After two years of work that included consultation with development stakeholders and the general public, a draft of Airdrie’s Master Transportation Plan, which outlines plans to develop the city’s transportation system as the population ultimately reaches 110,000, was presented to City council on Feb. 2.
The draft plan includes strategies for short, medium and long-term development of Airdrie’s transportation system, according to Manager of Planning and Sustainable Development Tracy Corbett.
“In terms of priorities, we looked at the barrier effects of Highway 2 and the CPR railway tracks,” Corbett said.
“We looked at travel options both on the roads and other travel modes, and we looked at creating options and solutions that meet the needs of people of all ages and stages.”
Council was not being asked to approve the plan at the Feb. 2 meeting and was provided with the draft for information purposes only.
The plan includes proposed development of an interchange at either 40th Avenue or 56th Avenue in Airdrie’s south end to provide an additional access point to Highway 2.
It also includes ensuring there are connections between existing roads and pathways with those in new developments.
Ian McLeod from HDR Consultants, the group hired to work with the City’s Planning Department on the plan, told council the plan included the enhancement of Airdrie’s existing transit system, including adding 40 additional buses to the fleet to improve local services and building a park-and-ride facility as well as a new storage and maintenance facility.
Mayor Peter Brown questioned the inclusion of bike lanes on Airdrie’s roadways in the plan, and said he didn’t see a lot of people biking to work or to school.
“We raised the issue of the need to include more modes of transportation in this plan and in the AirdrieONE Plan, Corbett said.
“One of the advantages of making some of the improvements – (including adding bike lanes) – is that some of the trips are quite short and the ability to have that option, particularly for students, makes a huge difference without incurring a huge cost.”
All of the proposed projects in the plan will go through the usual development process as laid out by the City, according to Corbett, and once the plan is ultimately approved by council, opportunities to modify those projects will still exist.
The cost to draft the plan was $180,000 with funding coming from the City of Airdrie’s reserve fund, according to Team Lead, Corporate Communications Lynda Phelan, not from taxes.
“Some of those reserves are from developers’ levies,” she said.
The plan is a long way from final approval with consultation with developer stakeholders and the general public still on the horizon, according to Corbett.
Phelan said the Communications Department will work with the Planning Department to come up with ideas for public consultation that make sense.
“We seem to have success with taking it to where people are,” she said.
“Sometimes with things like this because there is a lot of technical explanation (required), you do need to hold a traditional open house but we like to do those in conjunction with lots of display boards and small conservation groups so people can ask their specific questions.”
Dates for public consultation have not yet been set.
