We're Updating the Transportation Master Plan
We're updating the 2019 Transportation Master Plan to accommodate the projected population and employment growth to the year 2051 and beyond.
Barrie’s Active Transportation Strategy is a blueprint for enhancing walking and cycling infrastructure, programs and initiatives.
The City undertakes comprehensive transportation planning for all modes of transportation (auto, transit, cycling, walking) through the completion of the Transportation Master Plan (TMP), forward-looking planning document. The current TMP recommends the following networks:
The TMP contains a comprehensive Active Transportation Strategy (AT Strategy) to allow the City to achieve a mode shift from automobiles to cycling and walking, accommodate planned growth, improve mobility options and equity. The strategy identifies long-term recommendations to help guide implementation and provides City staff and its partners with tools, references and guidelines to aid in the future of active transportation decision making.
Vision Statement
The active transportation vision statement is: The City of Barrie offers a continuous, well-connected and safe active transportation network for residents and visitors that supports recreational and commuter active transportation opportunities, enhances connectivity to key destinations and increases mobility for users of all ages and abilities.
Guiding Principles
The vision is supported by 10 guiding principles that provide more specific outcomes that the AT Strategy is intended to achieve as the TMP is implemented. They include:
- Offer residents and visitors direct active transportation opportunities to travel throughout the City and to connect to key destinations such as the Waterfront and The Great Trail.
- Provide a transportation system that supports all modes of travel and users of all ages and abilities.
- Establish a direct, connected and continuous network of different active transportation options that accommodates safe walking, cycling, hiking and other active modes of transportation.
- Develop a balanced network of on and off-road facilities to offer comfortable, safe and secure facilities for all users.
- Provide multi-modal routes and connections to key destinations and transit.
- Enhance opportunities for people to walk and bike for short trips and to key destinations such as schools, transit stations, shops, etc.
- Allocate an appropriate annual maintenance budget to maintain existing and new active transportation infrastructure, including on and off-road routes.
- Establish a winter maintained network consisting of spine routes in order for walking and cycling to be viable modes of transportation year-round. For example, winter maintained routes can include on and off-road facilities to facilitate utilitarian trips such as commutes to school, work and transit hubs.
- Identify a core network of spine routes that provides direct north-south and east-west connectivity for pedestrians, cyclists, mobility-assisted users and other users to increase the AT modal share in Barrie.
- Encourage a cultural shift through education and promotion to increase walking and cycling activity in the City of Barrie.