Transportation Master Plan

The executive summary provides key highlights from each section of the 2024 Transportation Master Plan, allowing for faster reading and understanding:

On February 26th, 2024, Council adopted the 2024 Transportation Master Plan (TMP) as a guiding document.

Whitehorse's TMP includes the following sections:

Plan Context

The City’s transportation network has a direct impact on the daily lives of residents and plays a role in the economy by supporting business and the efficient movement of goods and services. The types of transportation-related investments the City makes has an important role in shaping how the community moves, how the community grows, and how the community feels. The TMP will guide transportation planning and policy decisions in the community over the 2040 horizon. Decisions required to create an accessible, equitable, safe, and sustainable transportation system are not easy, and will require the City to collectively think about values, visions, and goals and apply them to prioritize decisions. This plan serves as the platform to guide those difficult decisions and align the City to achieve its values, vision, and goals and ultimately result in a vibrant and livable Whitehorse.

Whitehorse Today

The TMP illustrates how the current transportation network functions for walking, cycling, public transit, and driving, and highlights the state of the transportation network through key performance indicators such as mode share, collision data, and the current level of service provided by the transportation infrastructure for all modes. The 2021 census data from Statistics Canada, indicates that more than 78% of the population drives a private vehicle as their primary means of transportation to get to work or school. Sustainable alternatives have declined since the previous 2011 census, with transit currently accounting for 3.3%, and active transportation (walking and cycling) comprising 9.5%. Traffic modeling indicated many transportation corridors are projected to perform at approaching or over capacity in the 2040 horizon if no transportation improvements are implemented, including Two Mile Hill Road, Mountain View Drive / Copper Road / Quartz Road corridor and Lewes Boulevard.

Future Needs and Emerging Trends

The City will need to adapt and respond to various challenges such as land use and growth management, transportation equity, building resilience, housing affordability, climate change, public health, economic development and technology to ensure its transportation system remains efficient, sustainable, and responsive to the needs of the community. It is expected that Whitehorse’s population will grow significantly by 2040 based on the medium growth scenario from the Yukon Bureau of Statistics projections for population. This significant growth presents challenges to the transportation system, triggering substantial improvements to key corridors, such as:

• Mountain View Drive / Copper Road / Quartz Road;
• The Alaska Highway between Porter Creek and Two Mile Hill; and
• Robert Service Way and Robert Campbell Bridge.

Vision, Values and Goals

In alignment with the OCP and what we heard from the public, the TMP is proposing a vision for the city’s transportation network and expresses the City’s dedication to promoting sustainable travel modes such as walking, cycling, and transit to increase their usage. The vision outlined in the TMP is:

“Whitehorse’s diverse transportation network will establish connections among the city’s residents and businesses, as well as provide links to the broader Yukon Territory and beyond. This system aims to offer appealing and fair transportation options that prioritize safety, comfort, accessibility, and uninterrupted availability for individuals of all ages and abilities. Whitehorse envisions an integrated array of transportation facilities and services that promote cost-effective mobility while encouraging a transition toward more sustainable transportation choices, including active and shared modes. Ultimately, the city’s transportation system is designed to underpin a dynamic, inclusive, forward-thinking, livable, healthy, eco-conscious, and affordable northern community.”

The Goals and Objectives of the TMP are to:

• Provide accessible and equitable year-round transportation options;
• Enable the safe and secure movement of all people, goods, and services across all modes of transportation;
• Offer a sustainable mobility with a system that aims to reduce environmental impacts by increasing sustainable mode shares;
• Achieve a prosperous community by supporting Whitehorse’s economic, environmental and social prosperity; and
• Deliver projects that support or facilitate affordable modes of transportation to ease financial burden on residents

The TMP includes three measurable transportation related targets:

• Mode Share: Increase sustainable mode share to 40% of all commute trips by 2040. A new set of 2040 mode share targets is established as follows: transit (15%), walking (10%), cycling (6%), shared transportation (7%), and other emerging mobility modes (2%), with the remaining 60% being made using single occupancy vehicles.
• Vision Zero: No fatalities or serious injuries on Whitehorse’s transportation network by 2040.
• Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions: Reduce total GHG emissions related to transportation by 10% by 2040 (relative to 2014 levels).

The TMP prioritizes and supports five transportation modes:

• Public Transit
• Walking
• Cycling
• Goods Movement
• Single Occupancy Vehicle

Implementation Strategies

The TMP proposes an implementation plan which is guided by eight principles: Integrated Planning, Safety First, Sustainability, Efficiency & Connectivity, Community Engagement, Partnership & Collaboration, Fairness, and Data-Driven Decision-Making.

