City crews, bolstered by additional contracted forces, made good headway on local roads over the weekend. I noticed the crews made some major progress in the north end of the Ivy Lake area, 101 Street in Swanavon was done and they should be mostly through the Countryside neighbourhood.
The staff have picked up where they left off before the big weekend snow fall, so if your neighbourhood hadn't been done before then it should be one of the first to have some attention now. - the flip side to that is of course that if you were done before the big snow fall (like my neighbourhood) then you'll be a little further down the list.
Today they will complete Countryside North and Signature Falls and then move on into the Summit, Mountview and Mission Heights areas.
Of course not everyone has seen an improvement yet and I know thats frustrating but we are on our way. We have a Public Works committee meeting this Tuesday and I'm going to formally ask staff to do a "post-mortem" review of our systems and the response this this event to see what we might be able to learn from it.
Media Release
January 24, 2011
Snow Removal Efforts Move Into New Neighbourhoods Today
Weekend snow removal efforts saw major inroads into the backlog resulting from the mid-January record snowfall.
Today, crews will complete Countryside North and Signature Falls and move into the Summit, Mountview and Mission Heights areas.
“The lack of snow in the forecast and milder conditions are a bonus right now,” says Transportation Services Manager Robert Carroll.
The addition of contractor equipment has doubled City of Grande Prairie forces to tackle the accumulation of snow.
“We thank everyone who has co-operated by moving their vehicles off the streets and understand that those people who have not seen a plough are anxious to see their streets ploughed,” Carroll says.
The milder conditions have helped reduce the size of windrows, reducing safety issues.
“We appreciate the many people who have called or sent messages to us asking us to address this issue,” Mayor Bill Given says. “It is regrettable that people have been stuck and are inconvenienced by our extreme weather earlier this month. This remains our top priority and crews will continue to work around the clock until we are caught up.”
Showing posts sorted by date for query complete streets. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query complete streets. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Monday, January 24, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Snow Removal Response
It's no surprise there've been lots of questions about how the City is addressing the massive amount of snow we received over the weekend. Here's the answers (Please take some time to read the fact sheet at the bottom)
Media Release
January 19, 2011
City Adjusts Snow Removal Plans To Tackle Latest Snowfall
The City of Grande Prairie has amended its regular ploughing practices to step up removal of the record snowfall from last weekend.
As neighbourhoods streets are addressed, residents may notice adjusted levels of service due to the need to expedite snow removal operations. For example, residents could be required to remove ploughed snow from the end of their driveways. As well, in some neighbourhoods snow will be stored in locations not typically used such as sidewalks.
“Cars parked on roadways makes snow removal impossible as equipment cannot fit between vehicles and windrows,” says Robert Carroll, Transportation Services Manager. “This means some streets may not receive snow removal service until the vehicles are removed.
“Snow clearing in driveways and storing the snow in windrows constitute a high level of service and this needs to be relaxed to speed up operations. This adjusted snow removal measure means that the same area can be covered with less staff, resulting in more crews working simultaneously.”
A second measure being implemented is a relaxation of the City’s Noise Bylaw which does not allow snow removal operations after 10 p.m. on Priority 2 routes.
“This Bylaw is in place to enable our citizens to enjoy quiet in the later hours of the evening,” says Mayor Bill Given. “Due to our current situation, it is necessary to speed up the removal of snow from neighbourhoods.”
Sunday’s 20-centimetre snowfall eclipsed a 60-year record. Crews worked overtime throughout the weekend to combat the accumulation.
“These temporary steps will allow our crews in carrying out their work,” says Mayor Given. “Addressing this issue is the top priority for Council and Administration and we applaud crews for their efforts to date. Residents will be informed daily of progress.”
Crews are working in three eight-hour shifts, augmented by contracted equipment seven days a week as long as required. The City invests about $6 million annually in snow ploughing and ice control.
-30-
Media enquiries may be directed to:
Mayor Bill Given
780.538.0310
bgiven@cityofgp.com
City of Grande Prairie Snow Removal Fact Sheet – January 19, 2011
• Crews worked overtime throughout the weekend to combat the record snowfall. These forces were ramped up with contractor equipment on Priority 1 roads.
