Aurora council has outlined its long-term vision for the town's trail system, approving a new plan that could see more than $56 million spent over the next 20 years.
The active transportation master plan would see the town add 190 kilometres of new bike lanes, sidewalks and trails over that period, subject to council approving the projects.
In the short-term, council has approved projects totalling $29 million over the next 10 years. Of that, the biggest chunk will go toward multi-use trails, with $13.28 million earmarked to build 24.4 kilometres of trail.
A total of $4 million is eyed for 7.4 kilometres of multi-use paths, with $3.82 million slated to build 5.3 kilometres of protected bike lanes.
In the long-term plan from years 11 to 20 years plus, the focus pivots to sidewalks, with $17.44 million of the $27.16 million budget going toward 24 kilometres of sidewalk.
Currently, Aurora has more than 280 km of pedestrian facilities, 201 km of which are sidewalks. The rest are multi-use paths and trails.
The town's existing cycling network is comprised of 98 km of various facility types, including bike lanes, trails and signed routes.
"The (active transportation master plan) is a non-prescriptive roadmap, providing guidance for the community to support all forms of active transportation," the report from consultant WSP Canada reads.
Active transportation includes walking, cycling, wheelchair use, rollerblading, skateboarding, and assisted active transportation like e-bikes and electric scooters.
Despite more than a fifth of Aurora residents commuting less than 15 minutes to work, 87 per cent of town residents mainly drive during the week, according to consultant.
The draft master plan, presented to council March 5, has been in the works since 2021.
What’s getting built?
Several priority projects were identified in the plan.
Among those are an 1.56-kilometre off-road trail around the Addison Hall business park, plus bike lanes on Earl Street Drive (1.22 km), Edward Street (1.88 km) and Murray Drive (1.68 km).
A couple of projects, like the two-kilometre Yonge Street multi-use path and a new 500-metre-long sidewalk along Edward Street, have already been included in the town’s 2024 capital budget.
Around eight per cent of the spending in the first 10 years has already been approved, totalling around $2.3 million. All the other projects would still need to be approved by council.
If all the projects included in the plan get built, this would bring Aurora’s total active transport up to 490 kilometres.
