City lays groundwork to become more bus, bike-friendly place
Saskatoon residents walked, cycled and drove to River Landing for the chance to say how the city could encourage more active transportation.
“With just a little effort, this city could be so much better,” semi-retired lawyer Kearney Healy said at the outdoor information gathering session hosted by city officials Saturday.
Healy uses a car to get groceries, but walks and bikes to most of his appointments. He said a better trail network is needed. Getting people out of their cars and helping them to choose other modes of transportation is good for the environment and for their health.
Healy said a change in mindset is also needed. Getting people out of their cars will create more connections among neighbours, he said. In some more bus and bike-friendly foreign cities like Bogota, Canberra or Amsterdam it also has the power to forge links between the rich and poor, urban and suburban.
“This is worthy of all our support. It’s not a big leap,” he said.
Feedback gathered at the forum Saturday will be used in the coming months to forge a master plan for the city.
It’s great to see the city making active transportation a high priority, said Saskatoon Health Region deputy medical health officer Dr. Michael Schwandt.
Working daily exercise into a commute, for example, can improve physical and mental health, as well as decrease the risk of chronic disease, he said.
Allan Wallace, director of planning and development for the city, said they want to create efficient, safe and economic choices “so people aren’t so reliant on a car.”
Coun. Charlie Clark, head of the city’s transportation committee, said that improvements to this point haven’t always taken the bigger picture into account. He’s hoping that will soon change.
Like Healy, Clark wants to make the active connections easier for those wanting to get from their house to shop, work or go to school.
“How do you ensure vehicle flow and pedestrian and bike safety?” he said.
There will likely be one more public forum in the fall. The plan is due to be presented to city council in March 2016.