Priorities
The City’s Snow Removal Policy calls for Priority 1 & 2 routes to be ploughed first. These include:
Priority 1 – Major Arterial – 100 St, 84 Ave, 68 Ave, Resources Rd, Hwy 40 - Wapiti Road, etc. Priority 2 – Transit Bus Routes and Major Collector Roadways; Crystal Lake Drive, Mission Heights Drive, Poplar Drive, Royal Oaks Drive, etc.
• The City has advised residents to remove ALL vehicles from these Permanent Snow Routes (Priority 1 and Priority 2) immediately.
• City Crews are presently working on all of our Bus Routes and vehicles parked on these routes are a hazard and make the clearing of snow very slow and difficult or impossible.
Equipment
• The City is employing six graders, four plough trucks (dump trucks with either plough on the front or under the belly), five front-end loaders with angle blades, five City dump trucks, four contracted dump trucks and one snow blower for clearing windrows.
• The City has secured 12 additional pieces of heavy equipment – six graders and six front end loaders – to supplement the fleet to expedite snow removal operations. Additional trucks have been hired to assist snow hauling operations.
Changes
• Typically, residential streets are ploughed with driveways being cleared and the snow piles being stored in windrows or on rights of way.
• Residents may need to assist by removing ploughed snow from the ends of their driveways.
• A temporary relaxation of the Noise Bylaw will allow snow clearing operations to continue past 10 p.m. on Priority 2 routes.
Background
• The City’s total budget for snow ploughing and ice control is about $6 million.
• There are 130 kilometres of Priority 1 and 2 roads and 180 kilometres of residential streets to clear for 310 kilometres total.
• Up to 30,000 truckloads of snow must be hauled to the snow dump to remove the accumulation to date. By comparison in the winter of 2006-2007 (a record snowfall year), 75,000 truckloads were hauled away between Oct. 27 and April 2007.
• In average conditions, it takes up to six weeks to do a complete cycle of snow removal in the City with only municipal forces.
Media Release
January 19, 2011
City Adjusts Snow Removal Plans To Tackle Latest Snowfall
The City of Grande Prairie has amended its regular ploughing practices to step up removal of the record snowfall from last weekend.
As neighbourhoods streets are addressed, residents may notice adjusted levels of service due to the need to expedite snow removal operations. For example, residents could be required to remove ploughed snow from the end of their driveways. As well, in some neighbourhoods snow will be stored in locations not typically used such as sidewalks.
“Cars parked on roadways makes snow removal impossible as equipment cannot fit between vehicles and windrows,” says Robert Carroll, Transportation Services Manager. “This means some streets may not receive snow removal service until the vehicles are removed.
“Snow clearing in driveways and storing the snow in windrows constitute a high level of service and this needs to be relaxed to speed up operations. This adjusted snow removal measure means that the same area can be covered with less staff, resulting in more crews working simultaneously.”
A second measure being implemented is a relaxation of the City’s Noise Bylaw which does not allow snow removal operations after 10 p.m. on Priority 2 routes.
“This Bylaw is in place to enable our citizens to enjoy quiet in the later hours of the evening,” says Mayor Bill Given. “Due to our current situation, it is necessary to speed up the removal of snow from neighbourhoods.”
Sunday’s 20-centimetre snowfall eclipsed a 60-year record. Crews worked overtime throughout the weekend to combat the accumulation.
“These temporary steps will allow our crews in carrying out their work,” says Mayor Given. “Addressing this issue is the top priority for Council and Administration and we applaud crews for their efforts to date. Residents will be informed daily of progress.”
Crews are working in three eight-hour shifts, augmented by contracted equipment seven days a week as long as required. The City invests about $6 million annually in snow ploughing and ice control.
-30-
Media enquiries may be directed to:
Mayor Bill Given
780.538.0310
bgiven@cityofgp.com
City of Grande Prairie Snow Removal Fact Sheet – January 19, 2011
• Crews worked overtime throughout the weekend to combat the record snowfall. These forces were ramped up with contractor equipment on Priority 1 roads.
Priorities
The City’s Snow Removal Policy calls for Priority 1 & 2 routes to be ploughed first. These include:
Priority 1 – Major Arterial – 100 St, 84 Ave, 68 Ave, Resources Rd, Hwy 40 - Wapiti Road, etc. Priority 2 – Transit Bus Routes and Major Collector Roadways; Crystal Lake Drive, Mission Heights Drive, Poplar Drive, Royal Oaks Drive, etc.
