Active Transportation Plan

Project Overview

The City of Sault Ste Marie is developing the Soo Moves Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP) to make the City more comfortable, more accessible and more convenient for people who walk, bike and wheel to get around. By creating a plan to build new cycling routes, trails, sidewalk connections and crossings, the City will build on its existing investments in the Hub Trail and its spoke routes to support more choice in how people get around. The Soo Moves Plan will also help to connect residents and visitors alike to organizations and groups who are making it easier to walk or bike in the City, giving them new ways to connect with their community at a human scale.

As the plan progresses, the project team wants to hear from you about how the City can improve active transportation, and connect you to the places you want to go. Hearing from the people who are most impacted by decisions about investments in Sault Ste. Marie is a vital component of this project – we want to create a plan that is informed by the lived experiences of all people who call Sault Ste. Marie home.

Throughout the project, we will be posting a series of Discussion Papers that align with each phase of the project. These Papers, once reviewed by the public, will eventually form the final Soo Moves document. Essentially, each Discussion Paper will be a Chapter in the Soo Moves Plan, so residents will have confidence knowing that there will be no surprises as the final report makes its way onto the Council agenda.

Each Discussion Paper will be refined through consultation with City Staff and stakeholders and discussed at engagement events with the public before they are finalized and posted on the project website to ensure greater transparency and accountability throughout the project.

For any questions, comments or to receive project updates, contact us at soomoves@publicinput.com

Public Survey is now Closed.

Thank you to everyone who attended Public Open House events and participated in the online survey. Stay tuned for project updates!

Public Survey is now Live!

If you can't make it out to the Public Open Houses this week on June 17th and June 19th, we are also collecting input online! Let us know your thoughts on the proposed Pedestrian and Active Transportation networks and programming through our survey HERE.

Public Open House

Have your say on the future of walking & biking in our city! Join us at our public information sessions to provide input on the draft Active Transportation Master Plan.

Your feedback is crucial!

Dates & times: June 17 at John Rhodes Community Centre; June 19 at Northern Community Centre

This is an informal session - Drop in anytime between 4-7pm, learn about the ATMP, and speak with City staff!

Discussion Paper 4

The last Discussion Paper of the project, Discussion Paper #4 - Education, Encouragement and Tourism , has been posted! Discussion Paper #4 explores a suite of active transportation programs and actions that can be taken in addition to supplement the City’s investments in physical infrastructure to support a cultural shift from an auto-centric paradigm to a multi-modal one. The recommendations are based on the successes and lessons learned from comparable municipalities in Ontario and beyond, then filtered through the local context, producing made-in-Sault Ste. Marie options to boost the culture of active transportation.

If you have any feedback on the Discussion Papers, please feel free to leave it in the comment box below, or by emailing our project team at soomoves@publicinput.com. These Discussion Papers will be integrated as chapters in the final Plan when it is completed.

Discussion Paper 3

We have posted Discussion Paper #3 - Active Transportation Potential for public review and comment. Discussion Paper #3 identifies, investigates, and documents potential new routes and missing links in the City. With an understanding of the existing conditions and trends, route selection criteria were applied to identify a number of draft candidate routes. These routes are intended to be further studied for possible inclusion into a preferred active transportation network and to be refined through ongoing consultation with the City’s staff, stakeholders and residents.

Discussion Papers 1 and 2 Live!

As the Soo Moves Active Transportation Master Plan moves forward, we have posted Discussion Paper #1 - Policy, Vision and Existing Conditions and Discussion Paper #2 - Best Practices Review for public review and comment.

Discussion Paper #1 focuses on reviewing the City's existing policies, and using those documents to define a project Vision and Objectives. These will serve as a 'guiding light' for the project as it moves forward, helping to shape decisions as the Plan comes together.

Discussion Paper #2 identifies some of the emerging trends and best practices in the field of active transportation, helping to bring those topics into this project.

We've also created some tabs (above) with more information about two of the key topics - Vision Zero and Complete Streets - that can help expand your understanding of these trends as they relate to Sault Ste. Marie.

Documents

ATMP Public Open House Boards.pdf Proposed Active Transportation Network Route Maps.pdf Soo Moves Discussion Paper 1 Policy Vision and Existing Conditions.pdf Soo Moves Discussion Paper 2 Best Practices Review.pdf Soo Moves Discussion Paper 3 Active Transportation Potential.pdf Soo Moves Discussion Paper 4 Education, Encouragement and Tourism.pdf

Project timeline

complete

Background Review and Building an Understanding

During this Phase of the project, we want to understand what opportunities exist in Sault Ste. Marie to make walking, cycling and wheeling easier and more accessible. We will be reviewing the City's existing networks of trails, cycling routes, sidewalks and more, while connecting with the community to identify where those routes are working well and where they are falling short.

live

Developing an Active Travel Network

Building on what we heard during the first Phase, we will propose new investments to create a more connected, comfortable and accessible active transportation network. We will show the community the kinds of facilities we are considering, and make sure that what is being recommended meets the needs of the City and its residents.

complete

Special Areas Review

Based on conversations with City Staff and other key partners, our team has identified several 'Special Areas" which have a higher degree of both importance to the Active Transportation network and complexity in terms of prefered design solutions. As we review these areas, we will present some more detailed solutions for these areas to better connect with the overall network.

complete

Policies, Programs and Culture

We will provide policy guidance to the City to ensure that active transportation is routinely considered in all decisions in Sault Ste. Marie. We will also identify opportunities for the City to partner with organizations and external groups to create a stronger culture of activity in the City, helping to give more people an opportunity toi integrate active travel into their daily routine.

live

Implementation Plan

We will identify the priorities for implementation for the Plan based on community feedback, City input, capital works forecasts and the prefered active transportation network. We will create a monitoring and reporting plan that will provide residents with a tool to assess how the City is doing with regards to progress on the Plan, helping to build accountability and trust in the process.

planned

Reporting back and closing the loop

We will wrap up the project with a summary of how feedback was incorporated into the Plan, how the Plan came together and what types of actions the community can expect to see in the future. We will finalize the document with a presentation to City Council, where the goal is for the Plan to be approved and adopted.

This is hidden text that lets us know when google translate runs.