- Ganatchio Trail
Infobox road
highway_name = Ganatchio Trail
marker_
alternate_name = The Ganatchio
length = 5.3 km (3.1 miles)
direction = East/West
starting_terminus = Vernon Crescent and Wyandotte street inWindsor, Ontario
ending_terminus =Tecumseh, Ontario town limits
cities = Neighbourhoods: Riverside, Villages of Riverside, Little River, Greenway, Tecumseh
established =1971 Construction on the second of
Windsor, Ontario 'sbike trail started upon the closure of Clairview Avenue. The trail currently extends over 5.3 km, and passes through several community neighbourhoods, such as Riverside, Little River, and serves Sandpoint Beach and Stop 26 Beach and Park. It was the first major trail constructed, aside from theRiverfront Bike Trail , with extensions east towards Tecumseh built in stages. The trail has a posted speed limit of 20 km/h. One feature found only onRiverfront Bike Trail and the Ganatchio Trail is that the trail is wide enough for two "lanes" each way, meaning two bicycles can ride abreast in each direction without worrying about a collision.The Ganatchio Trail and
Little River Extension also see a great deal of traffic in the summer, but nowhere near as much as the Riverfront Bike Trail. Ganatchio Trail also has special commemorative signs at its beginning (Wyandotte Street and Vernon Crescent), to its end (Windsor-Tecumseh border), along with a specialroundabout /traffic circle where the Ganatchio intersects with the Little River Extension, with a commemorative sign depicting its length, map location, and a sign for theLions Club International andRotary International , who funded the trail's construction in 1996.The Ganatchio Trail was built in 1971, incorporating much of Clairview Street, a narrow and rarely-used residential street, into its route. The road was sealed off at some parts, and rerouted or truncated at other intersecting streets. The trail runs along Clairview in the parts that were left intact, but many intersecting streets, such as Watson Avenue, were closed off, allowing only pedestrians and cyclists to go through. Clairview Avenue was also a boulevard from Watson to Genevieve Avenue. Its second
carriageway was transformed into the bike trail, and a few parts were converted entirely intogreenway s with the trail. Clairview Street (with the Ganatchio Trail) also serves the Riverside Sportsman's Club (a fraternity similar toLions Club International andRotary International , who funded the construction of the bike trail with the RSC). The remainder of the trail (from Riverview Road to Tecumseh, and including its bridge over Little River) was built in 1979, and rehabilitated/upgraded in 1983.The trail's name comes from the Native American/
First Nations name for Lake St. Clair.Upgrades
In May 2007, part of the Ganatchio Trail was relocated to travel just south of a
parking lot at Sandpoint Beach. The trail then continues due west with a spur heading straight to meet the Little River Extension, while the main trail branches north again, towards the roundabout with the Little River Extension.The Little River Extension trail, headed south, now runs through a tunnel under Wyandotte Street that was built in late 2007. The tunnel is well-lit, but has the tendency to flood when it rains. A few more minor shifts in the trail have taken place between this bridge and Suicide Hill as well.
Recent Talks of Expansion
As of 2006 , Windsor City Council has been in talks withCN Rail andHiram Walker Distillery on buying aspur line, and converting therailroad tracks into arail trail , for easy connection to theRiverfront Bike Trail in Downtown and the west end. This is boosted by the fact that theVIA Rail train station downtown ("Windsor-Walkerville") is old and over-crowded. The City even has several plans in the event of a relocation of railways:
*VIA trains would be rerouted to use the tracks near theWindsor Airport , placing them on the same rails that theAmtrak trains use, possibly allowing for quicker Chicago-Toronto passenger service (instead of viaSarnia, Ontario . The trains would use the same tracks (towards theMichigan Central Railway Tunnel into Detroit), which is very probable, given the DRTP proposal for turning the tunnel into a two-lane trucktunnel is nearly dead.
*Hiram Walker Distillery would be provided compensation for the loss of railway, in an unspecified manner. The tracks would be torn up in favour of a road or longpark andcycleway , making the city much safer, as many people have died in fatal automobile-train accidents.
*Until the railway can be bought (and if the deal fails), the bike lanes along Wyandotte Street East would be extended to St. Rose Avenue, where they would meet the Ganatchio Trail. As a part of the Riverside Vista Project, theLittle River bridge may receive a twinned span, as the current bridge can only accommodate two lanes of traffic (one east, one west), resulting in a dangerous bottleneck, and many times, it can only fit one bike across, due to pedestrians looking over the side of the bridge, or offishermen on it.Windsor Loop
The City of Windsor has expressed intentions on creating a
bike trail ,bike lane , and signed-route/Bike-Friendly Street "beltway " around Windsor, using pre-existing routes, lanes, and trails, and adding new ones to streets. The trail would use theRiverfront Bike Trail and Ganatchio Trail to the north, the West Windsor Recreationway to the west, a new alignment following Cabana Road to the Devonwood Conservation Area. The Loop would also follow the currentDevonwood Bike Trail , following along North Service Road andE.C. Row Expressway to the subdivision of Forest Glade, where it would turn north on Lauzon Road (not Lauzon Parkway), and follow the current signed route and path along Hawthorne Drive (a residential street), to theLittle River Extension , before meeting back up with the Ganatchio Trail at theroundabout /traffic circle . This route has not been completed yet, but several segments are already in place. The loop has a couple crossings at E.C. Row interchanges, which are extremely busy, and could pose a potential safety hazard to cyclists. The city hopes to finish the Loop "within the next 20 years".See also
*
Grand Marais Trail
*Riverfront Bike Trail
*Little River Extension
*Russell Street Neighbourhood Trail
*Devonwood Bike Trail
* Bike Trails in the City of Windsor
*Trans-Canada Trail External links
* [http://www.citywindsor.ca/000369.asp Bike Trails at City of Windsor's website, CityWindsor.ca]
* [http://www.cyclewindsor.ca/bump_site/index/index2.htm City of Windor BUMP (Bike User Master Plan)]
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