• The City has advised residents to remove ALL vehicles from these Permanent Snow Routes (Priority 1 and Priority 2) immediately.
• City Crews are presently working on all of our Bus Routes and vehicles parked on these routes are a hazard and make the clearing of snow very slow and difficult or impossible.
Equipment
• The City is employing six graders, four plough trucks (dump trucks with either plough on the front or under the belly), five front-end loaders with angle blades, five City dump trucks, four contracted dump trucks and one snow blower for clearing windrows.
• The City has secured 12 additional pieces of heavy equipment – six graders and six front end loaders – to supplement the fleet to expedite snow removal operations. Additional trucks have been hired to assist snow hauling operations.
Changes
• Typically, residential streets are ploughed with driveways being cleared and the snow piles being stored in windrows or on rights of way.
• Residents may need to assist by removing ploughed snow from the ends of their driveways.
• A temporary relaxation of the Noise Bylaw will allow snow clearing operations to continue past 10 p.m. on Priority 2 routes.
Background
• The City’s total budget for snow ploughing and ice control is about $6 million.
• There are 130 kilometres of Priority 1 and 2 roads and 180 kilometres of residential streets to clear for 310 kilometres total.
• Up to 30,000 truckloads of snow must be hauled to the snow dump to remove the accumulation to date. By comparison in the winter of 2006-2007 (a record snowfall year), 75,000 truckloads were hauled away between Oct. 27 and April 2007.
• In average conditions, it takes up to six weeks to do a complete cycle of snow removal in the City with only municipal forces.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Chamber of Commerce Survey Responses
This time around it's the Grande Prairie & District Chamber of Commerce. I haven't been able to find the responses posted to their website yet so I thought I'd post mine here.
1 – HEALTH CARE FACILITIES AND SERVICES The recent announcement of a $520-Million Dollar Health Care Facility has a potentially huge impact on our city and/or region. If elected, how would you advocate to ensure the needs of our community are met as detailed plans for the facility are determined.
The city must support the construction of the new hospital by ensuring the planning & development approval process is fast tracked, not just for the hospital site but for the whole of the college lands. In partnership with the province and GPRC we must also advocate to see the learning & education component of the project completed. Finally we need to work with community partners to ensure the provinces properly funds the operations & staffing of the facility
2 – REGIONAL COOPERATION The recently approved Intermunicipal Development Plan was touted as a big accomplishment of the current council. What are your thoughts on the plan? In your opinion what opportunities does it present for future development?
The plan is a step forward but we must recognize that actual annexation of county lands into the city is likely another 3 years way, and development on those lands could be even further off. Working through the annexation process must be a major focus of the city over the coming term. Council must; ensure landowners and businesses are engaged in the process; develop estimates of what additional costs will come with the lands, and begin to actively encourage servicing and development of the lands.
3 – TAXES & UTLITIES There is a perception by some in the business community that the City is not as ‘business-friendly’ as some of our surrounding communities - a stigma that could result in the potential loss of future city developments. What is your plan to retain existing businesses and attract new economic development to our community?
My goal is for the city to be recognized as the most customer orientated municipality in the province. The City of Grande Prairie can has already implemented the BizPal program which substantially reduces “red tape” by allowing businesses to get information from 3 levels of government at once. In the area of development we are working to revise our development permitting process to make it faster and more efficient for customers – I support this and will continue seek ways to streamline city processes. I also believe the city has a roll in advocating on behalf of businesses in our region when it comes to trying to address the costs of doing business in our region. In particular we need to work with the province to address the high cost of electricity which impacts homeowners and businesses alike.
4 – TRANSPORTATION What is the greatest transportation concern currently facing our city? What would you do, if elected, to address the issue?
On-going maintenance and repair of our city roads will always be the greatest transportation concern for our community. In addition to maintaining our current level of investment in road maintenance, I believe we need to improve the design standards for new roads and consider "front-ending" development of major arterials in strategic locations (such as 116th street south of 84th avenue and 84th Street on the east side). Outside of the automobile the city must work to see that all city streets are "Complete Streets" that are useful and accessible for cars, pedestrians and cyclists. We also need to continue to budget for the full implementation of the Transit Master Plan which will improve our public transportation system.
