Cycle path group given green light by LTC
Derek Kilbourn
derek@soundernews.com
Monday, February 1 2010
The Gabriola Local Trust Committee (LTC) has given the go ahead to the ad hoc Gabriola Transportation Committee Cycle Path group to create a “Gabriola cycle route plan” to present to the LTC at the end of March.
Fay Weller and Cameron Murray, representing the group, presented a proposal to the LTC at the regular LTC meeting on Friday last week.
The issue is that a memorandum of understanding, dating back to 1992, exists between the Trust and the (now-named) Ministry of Transportation and Environment (MoTE) asking that if/when road upgrades are done on Gabriola, they be done to include 1.2 metre wide paved bicycle paths with painted lines outside of the vehicle lanes, in accordance with routes designated by the LTC.
The catch, as pointed out by the presenters, is that no routes have been designated by the LTC within the Gabriola Official Community Plan (OCP).
The group asked the LTC to establish a stakeholder committee to create a cycle route plan--either to officially designate the presenting group itself to do the work, or to create a new group.
All three members of the LTC were in favour of giving the task to the already existing group.
Trustee Sheila Malcolmson did point out that through conversations with EMCON and MoTE in late 2009, she knows there are no capital upgrade road projects in the near future, which means there is time to create a cycle route plan.
Identifying dangerous “pinch” points around the island on different roads was also noted as an important task for the group.
Member Victor Anthony has volunteered to ride around the island with a GPS to map and identify all those places where there are difficulties, such as blind spots and ditches, creating pinch points.
According to trustee Deb Ferens, Salt Spring, Galiano, Hornby and North Pender islands have something in their OCPs about cycle paths, but only Salt Spring has a land-use bylaw concerning cycle paths.
Trustee Ferens moved that the LTC charge the group with creating a cycle path plan by March 31st for review by the LTC.
The LTC asked what kind of budget the group would need, and requested that it be presented at the regular LTC meeting in February.
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