Pitt Meadows makes pedalling a priority
Surveys and discussions have led to understanding the issues around cycling
Ike de Boer, City of Pitt Meadows engineering service coordinator, looked at a report on the Pedestrian and Cycling Master Plan.
Photograph by: Submitted , TIMES
The City of Pitt Meadows is developing a pedestrian and cycling master plan.
At the Oct. 23 council-in-committee meeting Hailey Steiger and Andreas Rohl of Urban Systems gave a progress report of the master plan thus far. (Rohl is the bicycle director in Copenhagen, Denmark and took a one-year sabbatical to Vancouver.)
The fifth and final phase of the plan is to submit to council the findings from the research done the past six months. The report will include strategies, costs, and short-, medium-, and long-term goals, for walking and cycling infrastructure.
Since May, the City has hosted public events, distributed surveys, and had discussions with various groups to learn about and understand the issues around cycling.
"Most people are satisfied with what Pitt Meadows is doing. The biggest concern is safety," said Ike de Boer, City of Pitt Meadows engineering service co-ordinator.
"Recently when we were redoing Kennedy Road we added an off-road pathway, which is paved," said de Boer.
Pitt Meadows has an extensive network of trails, paths, sidewalks, and bike lanes. However, about 85 per cent of Pitt Meadows residents use a car to get to work, while only four per cent walk or bike to work.
Another initiative taken by the City requires builders to provide bike parking when a new development is constructed within the community.
"In the end, what we are trying to do is make it more attractive, more safe, and create a complete multi-modal system for all users," he added.