Monday, July 12, 2010
York Hotel Update
One of the hot topics out there as we head in to the fall election is the city's purchase of the York Hotel. As it turns out the hotel is on the agenda for our regular General Government Services committee meeting this Wednesday. Staff are bringing forward a simple report to update council on what will be happening with the property over the next while. The highlights:
Building Tenants
Mar 4th, City takes ownership of the hotel
Apr 7th, Residential tenants were gone
Jun 17th, Commercial tenants were gone
Timelines for demolition (estimated)
July 9th, Receive hazardous material identification report.
July 23rd, Tender Hazardous material removal contract
Aug 23rd, Award Hazardous material removal contract & tender Demolition contract
Sept 20th, Award Demolition contract
Nov 12th, Demolition complete
Costs to Date
Building purchase $1.1 Million
Operational costs since purchase $52,497.53
(Operational costs are mostly related to security & utilities. Security costs are down significantly since the tenants moved out.)
I know a lot of people who have been concerned that the building would sit as a boarded up eyesore down town and with that in mind I've been pushing to have this all happen as quickly as is reasonably possible. If everything goes according to the plan above I think it's fair to say that we've had a pretty rapid process & that will be good for downtown.
As for next steps... I believe we need to come up with a plan that will see a new building built on the site sooner, rather than later. I also think we need to do that in a coordinated fashion, rather than dealing with just this property in isolation from the rest of downtown. I believe we should be to open up the downtown enhancement plan and take a big picture look at the west end of the city's core because there are a lot of changes coming to that area in the next few years.
In addition to the changes at the York Hotel/Germain Park property, eventually the old Park Hotel will come down and the city will build the 101 Ave couplet that will cross through the area of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant. When you add all this up we have a chance to remake the face of our downtown, if we have a good plan that looks at everything together, rather than dealing with individual sections.
I would like to see more mixed use development (commercial on the bottom and residential or office on upper floors) in the downtown. I believe having more people live in the heart of the city adds life to the streets and provides a housing option that is in short supply in GP.
So this Wednesday we're getting an update on the work that's been done so far and what's coming up shortly & that all looks well in hand. Now I want to see us get started on where we're going to go in the long term.
Building Tenants
Mar 4th, City takes ownership of the hotel
Apr 7th, Residential tenants were gone
Jun 17th, Commercial tenants were gone
Timelines for demolition (estimated)
July 9th, Receive hazardous material identification report.
July 23rd, Tender Hazardous material removal contract
Aug 23rd, Award Hazardous material removal contract & tender Demolition contract
Sept 20th, Award Demolition contract
Nov 12th, Demolition complete
Costs to Date
Building purchase $1.1 Million
Operational costs since purchase $52,497.53
(Operational costs are mostly related to security & utilities. Security costs are down significantly since the tenants moved out.)
I know a lot of people who have been concerned that the building would sit as a boarded up eyesore down town and with that in mind I've been pushing to have this all happen as quickly as is reasonably possible. If everything goes according to the plan above I think it's fair to say that we've had a pretty rapid process & that will be good for downtown.
As for next steps... I believe we need to come up with a plan that will see a new building built on the site sooner, rather than later. I also think we need to do that in a coordinated fashion, rather than dealing with just this property in isolation from the rest of downtown. I believe we should be to open up the downtown enhancement plan and take a big picture look at the west end of the city's core because there are a lot of changes coming to that area in the next few years. In addition to the changes at the York Hotel/Germain Park property, eventually the old Park Hotel will come down and the city will build the 101 Ave couplet that will cross through the area of the old Coca-Cola bottling plant. When you add all this up we have a chance to remake the face of our downtown, if we have a good plan that looks at everything together, rather than dealing with individual sections.
I would like to see more mixed use development (commercial on the bottom and residential or office on upper floors) in the downtown. I believe having more people live in the heart of the city adds life to the streets and provides a housing option that is in short supply in GP.
So this Wednesday we're getting an update on the work that's been done so far and what's coming up shortly & that all looks well in hand. Now I want to see us get started on where we're going to go in the long term.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
When A School Zone Becomes A School Area
Apparently, since the city did the upgrades to 116th Ave (just north of Crystal Park School) there's been some confusion in the public. Residents have been calling the city with reports of people speeding through the school zone but the thing is; there's no longer a "School Zone" there.