The TMP proposes four high-priority policies that the City should focus on:

• Complete Streets;
• Vision Zero and Safe System Approach;
• Design Standards; and
• Neighbourhood Traffic Calming.

The implementation plan offers 146 recommended actions and projects in the following areas that will influence and guide the development of the transportation network for the short term (2024-2030), medium term (2030-2035), and long term (2035-2040):

• Transportation Policy and Bylaws;
• Major Projects;
• Active Transportation;
• Transit;
• Intersections and Crossings;
• Parking;
• Goods Movement;
• New Mobility;
• Transportation Demand Management; and
• Safety, Maintenance and Operations.

A next step in relation to the implementation of the TMP is to develop a funding strategy that aligns with the City’s overall Capital Expenditure Program and also looks beyond the 4-year horizon, given that most of the projects in the TMP are not currently funded.

Monitoring and Evaluation

To track the progress and outcomes of the TMP through the life of the plan, the project team developed key performance indicators on which the effectiveness of transportation projects can be measured.

We have released the Phase 2 Engagement Summary Report on the proposed strategies and actions in the Transportation Master Plan.

The report is a compilation of the feedback, perspectives, and insights provided by participants throughout the engagement period, which included two webinars, an open house and survey conducted over the last two years.

The feedback is broken down into several themes shared by participants and respondents including:

• Policy Projects;
• Safety and Active Transportation Projects;
• Transit Projects;
• Intersections and Crossings;
• Major Projects; and
• Parking Projects.

The report and feedback is now being used to finalize the final Transportation Master Plan which will be brought forward to Council this Winter where the public will have another opportunity to share their final thoughts.

We have now concluded Phase 2 Engagement.

We are right in the middle of Phase 2 Engagement for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan. Here's some more information about Phase 2 Engagement and how you can get involved.

What we're asking now:

This phase of engagement focuses on sharing information and receiving feedback towards our draft strategies and actions. Check out Why We Engage | Engage Whitehorse to learn more about why we engage, how we engage, and how your input will be used.

How to get involved:

Here are a couple ways to get involved in Phase 2 Engagement for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan:

• Watch Webinar #3 (June 10, 2023) recording.
• Come to our Public Open House tomorrow (June 14, 2023) at the KDFN Cultural Centre between 16:00-18:30.
• Take our Survey! Survey closes June 30, 2023.
• Join the discussion! Let's talk transportation!
• Use the Ask A Question tool to ask the Project Team a question about the project.

Our promise to you:

We will keep you informed, listen to and acknowledge your concerns and preferences, and provide feedback on how public input influenced the decision.

Recording of webinar hosted on June 7, 2023, 18:00-19:00 online via Zoom.

On June 7, 2023, we hosted our third webinar for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan. Guided by the series’ theme, "Whitehorse Moves," this webinar focused on the draft implementation plan which includes strategies, actions, and projects which will help us move towards our envisioned transportation network. We also spent some time answering questions from attendees.

We are launching the second phase of public engagement for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan project.

Join us for a webinar on June 7 at 6 p.m., or at the public open house on June 14. These events will focus on reviewing the potential transportation improvements and the major themes of the draft Transportation Master Plan.

You can also share your views on the potential improvements through our online survey from June 7 to 30.

Learn more about the Transportation Master Plan and engagement opportunities on this site.

Recording of webinar hosted on November 15, 2022, 18:00-19:00 online via Zoom.

On November 15, 2022, we hosted our second webinar for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan. Guided by the series’ theme, "Whitehorse Moves," this webinar focused on Phase 1 Engagement results, best practices for transportation from around the world, and the City's vision and values for Transportation and Mobility. We also spent some time answering questions from attendees.

We have now released the Transportation Master Plan (TMP) Engagement Summary Report. Click here to view.

Throughout Phase 1 of this engagement period, we heard the following key themes:

1. Increasing transportation options for all ages, abilities, incomes, and seasons;
2. Improve traffic safety;
3. Focus on core transportation services;
4. Complete streets; and
5. Climate action and sustainability.

The report includes detailed feedback on what was heard from 20 stakeholder and interested party interviews, 180 survey submissions, and nearly 100 attendees to virtual and in-person engagement events. Feedback received in Phase 1 will be used to inform and guide the development of the draft and final TMP.

Recording of webinar hosted on 18:00-19:00, November 30, 2021.

On November 30, 2021, we hosted our first webinar for the Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan. Guided by the series’ theme, Whitehorse Moves, this webinar focused on our shared understanding of experiences and perceptions of the current transportation network. We explored how people move around the city; and explored barriers and motivators to movement in Whitehorse.

There were many great questions asked by participants during the webinar and we did not have enough time to go into detail for all of them. Our team did however complete a list of detailed questions and responses.