Pedestrian/Cycling Improvements Don’t Need to Be Complicated or Expensive

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Parks Canada has many kilometres of improved trails. They are simple gravel paths, but they’re wheelchair-, bicycle- and stroller-friendly. Most of them handle hundreds, occasionally thousands, of people each day. They require near-zero maintenance. There is no reason this “technology” can’t be used in our villages. In most locations, gravel paths work just as well as sidewalks. If they wash out, reinforce those spots with tar and chip.
By John Francis

It’s an election year. People who want to represent us on Northern Bruce Peninsula’s Municipal Council will be asking the voters what they want (and perhaps even listening to the answers…) It’s our chance to shape the agenda of the next Council.

So I thought I’d stick my oar in.

Is it just me, or do we need to make it a lot more pleasant to walk and cycle around our villages?

Do we need more sidewalks and bike lanes? Or do we need more cycling and walking paths?

There’s a huge difference between those questions.

Protocol for Building a Sidewalk

1) Get council approval to hire a consultant to conduct a needs study.

2) Issue a Request For Proposals with a time frame for responses.

3) Evaluate the Proposals. Get Council approval to accept the best one.

Conventional sidewalks are extremely expensive and have stroller-tripping seams every few feet. They are prone to frost heaves and cracking and are difficult to fix.

4) Work with the consultant to conduct a Needs Study, to establish the municipality’s priorities.

5) Accept the Needs Study. Get Council approval for a budget to hire surveyors.

6) Put out an RFP for surveyors, to survey the highest-priority locations and determine if any land acquisition will be necessary.

7) Evaluate the Proposals. Get Council approval to accept the best one.

8) Hire the surveyors.

9) Accept the surveyors’ report and evaluate its recommendations, which will inevitably involve hiring an engineer to plan the sidewalks.

10) Get Council approval for a budget for engineering.

11) Put out an RFP for engineers, to recommend a precise location for each poured block of concrete, how thick it should be, etc.

12) Evaluate the Proposals. Get Council approval to accept the best one.

Steps 13 through 37 omitted for brevity.

SUMMARY

Budget: $Millions.

Projected Completion Date: 2047.

Protocol for Building a Path

1) Dump some dirt where you want the path.

2) Spread it out.

3) Tamp it down.

4) You’re done.

Budget: trivial.

Projected completion date: next Thursday.

*     *     *     *     *

I think we should put in a lot of paths. They don’t have to be elegant, or perfect. If they wash out in a few spots, we can reinforce them with tar & chip. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

Put up traffic counters first if we must, but we need to get ‘er done. Harpur Drive and Bannister Hill for starters. Moore Street? Bay Street? Sure.

Anybody else like this idea?

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