In addition to twinning the street the city also added a proper sidewalk along the south side of the street, fencing along the school property and a new pedestrian controlled crosswalk at the 92nd street intersection at the entrance to the Crystal Lake neighbourhood. (you could say we've finally made it into a "Complete Street")
With these improvements the School Zone and it's 30km/h speed limit was no longer warranted. So now it's designated as a "School Area" and has a 50km/h speed limit. Personally I still think it's a good idea to slow down a bit and make sure you're paying extra attention (why wouldn't you?).
More details in the city media release below:
Media Release
November 24, 2009
Crystal Park School Roadway Rezoned
Recent improvements to 116 Avenue have resulted in speed limit changes near Crystal Park School.
The section of road, adjacent to Crystal Park School is now considered a School Area, rather then a School Zone. Therefore, the speed limit of 30 km/h no longer applies.
School Areas and School Zones are determined by national guidelines. The criteria for allowing a section of road to become a School Area instead of a School Zone include having good sidewalk links, crosswalks, fencing in place, controlled access points and schools being set back from the road.
“The decision to move to a School Area was made in conjunction with the Grande Prairie Public School District,” says Colin Farynowski, Transportation Engineering Supervisor. “The safety of children was of prime consideration. This was addressed with the roadway enhancements and associated improvements.”
The pedestrian activated crossings at 92 and 96 Streets on 116 Avenue, separate sidewalks on both sides of the street, and fencing along the entire length of the school have reduced the need for school speed restrictions.
116 Avenue was twinned earlier this year prompting the improvements to the area surrounding Crystal Park School.
Kateri Drive, near Derek Taylor Public School, is also signed as a School Area. The Lions Learning Centre on Prairie Road is another example of a School Area in Grande Prairie.
Media enquiries may be directed to:
Colin Farynowski
Transportation Engineering Supervisor
(780)538-0361
In addition to twinning the street the city also added a proper sidewalk along the south side of the street, fencing along the school property and a new pedestrian controlled crosswalk at the 92nd street intersection at the entrance to the Crystal Lake neighbourhood. (you could say we've finally made it into a "Complete Street")
With these improvements the School Zone and it's 30km/h speed limit was no longer warranted. So now it's designated as a "School Area" and has a 50km/h speed limit. Personally I still think it's a good idea to slow down a bit and make sure you're paying extra attention (why wouldn't you?).
More details in the city media release below:
Media Release
November 24, 2009
Crystal Park School Roadway Rezoned
Recent improvements to 116 Avenue have resulted in speed limit changes near Crystal Park School.
The section of road, adjacent to Crystal Park School is now considered a School Area, rather then a School Zone. Therefore, the speed limit of 30 km/h no longer applies.
School Areas and School Zones are determined by national guidelines. The criteria for allowing a section of road to become a School Area instead of a School Zone include having good sidewalk links, crosswalks, fencing in place, controlled access points and schools being set back from the road.
“The decision to move to a School Area was made in conjunction with the Grande Prairie Public School District,” says Colin Farynowski, Transportation Engineering Supervisor. “The safety of children was of prime consideration. This was addressed with the roadway enhancements and associated improvements.”
The pedestrian activated crossings at 92 and 96 Streets on 116 Avenue, separate sidewalks on both sides of the street, and fencing along the entire length of the school have reduced the need for school speed restrictions.
116 Avenue was twinned earlier this year prompting the improvements to the area surrounding Crystal Park School.
Kateri Drive, near Derek Taylor Public School, is also signed as a School Area. The Lions Learning Centre on Prairie Road is another example of a School Area in Grande Prairie.
Media enquiries may be directed to:
Colin Farynowski
Transportation Engineering Supervisor
(780)538-0361
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
A Complete Street
It's funny, ever since the Sustainable Transportation wrokshop I've been looking at streets differently - regular readers will have seen my posts (here & here) looking at some of the worst examples of "incomplete streets" in Grande Prairie. Well, even at a convention I couldn't stop looking at how the streets and sidewalks were laid out.
Throughout Quebec City the sidewalks are busy with tourists and locals walking everywhere. In the old section the streets are as narrow as they would be any historic European city, very charming but not a lot of room for bikes let alone say a wheelchair for example. But, on the walk from our hotel to the convention centre I realized I was on one of the best examples of a complete street I had ever seen! I snapped the picture below...
