climate change, and rebuild a more sustainable and resilient economy;
  
  And whereas, on March 12, 2021, the Federal government announced the first federal fund of $400 million over five years dedicated to building active transportation to help build new and expanded networks of pathways, bike lanes, trails for cycling, waling and pedestrian bridges;
  
  And whereas the City of Brampton is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of its employees, and has a number of existing benefits and programs in place to support an active lifestyle;
  
  And whereas creating incentives to encourage City employees to learn and use active transportation infrastructure would demonstrate a “lead by example” approach as we all strive to address the climate emergency and live healthier lifestyles;
  
  Therefore be it resolved:
  
  1) That the city advise City employees of existing incentives supporting sustainable transportation options and active lifestyles;
  
  2) That an awareness campaign be launched this summer, to include but not be limited to education, employee challenges, and/or group rides, that promote and encourage sustainable and active transportation among City employees;
  
  3) That staff work collaboratively across all departments and report back by Q1 of 2022 (before Earth Day 2022) to Council, with opportunities and recommendations to incentivize and/or further enable, encourage, and support employees in using sustainable and active modes of transportation.

  Carried

7.

Other/New Business / Information Items

7.1

Memo re: Brampton Engagement Plan

The memo regarding the Brampton Engagement Plan was provided for information. There was no discussion on this item. 

7.2

Report by Leslie Benfield, Citizen Member,  re: Ontario Bike Summit

The report regarding the Ontario Bike Summit was acknowledged and the following motion was considered. 

• CYC012-2021

  That the report from Leslie Benfield, Committee Member, to the Cycling Advisory Committee of April 20, 2021 re: Ontario Bike Summit be received.

  Carried

7.3

Cycling Advisory Committee - Sub-Committee Minutes -March 16, 2021

The following motion was considered. 

• CYC013-2021

  That the Cycling Advisory Committee Sub-committee Minutes - March 16, 2021, to the Cycling Advisory Committee of April 20, 2021 be received.

  Carried

7.4

Cycling Advisory Committee - Sub-Committee Minutes - March 30, 2021

The following motion was considered.

• CYC014-2021

  
  That the Cycling Advisory Committee Sub-committee Minutes - March 30, 2021, to the Cycling Advisory Committee of April 20, 2021 be received.

  Carried

8.

Correspondence

Nil

9.

Question Period

Nil

10.

Public Question Period

The public was given the opportunity to submit questions via e-mail to the City Clerk’s Office regarding any decisions made at this meeting.

Tammi Jackson, Legislative Coordinator, confirmed that no questions were submitted regarding decisions made at this meeting.

11.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered. 

• CYC015-2021

  That the Cycling Advisory Committee do now adjourn to meet again on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. or at the call of the Chair.

  Carried