Status: On-going
Bicycle lanes will be installed along Central Park Drive between Bramalea Road and Torbram Road and only two vehicle lanes (one per direction) are being installed in place of the previous four vehicle lanes.
Pre-Covid-19 traffic data reveals that the volume of cars that typically travel along Central Park Drive do not justify the need for four vehicle lanes (two/direction). The introduction of bicycle lanes will calm traffic by placing Central Park Drive on a "road diet". In this case, a road diet involves changing the four-lane roadway into two through car lanes, with the rest of the roadway used for other purposes such as bike lanes and left turn lanes. Road diets reduce vehicle speeds and collisions, making the road safer for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Central Park Drive (Clark Boulevard. to Bramlea Road), Rutherford Road and Birchbank Road are three examples of local roads that have been placed on a successful road diet.
The proposed bicycle route will provide a local cycling connection to area schools, commercial land uses, parks, parkland trail system (Chinguacousy and Don Doan Recreational Trails) and existing bike lanes along the section of Central Park Drive, west of Bramalea Road.
Central Park Drive is also identified as a link in the City’s Priority Cycling Network. To prioritize and direct the development of the City’s cycling network, a core network of higher order cycling facilities was identified in the Active Transportation Master Plan as the City’s Priority Cycling Network. The Priority Cycling Network comprises a 40 km loop along a north-south axis (encompassing the Etobicoke Creek, Esker Lake, and Chinguacousy recreational trails) and 42 km of east-west routes connecting the loop to the outer edges of the City in either direction. To date, 55 km of the 82 km that make up the priority network have been completed. An additional 7.5 km of the priority network will be added in 2022, tracking towards full completion within the planned 5-year time frame.