Advocacy group wants town to make the most of infrastructure

Parry Sound Area Active Transportation wants the municipality to go on a “road diet.”

Rebecca Pollock, a concerned citizen with PSAAT presented the idea to the town council at the most recent meeting.  Pollock indicated that the town could benefit from increased bike lanes and roads reconfigured to include two driving lanes, two bike lanes and a centre turning lane.

“Bowes Street is not a place that a lot of cyclists enjoy riding. We think that it could be more accessible and a lot safer for both cyclists and motorists with a share the road campaign that redesigns the road. We’re not asking for the redesign, we’re asking for the study,” Pollock noted.

Pollock suggested to the Town that resources for a study to be implemented could be considered in the 2019 municipal budget deliberations. Pollock suggested piloting the feasibility of the redesign through on Joseph Street.

PSAAT was not able to say what the cost of an engineering study could cost the town but did say that PSAAT focuses on concerns of safety and an active community.

“For this particular project, we’ve consulted with both the towns planning department and public works to get their input. We’ve consulted with the OPP around safety issues in our community at large and we do think that this could be studied and piloted in either the Bowes Street stretch or even Joseph Street. It would have to be timed with other budget considerations. Public works projects are on a schedule and we’re not advocating for anything outside that schedule but just for the consideration of this vision for our community to be safer,” Pollock said.

Pollock saysPSAAT are willing to liaise Town staff to meet with community members from Orillia and Coldwater, if necessary. According to Pollock, those towns have already implemented the road diet concept into their communities.

Pollock says that people between the ages of eight to 80-years-old should have safe accessible travel,  spaces and green spaces as a human right. She says she is hoping that the town considers her presentation to council when the budget is finalized.

More information about Parry Sound Area Active Transportation can be found here.