Mississauga’s First Transportation Master Plan Sets Vision For Freedom to Move

The City’s first Transportation Master Plan (TMP) was presented at General Committee on Wednesday. The plan outlines a vision, six goals and over 90 action items to guide the future of the City’s transportation system from today to 2041. Inherent in the plan is a commitment to advancing Vision Zero, a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and injuries.

“This new plan is an important part of our efforts to keep Mississauga moving, regardless of where, when or how you choose to travel.”

“We are working to build a world-class, transit-oriented city where people can easily move across our city and beyond, whether that’s to get to school, work, shopping or activities while helping businesses boost their productivity through the efficient movement of goods and services.

As the business capital of Canada and home to Pearson International Airport, five 400-series highways and several major distribution centres, this plan will help ensure Mississauga remains open for business as a vital economic hub for the movement of goods at the national scale,” said Mayor Bonnie Crombie. “Above all, it recognizes the important role that livable, walkable, healthy communities play in encouraging active transportation.  It also provides us with a road map to help us realize our goal of becoming a Vision Zero city, where it is safe for all types of travellers to share the road.”

The TMP is future-focused and comes at an important time in the City’s development.

“We have reached a new phase of higher-density urban growth,”

said Janice Baker, City Manager and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). “There is a growing demand from our residents for multi-modal travel options – walking, cycling, transit, ridehailing and other alternatives to driving. In looking ahead to 2041, we know our demographics will shift, with new young families and our aging population. In addition, we aim to keep up with rapid change and innovation in the transportation sector, such as integration with smartphones and other smart devices, especially automated, connected, electric and shared vehicles (ACES).”

Highlights of the Plan

Vision

The freedom to move is vital to support the quality of life in Mississauga.  The TMP lays out a vision for providing mobility in our city from today to 2041:  In Mississauga, everyone and everything will have the freedom to move safely, easily and efficiently to anywhere at any time.

Goals

The vision will be realized through six goals to ensure the transportation system fulfils its essential role in city building.

• Safety: Freedom from Harm 
  Safe conditions for all travellers, advancing Vision Zero by supporting hazard-free travel and striving for zero fatalities.
• Inclusion: Freedom from Barriers
  An accessible network, where moving is easy regardless of a person’s age, ability, income or familiarity with the city.
• Integration: Freedom of Choice
  An integrated network, where people and goods have viable options for moving within and beyond the city.
• Connectivity: Freedom of Access
  Simple and pleasant connections between people and the places and things they need to prosper.
• Health: Freedom to Flourish
  Support for the health of people and the planet, with more people-powered trips, lower vehicle emissions and better stewardship of the natural environment.
• Resilience: Freedom to Evolve 
  Leadership in adapting to changes that reshape the transportation system and how it is used.

Action Plan

The TMP is future-focused and includes over 90 proposed actions to implement the plan over the short term (1-5 years), medium (6 – 15 years) and long term (16+years). Actions in the TMP will be built into staff work plans over the coming years. Those with financial implications will be presented to Council for consideration through the City’s annual budget process.

“Our transportation system is more than a network of roads and traffic lanes,”

said Geoff Wright, Commissioner of Transportation and Works. “It is an interconnected system of sidewalks, trails, crosswalks, cycling facilities and roads as well as public services like transit, parking and traffic management and regulation of private service providers like taxis, Transportation Network Companies (TNCs – such as Uber and Lyft), towing and delivery vehicles. To continue to build a great city with a resilient transportation system, we have joined together with leaders from across the organization – from Planning & Building to Parks, Forestry & Environment — to consider all the long-term planning aspects of this complex city-wide system.”

Progress on the actions of the TMP will be tracked and reported annually. Routine updates to the TMP will take place in coordination with updates to the Mississauga Official Plan.

The TMP is the result of Mississauga Moves, a two-year study that combined research and analysis with a public conversation about the future of mobility. The City analysed transportation and transit data, policies, future trends and international best practices. Public engagement took place in-person and online with a dedicated project website. Key community and industry stakeholders as well as other levels of government were also consulted in the process. Over the course of two years, the project team had more than 2,000 face-to-face conversations with community members and made more than 10,000 online connections through the website and social media.

The full plan is available online. Council is expected to approve the plan next week.

Tags

• Plans and Strategies
• Transportation