Sustainable Community Plan for the Town of Collingwood

TOWN OF COLLINGWOOD SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY PLAN
2.3.2 Improving How We Get Around
Goal: Improving How We Get Around
What We’ve Heard
During the process to develop the Plan, we heard that creating sustainable
transportation and transit options were major concerns. To participants, this meant an
affordable, reliable, safe, accessible, frequent, green and efficient means of moving
within Collingwood, across the region and to other population centres.
Many residents expressed concerns about our increasing reliance on cars in and around
Collingwood, which contributes to congestion, parking difficulties, decreased safety of
pedestrians and poor air quality. Many felt the Town should strive to create and expand a regional transit
system in partnership with other governments.
Although many of the participants did not use the current transit system,
they recognized the environmental benefits of transit and felt that with
improved service, accessibility (timing and convenience) and affordable
options a regional transit network could be a viable option.
Additional suggestions included safer bike lanes and creating a more
walkable Town. The sentiment was that future land use planning choices
should connect houses with services through trails and transit thereby reducing automobile dependency.
In Canada, approximately one-quarter of national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are from the
transportation sector. Utilization of the rail industry is another option that could be considered for
generating a smaller ecological footprint. Per passenger or tonne, rail generates only one-fifth the
greenhouse gas emissions of trucking, one-quarter the emissions of urban automobiles, and one-third the
emissions of inter-city automobiles or planes in densely populated corridors 15 .
Current Initiatives
Active and Safe Routes to School - A program designed to assist school communities in
encouraging safe and active travel to and from school.
Traffic Calming Measures - Measures to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and
to give pedestrians priority over cars are under consideration (i.e. roundabouts).
Collingwood Public Transit "COLLTRANS" - Offers regular schedules, accessible
transportation, and provides residents the ability to bring their bicycle with them on
the bus using an easy to use bike rack available at no extra charge.
Anti-Idling Initiatives - Anti-idling By-law regulates the unnecessary idling of vehicles to encourage the
public to conserve energy, breathe easier and save money.
Recreational Trails – A large (and continuously upgraded) trail system that connects the waterfront,
boardwalks, parks and open spaces.
Collingwood Parking Study – Currently seeking public input to assist in the preparation of a long term
strategy for parking in downtown Collingwood.
Active Transportation – Encouraging residents to use alternative modes of
transportation besides their cars.
15 On Track for the Future, Rail’s Track Record in Sustainable Transportation
http://www.railcan.ca/documents/publications/2006_10_24_DOH_Sustainable_en.pdf.
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