Residents.

Located close to a number of Toronto schools and community centres, Railpath will become a destination for school nature walks, family outings and community events. It will safely link school children to a number of destinations across the City, including the CNE, the Martin Goodman Trail, Fort York, several major TTC routes, two Go Transit stations, Lake Ontario, neighbourhood pools, skating rinks, parks, ponds and community centres.

By replacing motor vehicle trips with walking trips and bicycle trips, Railpath will enhance the quality of life in the neighbourhoods surrounding it and, by promoting zero-emission transportation choices, it will help Canada meet its commitments under the Kyoto Accord.

Commuters.

Railpath will be more than a park. It will be a strategic green transportation corridor running diagonally across the street grid in the West end of the City. It will help change the way people travel in Toronto’s West end and it will enable them to make more environmentally-sound transportation choices.

Residents living near the intersection of Dundas West and Bloor, for instance, will be able to use the Railpath to cycle to work at Bay & King in less than 15 minutes –about half the time it now takes to drive between these points in morning rush hour.

Because it will help reduce road congestion, Railpath will also make life easier for those who have to drive and for street car users traveling through Toronto’s west end from other areas.

Crossing six major TTC routes, including the Bloor Subway line, and meeting two GO Transit Stations, Railpath also provides numerous opportunities for inter-modal transportation choices across the densely populated neighbourhoods in West Toronto. For example, using the Railpath a person living at King and Strachan would be able to bike to Bloor and Dundas West and connect with the Georgetown GO train. Similarly, a resident living in the Junction neighbourhood could use the Railpath to travel to the Bloor Subway line or the College, Dundas, Queen or King Street Car lines.

Businesses.

By increasing pedestrian and bicycle traffic in adjacent neighbourhood business districts, Railpath will bolster economic opportunities for local stores and businesses. Bringing more people to these historic neighbourhoods will result in safer, more vibrant streets making them better places to visit, shop and work.

Because many new and proposed residential development projects are located adjacent to Railpath, developers are using it as a selling feature and finding that it is increasing the marketability of their units.

A New Role for the Community.

As an alliance between local resident’s associations, businesses, community groups, Evergreen and the Community Bicycle Network, Railpath is community-based and community-driven. This partnership provides a tremendous opportunity to help the City make this project happen sooner. It will augment City funds by raising additional money from other sources including private foundations, businesses, governments and individuals. Railpath provides these funders with an opportunity to help revitalize historically disadvantaged neighbourhoods through the creation of this linear park and sustainable transportation corridor. It is also an innovative solution to achieving smart growth objectives while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Existing Plans.

The need for Railpath is recognized in the City of Toronto’s Bicycle Master Plan which identified it as a priority project [see Studies page]. Additional opportunities exist to interface the Railpath with existing neighbourhoods, existing and proposed commercial establishments and residential developments. We hope that the work of the West Toronto Railpath will be used to inspire and aid similar initiative throughout Toronto.