Work is well underway on upgrades to the City’s Active Transportation Route along Mountain Road North.
Three blocks of the bike path - from River Avenue to Davidson Avenue - are being moved from the roadway onto a widened sidewalk following the boulevard.
The city’s focus on active transportation reflects a desire to create a cycling culture, which revolves around the Northgate trail system and feeds tourism in the future.
Mountain Road, mayor David Bosiak said, is an important part of the overall vision.
“When we contracted with urban systems to facilitate our active transport plan for the whole city, one of our priorities was we wanted to connect all of the schools and our major public facilities, parks and stuff like that,” Bosiak said.
“So we’ve always thought that Mountain Road is a tremendous spine of the system to get people going north and south.”
Other existing trails, such as the Kingsway Trail and a planned trail along Whitmore Avenue, branch off for east and west travel and spawn other active transportation routes, such as the Allen Dowhan Campus Connector.
“If we’re trying to create a bike culture up at Northgate and in Riding Mountain National Park, we have got to, by extension, do it in town. It’s got to be a complete culture of active transport, so, that’s what this is.”
City council, Bosiak said, has committed to spending up to $500,000 annually on active transportation and the work on Mountain Road will be completed in phases, along with other active transportation developments.
“We’re spending about that amount on a number of things, because we’re finishing the Al Dowhan trail to the college. We’re spending with urban systems on the design of the Whitmore Avenue Trail that’s going to go from AC towards Main Street and we’re going to spend some money this year on that first piece of the Mountain Road connection,” he said.
Bosiak added work on moving the bike path off the roadway will be done in phases as infrastructural renewal takes place along the street.
“It’s always been a plan to get that bike path off of the street,” Bosiak said, adding the former city council spearheading the Mountain Road bike path made the decision to develop the on-street option based on logistics and funding.
“They got a little grant and that’s all that they could do. That’s all they did and that’s all we got.”
Bosiak added he has heard complaints about the project and the decision to spend money on the upgrades.
“Give us the benefit of the doubt and comment on this when you see it done, Active Transportation Routewhen it’s complete. Not before it’s even started,” he said.