By Steve Hubrecht
Results are in from the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK)’s Columbia Valley Active Transportation Survey.
On the whole the survey results indicate people living here like their trails, want more trails, and feel there are some significant gaps in the trail network.
More than 330 Columbia Valley residents filled out the survey, which ran from early September to mid-October. The survey will help inform the RDEK’s upcoming Active Transportation Plan, which should be adopted some time in 2024 if everything goes well.
RDEK planner Krista Gilbert told the Pioneer that RDEK staff “are still going through the results” but that some clear trends have already emerged.
“There is a lot of support for new trail development, there are some themes for priority areas to focus on for new trail development, and, overall, there is some good feedback on what needs to be improved,” said Gilbert.
One of the most commonly suggested improvements is to make sure trails are dedicated trails, physically separate from the roads. In other words, painting a bicycle lane on a road does not — in the view of Columbia Valley residents — make for a great trail.
“People don’t like sharing the road with vehicles,” explained Gilbert.
Another common suggestion is making sure that trails aren’t too steep. Gilbert outlined that this was a point made by multiple residents in reference to sections of the Markin-MacPhail Westside Legacy Trail.
But despite the steepness of a few parts, many survey respondents had great things to say about Westside Legacy Trail. The survey asked residents which local trails they like most, and the Westside Legacy Trail was one of the most popular, along with the Old Coach Trail connecting Dry Gulch and Radium Hot Springs, and (in winter) the Lake Windermere Whiteway.
Many areas were identified as ‘gaps’ needing filling in the valley’s existing trail network, but perhaps the most commonly cited gap was between Windermere and Invermere.
In light of land acquisition being a significant hurdle to creating new trails, a total of 74.5 per cent of respondents supported the RDEK implementing specific development permit area subdivisions that would allow the allocation of land for pathways. A total of 52.6 per cent of respondents supported the RDEK looking at an electric mobility sharing program. Exercise (90.3 per cent of respondents), enjoyment (79.9 per cent) and environmental concerns (35.8 per cent) were the biggest reasons cited for using active transportation. Gaps in the active transportation network (69.9 per cent of respondents), lack of dedicated active transportation pathways (59.6 per cent) and safety concerns (52.8 per cent) were the biggest barriers to using active transportation.
RDEK staff will continue reviewing the survey results and other feedback and will compile a draft Columbia Valley Active Transportation Plan over the next few months. After review by a technical committee, the RDEK will conduct public consultation.
The plan will then be finalized and come back to the RDEK board for adoption some time in 2024. “Our aim is in the first half of the year,” said Gilbert.
To learn more visit engage.rdek.bc.ca/ActiveTransportationCV.