This was taken early on Sunday morning so the traffic is pretty light but as you can see the road is four or six lanes wide. Some of the things that makes this a very "complete" street:
• Very wide sidewalk
• Trees make a great separation from the road
• Crosswalks are wide, well marked and very obvious
• Countdown lights to let pedestrians know how much time there is to cross
• Bike lanes marked on the sidewalk
With great streets like this, it's no wonder there are so many people walking here!
Throughout Quebec City the sidewalks are busy with tourists and locals walking everywhere. In the old section the streets are as narrow as they would be any historic European city, very charming but not a lot of room for bikes let alone say a wheelchair for example. But, on the walk from our hotel to the convention centre I realized I was on one of the best examples of a complete street I had ever seen! I snapped the picture below...
This was taken early on Sunday morning so the traffic is pretty light but as you can see the road is four or six lanes wide. Some of the things that makes this a very "complete" street:
• Very wide sidewalk
• Trees make a great separation from the road
• Crosswalks are wide, well marked and very obvious
• Countdown lights to let pedestrians know how much time there is to cross
• Bike lanes marked on the sidewalk
With great streets like this, it's no wonder there are so many people walking here!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
More Incomplete Streets
Ok, now that I've started looking I'm seeing Grande Prairie's "incomplete streets" everywhere. It's kind of a fun to view common places through a different lens.
If you missed my previous post on Complete Streets it's here.
Anyhow I spotted this today and I had to post it.
People obviously want to walk here - it's a really well worn path and no wonder; it leads to one of the major transit points in the city at the Towne Centre Mall. There is a great sidewalk on the other side of the street which is a good thing. It's just a shame that it's not on both sides.
Take this example.... If I was a senior who wanted to take the bus to my regular hearing test (I think there is a business in the building south of the tracks that does that.) What would my walk be like? Of course, being a little older I really prefer a nice even surface to walk on for safety - given that requirement, what do I have to do to get to the buildings just south of the bus stop?
First I have to go the opposite direction (north) of my final destination ... then I have to cross the road at a busy intersection. Then I walk back the way I want to go (south) and finally I cross at another intersection (that doesn't have crosswalk lights) and finally I'm where I want to be.
Obviously it would have been a lot less effort (and safer) to just walk directly south - had there been a sidewalk in place.
I'm not pointing fingers - I really think these things are "no-fault" items... they've been missed over the years for lots of reasons. I just think that once we start looking we ought to start working to correct them. I think we'd have a better city for our efforts.
I'm still looking for your help in identifying GP's "best" incomplete streets... send me your pictures or locations!
If you missed my previous post on Complete Streets it's here.
Anyhow I spotted this today and I had to post it.
People obviously want to walk here - it's a really well worn path and no wonder; it leads to one of the major transit points in the city at the Towne Centre Mall. There is a great sidewalk on the other side of the street which is a good thing. It's just a shame that it's not on both sides.
Take this example.... If I was a senior who wanted to take the bus to my regular hearing test (I think there is a business in the building south of the tracks that does that.) What would my walk be like? Of course, being a little older I really prefer a nice even surface to walk on for safety - given that requirement, what do I have to do to get to the buildings just south of the bus stop?
First I have to go the opposite direction (north) of my final destination ... then I have to cross the road at a busy intersection. Then I walk back the way I want to go (south) and finally I cross at another intersection (that doesn't have crosswalk lights) and finally I'm where I want to be.
Obviously it would have been a lot less effort (and safer) to just walk directly south - had there been a sidewalk in place.
I'm not pointing fingers - I really think these things are "no-fault" items... they've been missed over the years for lots of reasons. I just think that once we start looking we ought to start working to correct them. I think we'd have a better city for our efforts.
I'm still looking for your help in identifying GP's "best" incomplete streets... send me your pictures or locations!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Complete Streets
I've promised that I'd post a little more on the ideas from the Sustainable Transportation workshop so here's one:
Complete Streets
Simply put, a "Complete Street" is one that is useful and accessible for all users. That includes not only cars but also pedestrians and cyclists. The workshop facilitators had us consider streets from three unique perspectives; a senior couple walking, a young girl riding her bike and an adult in a wheelchair.
