Kamloops, British Columbia, has taken a big step to change the city’s look by putting a
cycling-friendly reconstruction in place. The additional bike lane and walking path along
Lansdowne are the most recent strategic initiatives in the city’s active transportation plan,
which has become the subject of substantial interest from the general public.
An initial proposal from the City of Kamloops transportation department failed when the City
Council denied funding due to a lack of public consultation.
(Feedback Needed on $2.75-million Lansdowne Street Multi-use Pathway | CFJC Today
Kamloops, n.d.)
The active transport department, recognizing the importance of community input, conducted
an online survey asking for feedback from citizens. According to Sam Pollock, Transportation
Planning Manager, “There always be those who support the project and those who don’t.
Typically, we get around 30 responses for the survey; however, this time, we got over 917
responses. That told the city council that our membership clearly has some interest in
cycling. There’s a big sustainability concern due to the wildfires in Kamloops, so encouraging
people to cycle is one of our missions.”
On November 16th, an in-person consultation was held to bridge the gap between the
original plan and community needs. Around 50 community members showed a strong
interest in the proposed active transportation infrastructure. “12th Street is a significant gap
in the bicycle network between Lethbridge and Kenora and the Island Parkway. This link is
the obvious cycling funnel to McArthur Island and NorKam School, a destination for many
residents. There was a missed opportunity with the recent rebuild of this street between
Tranquille and the park. This should be remedied.” – says Deb Alore, a community member
and member of the Kamloops Cycling Coalition, providing her feedback during the
consultation.
City Councilor Nancy Bipple highlighted the need to focus on downtown areas for safer
access and stressed the importance of an east-west connection. “Community identified the
importance of having an east-west connection. Also, I think it is important to focus on the
downtown area, where businesses are located for safer access to those places, which is
another missing link” – Bipple said.
Earlier this year, the city implemented the following projects such as the construction of a
bike lane on 6th Avenue, connecting the Riverside Park in its north-south active
transportation corridor, pointing out the significance of the Lansdown Street link.
(City of Kamloops Eyes Lansdowne as Next Location for Bicycle Accessibility | Radio NL –
Kamloops News, n.d.)
