KCAT has been following the City of Kingston’s work on Williamsville, where the City is seeking to improve transportation on Princess Street between Division and Concession/Bath Rd.
Most recently, we have been advocating for an emphasis on cycling infrastructure, which we believe should be a necessary component of Williamsville plans. Read our submission from February 2024 here.
We are passionate about prioritizing cycling and other modes of active transportation in Williamsville, and will continue to work toward our vision.
For your reference, we will continue to compile a timeline of resources pertaining to Williamsville Main Street on this page.
For more information, please contact info@kcat.ca
| Fall 2011 | KCAT wrote a letter to the City recommending bike lanes as part of the Williamsville Main Street Study. |
| January 2012 | Williamsville Main Street Study newsletter: ..“Because of concerns expressed by the public that dedicated cycling lanes be provided in this area, the MMM Group was asked to further examine this issue, and it was concluded that the existing right-of-way of 20 metres is too limited to allow dedicated cycling lanes in addition to the other required uses…” |
| February 2012 | The Williamsville Main Street Study was adopted by City Council. KCAT provided a delegation at a City Council meeting. Council passed the motion that included: “… the City adopt the Williamsville Plan with the inclusion of a staff report to the Environment, Infrastructure, and Transportation Policies Committee on the opportunity of including cycling lanes with parking on one side of the street in a pilot study, with a full review of cycling and parking provisions to be done four years after any implementation of cycle lanes in the Williamsville Corridor; and … the City consider parking provisions as the Plan is implemented, including public parking lots.” |
| October 2012 | KCAT provided a delegation at a City Council meeting. |
| November 2012 | Councillor Jim Neill presented a petition with 593 names and numerous comments in favour of bike lanes to City Council. |
| 2013 | KCAT participated on the City of Kingston Williamsville Cycling Lanes Advisory Group. |
| Jan/Feb 2013 | KCAT visited businesses on Princess Street in Williamsville and gave them a letter about the upcoming revitalization of Williamsville including information about bicycle lanes and parking. |
| May 2013 | Approximately 100 people including KCAT members participated in two workshops about the design (including cycle lanes) of Princess Street in Williamsville. |
| Summer 2013 | “Williamsville Main Street Study: Review of Cycling Lanes, July 2013” was approved by City Council. Included in this review was: “With the inclusion of dedicated and buffered cycling lane on Princess Street, this new identity will be fundamentally linked with healthy, active and progressive lifestyle choices.” |
| 2013 | Businesses, developers, and Williamsville and Kingston residents expressed support for cycle lanes in Williamsville. Any opposition was primarily due to loss of parking. See a few emails and letters attached (2012-10 Emails of support to Council, 2013-11 Letters of support to Council). |
| October 2013 | “A lane of their own: Queen’s and the City of Kingston make plans with bicyclists in mind as new Princess St. bike lanes are approved” article in the Queen’s Journal |
| March 2020 | KCAT submission to Planning Committee on Williamsville Main Street Study |
| November 2020 | Planning Committee: “Comprehensive Report for the Update to the Williamsville Main Street Study“. See KCAT’s letter on pages 143 and 144/469 (pages 181/2 bottom of pages). |
| June 2023 | Global News article: “Kingston’s proposed plan to remove Princess Street bike lanes rattles cyclists,” Aryn Strickland |
| October 2023 | 1. The City of Kingston hosted a public open house about the transportation study and community engagement. Online surveys were also conducted for Williamsville Bikeways and Frontenac Green Street Concepts. 2. KCAT newsletter promoted the City’s open house about Williamsville and highlighted concerns about plans not to have cycling infrastructure on Princess between Bath/Concession and Division 3. 2023-10 KCAT Perspective 4. Skeleton Press article, Issue 14, Fall 2023. “Pedaling solutions out of sync with climate crisis,” Jane Kirby |
| November 2023 | 2023-11 KCAT Submission |
| January 2024 | The City of Kingston published several reports to its Williamsville page, including: – The draft Williamsville Transportation Study. – The 2023 public engagement reports from i) winter and spring, and ii) fall. |
| February 2024 | KCAT submission to EITP |
| May 2024 | The City of Kingston released a technical memo about a third alternative design for princess street. |
Complete Streets
We mention some complete street transformations in our October 2023 KCAT perspective, linked above. Other examples of street designs that we love are below:
- Bloor Street in Toronto. There is a conventional painted bike lane on one side and a parking-protected bike lane on the other side. This corridor is a popular cycling route and has trees and wide sidewalks.
- In Hamilton’s Complete Streets Design Guidelines. The “Urban Avenue” (PDF page 132) is a 20 m urban arterial road, intended to prioritize multi-modal mobility. The design for this sort of street looks like this:
- Here is a video about a community based street design project in Calgary that used Streetmix, a collaborative civic engagement platform for urban design. They received 700 submissions. The review of design options is informative and helps to understand the benefits and limitations of a range of design elements.
- Transit-Oriented Revitalization in Rio de Janeiro (pages 10-12) offers insight into similar challenges to what is happening in Williamsville