Markham’s Transportation Master Plan to direct transportation until 2051
By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
The City of Markham is developing the Transportation Master Plan to direct its transportation systems for the future, along with the city’s growing and changing population.
The plan aims to cover various transportation methods, such as driving, public transit, walking, cycling, and micromobility – including e-bikes and e-scooters. Workers gathered input from city departments, stakeholder groups, and the public to help build the plan.
The city intends for the plan to last until 2051. York Region predicted that by then, Markham could grow to over 600,000 people.
However, the city also plans to identify more short-term needs and create a Transportation Capital Plan to guide the next five to 10 years.
The city released the master plan’s Engagement 1 Summary on May 13. The summary said that many participants suggested ways to reduce traffic congestion, improve or expand transit, and enhance features for pedestrians and cyclists.
The city conducted focus groups with various stakeholders starting from November 2024. These sessions began with city employees before expanding outwards to include emergency services, educational institutions, neighbouring governments, transit companies, infrastructure committees, cycling groups, and youth councils, among other groups.
Workers set up temporary booths in Markville Mall and the Cornell, Angus Glen, and Thornhill Community Centres to obtain public feedback in February. Participants wrote their comments on sticky notes and placed them in one of four categories: transit, pedestrian/cycling, e-mobility, and other.
Residents provided over 200 ideas at the booths. About 40 per cent of responses concerned transit, followed by 25 per cent for pedestrian/cycling and five per cent for e-mobility.
The city also had an online survey from January to March that received over 100 responses.
Over 40 per cent of respondents said that they drive at least four days a week for commutes, and a similar percentage said that they drive at least four days a week for other trips.
The summary said that participants sometimes had conflicting ideas about improving transportation.
For example, participants often said that they wanted to improve pedestrian, cycling, and micromobility safety, but they shared concerns about traffic calming measures. Participants also noted that they wanted more walkable areas, but expressed hesitation towards mixed-use development.
Participants also made suggestions for regional roads outside the city’s control, such as Highway 7, 16th Avenue, McCowan Road, and Kennedy Road.
Samson Wat, transportation policy and strategy manager at the City of Markham, provided a possible explanation for these conflicts.
“When people talk about traffic, it’s easy to lose sight because there are traffic congestion issues that happen in Markham and it’s frustrating, and they just want immediate solutions to address the current need,” he said. “But many don’t recognize that the purpose of the plan is to really plan for the future.”
Wat said that he still values public feedback, but may add questions to get more targeted responses. He also acknowledged that his team may need to better inform the public about the plan’s main objectives.
“We are still open to receive any input with regards to their overall experience on the transportation aspect of their lives, and also any ideas for us to consider for the future,” he said.
The city opened a micromobility survey to gather public feedback on e-bikes and e-scooters, which was available until July 20. Wat said that the city may release the survey’s results next fall or winter. He also said that the city is developing a micromobility strategy to better manage e-bikes and e-scooters.
To learn more about the Transportation Master Plan and ways to participate, head to https://yourvoicemarkham.ca/markham-transportation-master-plan.
Photo: Markham residents provided hundreds of ideas for the city’s Transportation Master Plan. Many of those ideas focused on the city’s pedestrian and cycling features.