The City of Revelstoke is seeking your input on the current draft of their transportation plan that lays the foundation for transportation infrastructure in the coming decades. And don’t blink or you might miss the Dec. 4 deadline for comments.

The city held a series of stakeholder, planning and public meetings on Nov. 25 that introduced everyone to the new transportation plan. The meetings were stage five in a seven-step process, ending with finalized recommendations early in 2010.

Representatives from Victoria-based Boulevard Consultants presented the plan at a stakeholder meeting in the morning of Nov. 25 to a crowd of about 25 people representing a variety of stakeholder groups.

The plan is a curious blend of quite specific details, some big projects and broader overarching policy directions.

Some of the specifics include:

- A proposed bike lane down Victoria Rd. had some questioning if it was the best location, given that it is a high traffic area. Bike lanes are proposed along 4th St. from Rokeby Ave. downtown all the way to the Illecillewaet River, and then continuing down Airport Way. The lane would also branch off at Nichol Rd. and continue up Camozzi Rd. to the base of RMR. There would also be a lane on Big Eddy Rd. from the bridge until just short of Highway 23. The Columbia Park lane would link to Victoria and would run down Laforme Blvd., Pearkes Dr. and end at Colbeck Rd.

- A vast network of bicycle trails that permeate most neighbourhoods, spanning from the base of RMR to the west side of the Columbia. They are defined in the plan as “separated multi-use paths for cyclists and pedestrians.”

- Roundabouts are also floated as a possibility, and were also used as specific suggestions for problems spots, including the intersection at 4th and Victoria.

A list of pros and cons related to roundabouts was discussed.

- An extensive sidewalk grid is proposed for the downtown area, which is already heavily covered with sidewalks. The plan would essentially blanket the entire downtown and lower town areas. Southside would also get a number of new sidewalks, although the coverage is far less extensive than downtown. Columbia Park, the Big Eddy and everything south of the Illecillewaet would only see new sidewalks on the major routes.

- Fixes are proposed for three troubled intersections identified by the consultants, including 4th Ave. and Victoria Rd., Mackenzie Ave. and Victoria Rd., and the ‘Tim Hortons’ intersection on Victoria Rd. Three options for fixing each of the intersections are presented in the plan. The Tim Hortons fixes involve dividing Victoria and re-routing traffic. The scenarios for Victoria Rd. and Mackenzie Ave. include a roundabout or a variety of new lane dividers. The 4th St. and Victoria scenarios include a ‘figure-8’ dual roundabout option, and two other options that use dividers and two new traffic signals. The public is specifically asked to comment on these options on the comment form provided by city hall.

- The transit plan proposes replacing the two existing fixed routes with three community routes, though the latter are not delineated in the plan. A sparser schedule would allow for on demand service to homes in between fixed routes.

The list of ‘big projects’ all fall under planning for the greater road network and are presented in a series on different options, though they are not all mutually exclusive:

- Eliminate vehicles on the Big Eddy Bridge, making it a pedestrian/bicycle bridge. It was expressed that this option was at the mercy of the Ministry of Transportation.

- Provide three lanes between the Big Eddy and Central Revelstoke near the existing Big Eddy Bridge. Again, this option also relies on buy-in from the Ministry of Transportation.

- Create a second bridge across the Illecillewaet, connecting Camozzi Road in Arrow Heights with Powerhouse Rd. in the current industrial park. Also connect Townley Street with Powerhouse.

- Another option is identical the the last one, except it would also connect Townley St. to Victoria Rd. using an overpass that would go across the CPR yard.

Recommendations that fall under the broader policy direction category include:

- Active transportation. This means encouraging more walking, biking and other forms of active transportation through policy initiatives.

- A downtown parking strategy. A whole number of initiatives are proposed to deal with current and future parking issues. These include priority parking, which would encourage motorcycles, carpooling, bicycling and more by providing parking incentives such as reserved spots. The number of parking spots required for new developments would be rolled back and, leading to denser walking-friendly developments. Developers could have the option to ‘cash out’ their parking requirements by giving a lump sum to the city for units that have no parking provided. The city would then use that money to provide public parking, or other parking initiatives.

- Transportation demand management, known by the acronym TDM, is a series of steps designed, basically, to get people out of cars. It includes promoting ride sharing, discounted transit passes, shared zero-emissions vehicles, car-shares and safe routes to schools, amongst other steps.

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Nailing down a timeline for the plan is much more difficult proposition. At the meeting, Revelstoke Director of Planning John Guenther used the long-term nature of the plan to deflect specific criticisms of the plan, saying, for example, that the costs of the many planned sidewalks would be spread over decades.

Following the meeting, Guenther also said that it was not easy to divide proposals into categories such as things that will happen right after the plan is adopted and things that aren’t likely to happen for years and years. Ultimately, council will make these decisions, and will also have to budget for them.

In the meantime, the transportation plan is used for much more that determining where to put parking lots, traffic lights, bike lanes and so on. The transportation plan is a document that will help guide growth over the decades. For example, knowing how many parking spots a developer will need to provide in a new apartment or condo block can guide where they will and will not be located, and can also be a big source of funding for the city.

One deficiency in the plan so far is accident statistics. The consultants said they were waiting for accident statistics from ICBC.

Another point that saw some controversy at the meeting was the projected numbers used to draft the plan. The plan projects for a population of 16,380 by 2026. In other words, the prediction is the population will more than double before tomorrow’s newborn graduates from high school. The net result would be a 3.75 increase in vehicle trips per hour by 2026.

Some were skeptical, noting things like declining school enrolment, an aging population, and a historically stagnant population that has hovered around 8,000 for more than a decade. Combined with international initiatives to reduce carbon emissions, and a slowed pace of development at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, it was asked if we were planning for the wrong future.

The draft of the transportation plan presented at the meeting is available on the home page of the City of Revelstoke’s website, and the public comment form is also available on the city’s home page. The deadline for public comment is Dec. 4.