The City’s Hurontario-Main Light Rail Transit (LRT) project got a welcome boost with a November 2012 announcement from Metrolinx that the LRT will be part of its next wave of projects in the Big Move, the regional transportation plan. The City will be working closely with Metrolinx on the implementation of the LRT and other funding partners to bring the LRT to life.

Once completed, the LRT will connect Mississauga and Brampton via the Hurontario-Main corridor - from the lakeshore in Port Credit to downtown Brampton. In addition to connecting these cities, links will be made with GO Transit network, providing key transportation connections to the Greater Toronto Area.

Stakeholder engagement sessions were initiated in 2012 to ensure businesses and residents had their say. The public got the chance to view preliminary concepts which illustrated LRT lane options, route alignment and proposed stop locations. The City will continue engaging the public through the LRT corridor design process in spring 2013.

High-order transit infrastructure supports the City’s goal of a transit-oriented city, provides a more sustainable transportation alternative for riders and will transform Mississauga, by shifting the way people move.

Click here to learn more: hurontario-main.ca

MiWay received high marks from customers on overall satisfaction, scoring 82 per cent in a 2011 survey. Results will give the City a better understanding of customers’ needs to help identify service improvements, guide future planning and establish a benchmark for future surveys.

The addition of more accessible bus stops in 2012 means that now all transit routes in Mississauga are accessible. This, coupled with the achievement of a 100 per cent accessible bus fleet in 2011, makes MiWay accessible to all. A fully accessible fleet ensures that riders can access MiWay with ease and provides more options for people with disabilities to get around the city.

Construction of phase 1 of the City’s transitway is underway and four new stations are expected to open in fall 2013. Beginning at the City Centre Transit Terminal, the transitway will travel on an east-west dedicated corridor to Dixie station. MiExpress and MiLocal buses will bypass traffic congestion, while offering transit riders a more efficient and convenient way to travel across Mississauga and connect to other municipalities. When the entire transitway is complete it will provide east-west travel from Winston Churchill Blvd. in the west to Renforth Dr. in the east.

MiWay is getting more students to class. Improvements to MiExpress Route 107 – Malton Express provides Humber College students with a faster and direct service from the City Centre Transit Terminal to the college campus. This move also means all day express service for riders to Toronto Pearson International Airport, Airport Corporate Centre and Malton.

Numbers are in and it looks like Presto is catching on. In 2012, MiWay saw an increase of 15-20 per cent of riders taking advantage of this electronic transit fare collection system.

Using smart card technology, the Presto card offers a convenient fare payment option. Riders load money onto the card and tap it onto a fare card reader on a bus or at a transit station to pay a fare. Presto allows for seamless travel across the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton and will eventually replace paper transit tickets.

Who doesn’t love a deal? Once MiWay riders pay for 12 fares during any one week, (Monday to Sunday) using their Presto card, they can ride free on MiWay for the remainder of that week

U-Pass was introduced in 2007 in partnership with the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus (UTM) and Erindale College Student Union to UTM full-time students. The program, which was extended to include part-time students and expanded to include a summer U-Pass in 2012, offers affordable, unlimited travel to class and across the city.

Residents have also benefitted from this program as it has assisted in the reduction of cars on the road, easing traffic congestion due to the over 11,000 students who are using U-Pass. Hopes are that with more students taking advantage of the discounted transit pass they will adopt public transit as their preferred transportation mode of choice.

Click here to learn more: miway.ca

The City was presented with a Bicycle Friendly Community Award – Bronze Designation by the Share the Road Cycling Coalition for the City’s active support of cycling. This recognition highlights the many achievements made since the completion of the City’s Cycling Master Plan in 2010. Implementation of the Master Plan focuses on fostering cycling as a way of life in the city, building an integrated network of cycling routes, and aims to adopt a “safety first” approach to cycling.

What’s new? Over 20 kilometres of cycling facilities were constructed in 2012: including marked shared lanes (“sharrows”), bike lanes and boulevard multi-use trails. Crossrides (like a crosswalk, but for bikes) were installed for the first time at three signalized intersections. New way-finding signage was added too.

It was a busy year for cycling events. The City hosted the 6th annual Bike to Work Day event in partnership with Smart Commute Mississauga. Over 600 cyclists took part, including students from 11 secondary schools.

A record number participated in the annual Tour de Mississauga organized by the Mississauga Cycling Advisory Committee. Close to 1,600 cyclists joined this cycling event that highlighted off-road trails and on-road routes in the southeast part of the city - an increase of 400 more riders than in 2011.

What’s in store for 2013? The City plans to add to the cycling network and continue to provide programs to make cycling a safe and enjoyable way to get around Mississauga.

As momentum to implement the Master Plan continues, Mississauga is actively “pedaling” towards a bicycle friendly “Silver Designation” in the future.

Click here to learn more: mississauga.ca/cycling

Drivers who live or work downtown and don’t want the expense of buying a car just got another option – Car Share. The City, working with AutoShare Inc., established the City’s first Car Share Service pilot program in 2012.

Registered members can book an environmentally-friendly vehicle, access it with a key (smart) card and return the vehicle to one of two designated parking spaces downtown. Car sharing gives residents, employees and students a viable alternative to owning a private automobile that contributes to the City’s vision of developing a transit-oriented city and building a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly downtown.

Over 600 individual trips were made from April to December 2012 and over 30,000 kilometres were driven by 184 members.

Click here to learn more: autoshare.com/mississauga