Active Transportation Master Plan

Town of Aurora is developing Aurora Connects, an Active Transportation Master Plan (ATMP), which is scheduled to be completed in 2024. The Town has retained WSP Canada Inc. to support the development of the Aurora Connects Plan. The details of the Plan will come together through both technical evaluations and engagement with residents and stakeholders, but the overall goals of the Plan are to:

• Build upon the Town's existing trails and active transportation infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks etc) to develop a continuous Town-wide network that connects to all neighbourhoods within Aurora and adjacent municipalities;
• Create more opportunities for residents to try active transportation supported by education and encouragement efforts;
• Collaborate with Town Advisory Committees, York Region, local businesses, community members and other stakeholders to ensure that community values are reflected in the Plan, and that it is widely supported as it heads towards implementation.

The process of developing the Plan will be completed in two phases:

Phase 1: Background and Technical Review

In order to chart a path forward, it is important to have a thorough understanding of where the Town currently is. The Background and Technical review will help to lay the foundations for the ATMP, building an understanding of the key stakeholders, planning context, existing facilities and the history of active transportation in the Town.

Phase 2: Where We Are Going

With the foundations laid, we will work closely with key stakeholders and members of the public to chart a course forward for the Town of Aurora to become one of Ontario's Active Transportation leaders. We will develop recommendations for a well-connected, all-ages and abilities active transportation network to connect people to where they live, work and play in Aurora, with a special focus on the Town’s key trip generators like the historic downtown and the GO Station. The Aurora Connects Plan will include realistic implementation timelines to construct new infrastructure, provide accurate costing for those investments and suggest tools to pay for them. It will also develop a plan to enhance the social infrastructure of active transportation in the Town, building a network of supportive stakeholders and providing them with tasks that can help to build a stronger culture of activity in the Town as it grows.

Building the Plan: Discussion Papers

As the Plan progresses, we will release Discussion Papers for public review and comment. These discussion papers will, eventually, become Chapters of the final Aurora Connects document. Each Discussion Paper will build upon the previous papers, providing a high degree of accountability and transparency in terms of how this Plan is being developed. Once all feedback on each Discussion Paper has been incorporated, the final version will be posted, with the expectation that the information presented in that paper will be the same information presented in the final ATMP.