The Town of Penhold is taking steps to ensure safe, active transportation for pedestrians in town with its proposed new active transportation plan.
“It's ensuring there are complete transportation networks for all pedestrians,” said Kristina Schmidt, development officer with the Town of Penhold. “It includes other forms of transportation other than a vehicle. It could be cycling, Rollerblading, people with wheelchairs or people pushing stollers.”
The proposed plan will provide a policy framework to evaluate and improve pedestrian opportunities for active lifestyle choices noted Schmidt in a presentation to council on Sept. 12. The plan is to provide cohesive, connected, safe and functional future developments and redevelopments of existing trails and pedestrian networks throughout the Town of Penhold.
“We want to ensure that they're able to get to various destinations within town without any barriers and that they can make it there safely,” she added.
Penhold mayor Dennis Cooper said there are a number of reasons why the plan is needed in town.
“As the town develops and grows, it lays out to developers where we would like to have walking paths, sidewalks and the types of sidewalks done throughout the town,” said Cooper, noting that council first heard about the plan at a meeting in early June. “It gives you a picture of the community (about) five to 10 years down the road,” he added.
“It's to help our citizens. People can walk and be active in our community.”
Cooper also explained how the plan will benefit the town.
“It recognizes deficiencies on corners that maybe didn't have sidewalks, so we started to pick those up this year,” he said, pointing to an example of a sidewalk at a crossing in front of Highway 2A that was repaired earlier this year. “This way it makes it safer for people to cross the street.”
Council accepted the recommendations presented and also suggested other areas they would like to see worked on including a proper concrete and extended sidewalk to the corner along Lee Street.
The plan was divided into three sections with short-term, long-term and longer-term recommendations.
“I did a complete inventory of all the sidewalks and pedestrian networks and broke them down into project priorities or categories,” explained Schmidt, noting short-term, long-term and longer-term projects for future growth and development.
Cooper said council will look at the recommendations within the active transportation plan at budget time next year.
“We would take a number of the short-term recommendations and see how many we could do within our street maintenance and street improvement area,” said Cooper. “We would then go through them and continue to address them as the money is available.”
