Sault Ste. Marie is a Northern Ontario city, located near the Canada-USA border with the state of Michigan. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario.
Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie’s 2015 Transportation Master Plan (TMP emphasizes a “safe and accessible network” of active transportation routes on Complete Streets, and a shift towards promoting walking, cycling and public transportation (p. iii).
The plan includes a section (9.1.4) on Complete Streets, which is based on “Five C’s”:
- Community – No plan or project can truly be successful without engaging the community and supporting community goals.
- Choices – Communities realize that cycling, walking and transit are critical components of the transportation system.
- Capacity – Capacity for private automobiles and trucks must continue to be addressed, balancing roadway capacity with mobility needs across modes.
- Calming – Planning and design of streets will encourage appropriate driving behaviours and speeds.
- Connection – Providing connections between sites, neighbourhoods, modes, and jurisdictions is crucial to maintaining healthy transportation systems and communities” (p. 66).
The TMP also includes appendices on the implementation of Pedestrian Crossings, Cycling Infrastructure, Road Diets, and Traffic Calming.
In addition, the city’s Downtown Strategy promotes the use of a Complete Streets “lens” that “treats streets as places rather than thoroughfares and considers the safety and comfort of all road users, not just drivers” (p. 12).