Trail update

While it won’t happen overnight, Fort Frances has what it takes to develop a community trail system. It just needs more of the community to get on board with the idea of active transportation.
That’s the main message contained in a draft report on an active transportation plan that was released at a public meeting last night at the Memorial Sports Centre.
In her presentation, Heather Cram, with Hilderman, Thomas, Frank and Cram, said the consulting firm has looked at what is needed to develop a plan for a trail system throughout the community, as well as linkages between the waterfront and the community’s north- and west-end residential areas.
This would include:
•on-road bike paths (wide, dedicated lanes for cyclists to ride alongside motor vehicle traffic);
•off-road paths for cycling, walking, and in-line skating wide enough for two-way traffic;
•linkages (i.e., curb extensions to reduce crossing distances, full curb extensions at corners to improve visibility, and direct routes from starting points to destinations);
•clearly marked and safe crosswalks;
•safe and secure places to park bikes at destinations;
•signage (i.e., on route signage, road markings, and trail and route maps); and
•education (bicycle and small wheel safety courses, road sharing information, and promotion of health, wellness, and the environmental benefits of active transportation).
Consultants found the town well-positioned for an active transportation plan, with beneficial features like:
•roads wide enough to be reconfigured to add dedicated bike lanes;
•an excellent off-road dedicated path along the waterfront and Eighth Street trails;
•roads wide enough to reconfigured for linkages, and to incorporate road markings and route signs;
•crossings in place along Scott Street;
•public amenities and destination points to accommodate bike storage; and
•a total of 7.5 percent of the population already bikes or walks to work, and established cycling, running, and other sports groups.
That said, Cram stressed developing a trail system—and a community that will use it—takes time.
“It’s like embarking on a process. It’s not like we need all the parts in place, and we need them in place tomorrow, in order for this to work,” she noted afterwards.
“It’s something that’s actually in existence right now,” Cram added. “We looked at all the number of active sports clubs that there are in this community, and for a town the size of Fort Frances, there are a lot of sports groups that are cycling. They’re going across the border, doing huge cycle routes.
“There’s a whole population that are actively participating right now. But it’s building up that number of people that needs to be done, making that 7.5 percent 10 percent, 20 percent, and so on.
“It’s right across Canada that people are looking at active transportation,” Cram continued. “We are looking at our lazy habits and thinking it’s time we start changing things.”
While an active transportation plan ideally would improve the health of Fort Frances residents, increase quality of life, enhance the tourism experience, and achieve other environmental and socio-economic benefits, Cram said this concept has to be sold to the public, business community, and local government.
On that same note, Beth McKechnie of Marr Consulting Services Ltd., who has been working with Cram on the study, said “active transportation is about helping people integrate physical activity into their daily lives.”
She stressed education is key. For example, those riding bikes in traffic have to be skilled and confident enough to ride alongside motor vehicles.
In another example, both cyclists and motorists have to be able to understand any new signage and know what it means to share the road with each other.
The same goes for joggers, in-line skaters, and cyclists sharing
Please see “Study,” A5