FAQs

Comments about the project can be emailed to Brett.Gratrix@barrie.ca. You can also submit questions or comments on the appropriate sections of this project webpage. 

The City will host a Public Information Session about the Phase 1 Projects on February 24, 2022. The meeting will be hosted via Zoom Webinar – you can register for the session here.

In early 2022, the City will be working with the consultant to develop plans and designs that will lay the foundation for implementation of the CBIP.

In 2022, the CBIP is expected to move into the implementation phase, building new cycling facilities and connections each year.  The following table outlines approximate timing for implementation, subject to Council approval and funding:

In most cases, the facilities being proposed through the CBIP will require road line repainting but will not require resurfacing or road widenings. 

In many cases this will result in changes to on-street parking, with most corridors scheduled to lose on-street parking. More details about the specific corridors that will be prioritized as part in the first five years of the project can be found in the "Documents" section.

City staff will be preparing annual staff reports outlining which streets will be rightsized and where parking prohibitions would be required for Council approval.   

Residents on these streets will receive a letter in the mail prior to the submission of the staff report. All residents will have the opportunity to voice their opinion about the proposed changes to their street through a delegation to Council, should they so choose.

Rightsizing a street is sometimes referred to as a Road Diet. These types of projects involve reconfiguring the road platform by removing or narrowing travel lanes (where traffic volumes permit) and/or the removal of on-street parking and reallocating space to allow implementation of bike lanes. They are a proven safety countermeasure, improving safety for all road users along a corridor while also creating additional space to support active transportation.

By reducing uncertainty and simplifying the roadway, right-sized streets often result in more efficient, less congested traffic along a corridor.

Rightsizing a street is a cost-effective way of repurposing an existing asset by narrowing or removing excess space used for travel lanes and adding new travel choice along a corridor. 

It helps allow our transportation system to serve additional users using the same infrastructure, maximizing the value and utility of our existing transportation corridors.

On-street parking on arterial and major collector streets does not align with the City’s transportation objectives and is hazardous to vulnerable road users due to decreased sightlines (due to vehicles blocking visibility of pedestrians and cyclists), which is further compounded by higher traffic volumes and speed when compared to a local street.

The City prohibits on-street parking on most arterial streets and is increasingly prohibiting parking on major collector streets as traffic volumes increase. In the City’s secondary planning areas, parking will only be permitted on local streets.

The City is building cycle tracks and other off-road cycling facilities, such as multi-use paths, on roads being reconstructed; however, as these projects are very costly, typically, only 1km (or less) is built per year depending on the City’s capital program. 

Right-sizing a street allows the City to rapidly establish a connected cycling network to support a mode shift to cycling.  

Over time and where appropriate, the City will be upgrading cycling facilities to provide increased separation as part of road reconstruction projects and corridor retrofits.  As these projects are much more costly than implementing a facility via right-sizing a corridor, the pace of implementation will be more aligned with growth in the City and most likely focused around the City’s intensification corridors.

Check out the City’s active transportation web page for helpful information on bicycling, long range plans for cycling infrastructure and maps.

To support the cycling mode share growth, the City must intensify. Barrie is strategically targeting intensification (mid- and high-rise development) within the urban growth centre and along intensification corridors in the City. This intensification will support mode share growth as it will create more walkable/cyclable communities with nearby amenities/attractions. 

This will also be aided through parking availability reductions.   Traditionally, a ground-oriented home (such as a traditional house or townhome), provided parking for two or more vehicles.  With mid-rise and high-rise development, generally, parking is only provided for one vehicle (and sometimes a fractional amount for smaller bachelor or 1-bedroom units).  As density continues to increase and new active transportation infrastructure is built, more human-powered trips will be possible within these more human-scaled environments.