Perfect timing for Alexander Galt bike path

The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) has wanted to create a safe route for Alexander Galt regional high school students to get to and from school on their bikes for a very long time. There is now hope that the project may happen. David Price, president of the borough of Lennoxville, has been working with the ETSB to make the bike path a reality.

“Galt has over 1000 student, plus the vocational center,” said Price. “The 108 is dangerous to bike on. There’s a lot of truck traffic.”

For years having students get safely to school has been an issue, given that they would have to walk along the shoulder of the highway.

“With the construction of the 410, they’re thinking of moving over the 108 and letting the current one turn back to grass, if you will.”according to Price, this may provide the window the project needs to be realized.

In the new situation, the current path of the 108 will no longer be a highway, and thus finally be safe for students. In 2015 the city of Sherbrooke included a plan for a multifuntional path that would pass underneath the new 410 in its unified urban plan, but with the way the plan has developed since then, Price said that re-using the old highway would be more sustainable.

“The road is wide enough. We’re looking at leaving part of it as a bike path. It’s perfect as it will be away from traffic. We can use only half and it could still be a multifunctional path to walk and bike and so on.” He said that if this happens, the path will cost next to nothing to build.

Price is working alongside the ETSB, Bishop’s University, the City of Sherbrooke and many others to form a plan. Price said that “all seem favorable to the idea.”

“It’s very rare that you get a project where everyone agrees,” he laughed. “To me it just seems logical. The construction of the 410 opened a window. Of course, there will be costs involved in the long term but it will be nothing huge. To me it just seems logical.”

The project is still in the planning stage, with many details to be discussed with the MTQ (Ministère des transports, de la mobilité durable et de l'électrification des transports). Though there is no way of knowing if or when the project will get approved, Price suspected that next year’s election will provide answers.

“It’s long term planning but we have to act now,” he said.