229486
225768
Kamloops  

Cycling coalition, TRUSU looking to identify Kamloops transportation gaps

Seeking transportation gaps

The Thompson Rivers University Students' Union and the Kamloops Cycling Coalition have partnered to identify gaps in active transportation infrastructure as part of the coalition's hopes to improve its advocacy.

Together, the two groups have created the Missing Links Survey in the hopes that Kamloops residents will identify the areas that lack adequate transportation infrastructure.

Deb Alore, Kamloops Cycling Coalition board member, said the survey will help the coalition communicate to the city which areas need improvements for people who use active transportation — such as walking, cycling and transit.

“Then we can see what things are cropping up, which area of town or which missing link seems to be one that is viewed by the majority of people as being something that they'd like to see resolved,” she said.

“I think for the purpose of this survey, we're just trying to find the spots on a map that we want to focus on. That's the first step.”

The data collected from the survey will help inform the coalition’s advocacy to the city.

“It's a great segue for us to talk to people about active transportation, and it's going to lead into a revision by the city — a formal revision of the transportation master plan,” Alore said.

“It'll give us a little bit of a head start so that when we get into that more formal city process, when they're looking for their engagement, we're going to be able to maybe specify with folks, this is what we're already hearing.”

Leif Douglass, campaigns coordinator for TRUSU, said the survey will also help the students' union advocate for alternative transportation modes for those studying at the university.

“Hopefully, just some really good data that can inform some of our work moving forward to better advocate for alternative transportation modes that work really well for students,” he said.

“I think there's a huge audience there who has the potential to ride more bikes in Kamloops, so it's pretty interesting for a lot of students trying to look at how to make transportation better.”

Douglass said there are plenty of students who rely on transit to reach TRU’s campus. He hopes the survey will help identify needed improvements to key routes.

Alore said a better active transportation network would encourage more people to leave their vehicles at home.

“For cycling and pedestrian, we want to be able to be safe riding, we want to see more people having the option of leaving their cars at home and getting out and getting exercise and enjoying a ride to work or school or the park or whatever,” she said.

The survey can be found online here.



More Kamloops News

233021