A project of Welcome Jeff Mills, Chair, Mississippi Mills Active - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A project of Supported by

Welcome – Jeff Mills, Chair, Mississippi Mills Active Transportation Advisory Committee #CycleON; Ontario’s Cycling Strategy – Julia Barnes, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Transportation Bicycle Tourism in Ontario – Jennifer McCourt, Executive Director, Discovery Routes Trails Organization Discovery Routes Trails Organization – Jennifer McCourt Voyageur Cycling Route – Northeastern Ontario – Jennifer McCourt Voyageur Cycling Route – Southeast Expansion Ottawa Valley Cycling and Active Transportation Alliance – Ron Moss, Secretary Eastern Ontario Active Transportation Network partners – Jeff Mills Project Overview – Jennifer McCourt Break Establishing a Steering Committee Map Review - Group Discussion Wrap-up

• In 2014, 1.7 million Canadian visitors went cycling while travelling

in Ontario and spent $428 million (Stats Can’s Travel Survey)

• Cycle tourists stay longer and spend 6% more than the average

leisure tourist (Transportation Options, Vélo Québec, 2015)

• Ontario By Bike™ Network has over 1300 businesses certified as

bicycle-friendly and promotes 29 regional cycling destinations in Ontario

• Québec has 4.2 million cyclists – 765,000 Québecois took part in

5.8 million excursions 40km or more away from home (Vélo Québec, 2015)

• In 2017, Tour by Bike; Ontario’s Cycling Tourism Plan
• Supported by all 13 Regional Tourism Organizations across

the province

• Established in 1992 to facilitate the development of a multi-use

trails system and connect communities across Northeastern Ontario by trail. Registered charity since 2001.

• Based in North Bay and take a regional, multi-stakeholder

approach to trail development

• Work with municipalities, trail user groups, trail clubs, health

professionals, economic development agencies, environmental groups, that are local, provincial and national in scope.

• Discovery Routes celebrates a network of land and water-based

trails in excess of 1000km

• Discovery Routes became involved in the early planning stages in

the hope that the effort would compliment regional efforts to complete the Trans Canada Trail

• In 2016, Strategic Plan reinforced a key priority of DRTO to deliver

a high quality trails product by expanding the regional network of trails to connect to provincially and nationally significant trail networks

• Concept initiated by a group of local stakeholders who came

together in 2013 to explore opportunities to develop a long- distance bicycle touring route across “the near north”

• In 2015, funding secured from Tourism Development Fund,

FedNor and local municipalities to undertake Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan

• MMM Group and The Tourism Company were engaged to

complete the study

The purpose of the study was:

• To evaluate the benefits of a long-distance cycling route

through the region,

• Confirm the route alignment, and
• Outline the level of funding and partners necessary to move

forward with implementation The study team assessed candidate routes to determine their experiential qualities and overall safety and feasibility. Public consultation • Field investigation • Transportation plan • Spatial data • MTO’s traffic data • User data • Municipal collision data

• Supporting cycling tourism for exploration across 380-km of rugged and rural Ontario connecting over 15 local

communities from the Deep River to Sudbury

• Following the passage of the Voyageurs 400 years ago along three Canadian Heritage Waterways
• Sharing 192-km of the Trans Canada Trail between North Bay and Sudbury
• Recognizing 5,500-years history of Nipissing, Odawa, Ojibwa and Cree First Nations
• Celebrating unique Franco-Ontarian traditions
• Access to 12 Provincial Parks including internationally renowned Algonquin Park
• Part of the foundational provincial cycling network with links to Canada’s Capital Region, the Great Lakes,

the Georgian Bay Cycling Route and direct connections to Quebec’s La Route Verte

66km Highway 17

between North Bay and Sudbury

192km Trans Canada Trail 74km Low Volume Provincial Highways 15km Off-road Trails 119km Municipal Roads

Sudbury to Mattawa (2016-2018)

• Municipal Endorsement – All 12 Municipalities passed resolutions of

support - 2015/16

• Development of brand identity and mapping assets - ongoing
• Test ride of route in a mobile workshop - September 2016
• Wayfinding and regulatory signs on municipal roadways –2017
• Wayfinding and regulatory signs on moderate volume highways –2017
• Develop strategy for sections of Highway 17 - ongoing
• Infrastructure improvements (seek funding in partnership with

Municipalities) - ongoing

• Marketing Plan

• 13 draft PDF maps
• Online and mobile mapping to follow

Signage Partners

Expansion Partners Expansion Supporters

• Establishing a Voyageur Cycling Route Southeast Expansion steering

committee to oversee route expansion through the Ottawa Valley

• Community and stakeholder consultation to determine preferred route

alignment between Mattawa and Ottawa through Renfrew and Lanark counties

• A route study to determine required cycling facility improvements

along the route east of Mattawa

• Development of an implementation plan
• Evaluation of cycling rates on the route prior to implementation and

promotion of the Voyageur Cycling Route to measure changes in frequency of cycling subsequent to implementation

• Evaluation of physical activity levels of individuals to demonstrate an

increased participation in an active lifestyle

A project of Supported by

COMMUNITIES Mattawa – Bonfield Economic Development Corporation Municipality of East Ferris Municipality of Callander City of North Bay Municipality of West Nipissing Sudbury East Board of Trade REGIONAL STAKEHOLDERS Northeastern Ontario Tourism (RTO13a) Tourism Northern Ontario (RTO13) Discovery Routes Trails Organization Trans Canada Trail Cycling Advocates of Nipissing North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit North Bay District Chamber of Commerce Tourism North Bay Nature and Outdoor Tourism Ontario ADVISORS Waterfront Regeneration Trust Share the Road Coalition FedNor/ Industry Canada Ministry of Northern Development and Mines Ministry of Transportation Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport CONNECTING COMMUNITIES City of Sudbury County of Renfrew