Some example of the needs of each; the seniors would want a solid, even surface and crossings that give lots of time to get across the street. The girl on her bike needs space to ride safely without having to compete with cars or pedestrians and the adult in the wheelchair needs curbs that are easy to navigate without fear of tipping.
There were many more examples but that gives you and idea. A street that is comfortable and useable for all three is a "Complete Street". There is some great information on the Complete Streets website.
Which brings me to what we see around Grande Prairie....
No wonder people don't walk - it's too much of a hassle!
Of course there are quite a few examples of this kind of thing around the city and there are many reasons why these gaps exist. One part of the issue is our rapid growth - sometimes a neighbourhood springs up and the connections to the older areas just haven't been put in yet. Other times they are what I like to call "sins of the past"; at some point in history we didn't force a new development to put in the infrastructure or it could be that when a development was built our standards didn't call for a sidewalk. Whatever the reason, I think these gaps are exactly the kind of thing that frustrate people and detract from our sense that Grande Prairie is a "nice city". These are exactly the kind of things I want to fix.
Do you have a favourite example of an incomplete street like the one above? If you do mention it in the comments section or email me a picture so I can post it here. My email address is bgiven@cityofgp.com
Complete Streets
Simply put, a "Complete Street" is one that is useful and accessible for all users. That includes not only cars but also pedestrians and cyclists. The workshop facilitators had us consider streets from three unique perspectives; a senior couple walking, a young girl riding her bike and an adult in a wheelchair.
Some example of the needs of each; the seniors would want a solid, even surface and crossings that give lots of time to get across the street. The girl on her bike needs space to ride safely without having to compete with cars or pedestrians and the adult in the wheelchair needs curbs that are easy to navigate without fear of tipping.
There were many more examples but that gives you and idea. A street that is comfortable and useable for all three is a "Complete Street". There is some great information on the Complete Streets website.
Which brings me to what we see around Grande Prairie....
No wonder people don't walk - it's too much of a hassle!
Of course there are quite a few examples of this kind of thing around the city and there are many reasons why these gaps exist. One part of the issue is our rapid growth - sometimes a neighbourhood springs up and the connections to the older areas just haven't been put in yet. Other times they are what I like to call "sins of the past"; at some point in history we didn't force a new development to put in the infrastructure or it could be that when a development was built our standards didn't call for a sidewalk. Whatever the reason, I think these gaps are exactly the kind of thing that frustrate people and detract from our sense that Grande Prairie is a "nice city". These are exactly the kind of things I want to fix.
Do you have a favourite example of an incomplete street like the one above? If you do mention it in the comments section or email me a picture so I can post it here. My email address is bgiven@cityofgp.com
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sustainable Transportation Workshop
I'm doing a little mobile blogging this morning. I'll be spending most of the day at the GP Inn taking in a workshop on Sustainable Transportation.
The City is hosting the workshop but from the agenda I can see that much of the content is coming from the Sustainable Alberta Association. I've never heard of Sustainable Alberta before so it's nice that the day kicks off with "An Intro To Sustainable Alberta" at about 9:00.
Other items on the agenda include; Innovative Design and Best Practices for Complete Streets, A Walkabout Exercise, Local ST (Sustainable Transport) Initiatives, a Presentation from City of Whitehorse and a spot labeled "activity".
It looks like a full day.
One simple change I think would aid in promoting more walking (which is sustainable transport at its most basic level) is to increase the minimum width of sidewalks in the city. Many otherwise good sidewalks almost discourage walking because they aren't wide enough for a couple to walk side by side. Wonder if that will come up today?
I'll keep you posted.
The City is hosting the workshop but from the agenda I can see that much of the content is coming from the Sustainable Alberta Association. I've never heard of Sustainable Alberta before so it's nice that the day kicks off with "An Intro To Sustainable Alberta" at about 9:00.
Other items on the agenda include; Innovative Design and Best Practices for Complete Streets, A Walkabout Exercise, Local ST (Sustainable Transport) Initiatives, a Presentation from City of Whitehorse and a spot labeled "activity".
It looks like a full day.
One simple change I think would aid in promoting more walking (which is sustainable transport at its most basic level) is to increase the minimum width of sidewalks in the city. Many otherwise good sidewalks almost discourage walking because they aren't wide enough for a couple to walk side by side. Wonder if that will come up today?
I'll keep you posted.
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