Friends,
Earlier this week, I was pleased to attend City Parks' staff Community Open House on the High Park Movement Strategy (HPMS).
So many community members have contributed to the HPMS through participating in meetings, commenting by email or engaging online. It has been great to hear from so many about your future hopes for High Park.
The goal of the HPMS is to better serve High Park users while prioritizing safety, accessibility and the park's natural environment.
Recommendations for travel network changes in High Park will be informed by your feedback, technical analysis and existing City policies and objectives such as TransformTO, Toronto Accessibility Design Guidelines, and Vision Zero.
City staff will be sharing a final report outlining their preferred strategy to City Council later this Spring.
As part of the Community Open House this week, staff shared their preliminary thoughts on a preferred strategy which includes restricting vehicle access to specific roads within the park and maintaining current vehicle restrictions on Sundays. If you were not able to attend, more details are available here: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/construction-new-facilities/parks-facility-plans-strategies/high-park-movement-strategy/
I believe that we can take specific steps to further advance our goals to achieving a car-free High Park. I also strongly believe that we must do that work without losing the achievements we have already made. I will focus my efforts on advocating for specific actions as part of the strategy which aligns with the feedback we have received from the wider community.
First off, I think it is important to build upon the success we have already achieved through the weekend vehicle restrictions in High Park. This means maintaining the Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Monday vehicle restrictions in High Park. The weekend restrictions were first introduced as a public health measure during the height of the pandemic to allow residents to access the park and practice safe physical distancing and continued based on positive community feedback about the experience in the park during car-free weekends. I believe that the community will continue to benefit by keeping the car-free weekends in place.
We also need to take steps to ensure that the park remains accessible to all residents. This will require an on-going effort to explore solutions such as expanding the TTC bus route within the park and exploring an accessible shuttle service that operates around the year.
The vast majority of residents who have been engaged in the HPMS have shared their vision for a car-free park. With more than 10,000 residents survey submissions, the majority (57%) supported the strategy which proposed a car-free park. I understand that it may take us some time to get there, but I believe the HPMS can outline the steps to reaching this goal of a complete car-free High Park.
We have the opportunity through the HPMS to make improvement to High Park and have a park for our future. Cities around the world are moving in the direction of eliminating private vehicles in parks. A car-free High Park also aligns with our commitments to Vision Zero, improved urban design and in achieving our climate change goals. I believe that by working together as a community, we can address any short-term challenges this may pose. Together, we can take the steps to make High Park safe, accessible and enjoyable for all visitors.
Thank you again for all of your feedback and support on this work. I will continue to work to share updates about the next steps in the strategy.
Sincerely,
Gord
- - Public Drop-in Events: Bloor St W Complete Street Extension - April 12, 13
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- Development Updates
- 2760 Dundas St West (Former Peacock Hotel)
- 1728 Bloor Street West (N/East corner of Bloor and Indian Grove)
- - Review: Public Input Needed for Night Economy Review
