High Park Movement Study Cycling Project

Join in and speak up: City staff are developing a Terms of Reference for the Cycling Pilot and will be seeking input from local stakeholder groups who are active in the park as part of the first round of consultation.

A virtual engagement session will be held on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 from 6:00-8:00 pm.

Registration: Please register in advance to attend this virtual meeting through the link below. You will be asked to provide your name, email, and group affiliation. Once your registration has been approved, you will receive the meeting details via email including a Webex meeting link and meeting password.

If you have any questions or technical issues with registration, please contact Vanessa Cipriani at Vanessa.Cipriani@toronto.ca

Register in advance here

Meeting DetailsDate & Time: Wednesday January 31, 6:00-8:00 PM
Purpose: The purpose of this first session will be to share information about the pilot

objectives and scope, gather feedback on the draft Terms of Reference and discuss the process towards implementation in Summer 2024.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to our future discussion.

Sincerely,

Vanessa Cipriani, (she/her)

Planner, Parks Planning and Strategic Initiatives

City of Toronto | Parks, Forestry & Recreation

TORONTO.WEBEX.COM

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The HPMS reports of “park users concerned with conflicts between different road users  including between cyclists and pedestrians in the park and proposes to address the concern  with “the pilot which will provide opportunity for people to safely ride bicycles within High Park at speeds conducive to training and exercise during off-peak hours. The pilot will not prevent pedestrians or other park users from accessing the park.”

Speed Cyclists are not a “user group who are active in the park,”, they do not utilize any park facilities, Nature Centre, Colborne Lodge, Childrens Garden, Zoo, Dream in the Park, Adventure and Accessible Playgrounds, Splash Pad, Sports Fields, Allotment Gardens, Swimming Pool, Ice Rink, Tennis Courts, or the Restaurant.

The only park “facility” speed cyclists use are the roads which they have been mis-using since the speed bumps and traffic calming measures were removed in 2015, speeding, ignoring stop and yield signs and yelling at park users going quietly about their enjoyment of the park. Their use of the park has increased since 2020 when vehicle restrictions on weekends were implemented. They will not adhere to a specific time for their training as proposed by the Study. If they had had any concern for the general public they have had many years to organize their training to off-peak hours.

The major demographic of High Park  groups are comprised of seniors and families who have been shut out of High Park since 2020, the lack of car access preventing access for all but those capable of walking 2-3 km to their destination and not requiring any equipment. 

Seniors, challenged and young family groups are thrown aside as annoying pieces of humanity while the racing cyclists are pandered to.

It is difficult to comprehend how the City Council and our Mayor are unable to envisage how inappropriate a speed cycling track is in the centre of the most visited family park in Toronto. They are a threat to pedestrians and the number of near misses between people and racing bikes will result in serious consequences. Several incidents have already occurred, a few children have been hit by cyclists with one requiring an ambulance. It will continue…..

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