Williams Lake mayor and council voted in favour of pressing provincial ministries for improvements to Highway 20 at the Nov. 21 city council meeting.
An initiative by Coun. Joan Flaspohler was presented at the meeting to call for the province to improve active transportation safety and help enable connecting the recreational trail networks along what is seen as a dangerous section for travel in Williams Lake.
Council present passed the motion unanimously at the Nov. 21 meeting, with members of council commenting on the number of emails they received regarding Flaspohler’s proposal. Coun. Scott Nelson, who was attending the meeting remotely, left the meeting before the vote.
“I have never seen an agenda item draw that many emails,” said Mayor Surinderpal Rathor. Coun. Lyons said the level of community engagement was great to see.
The motion to put forward the report to the province was passed with the amendment to also put it to other levels of government, including area First Nations, for their support as well.
An impromptu delegation was also allowed to address the council regarding the motion, after a resolution from the mayor. Elke Reiner calling for council to increase options to travel to and from downtown via a second vehicle bridge, something the city had been proposing many years ago.
Reiner called a second bridge for traffic a “must to improve safety.”
Her call for council to embark on this much larger project was discussed, but the council decided to continue with the current focus on more immediate improvements for pedestrian and cyclist safety along the existing corridor, though some expressed support for looking at a second bridge at a later date.
Flaspohler proposed improvements to the section for safe active transportation and Clean BC 2030 initiatives, and a letter be written to the environment and transportation ministers urging them to work together to make improvements.
The stretch of Highway 20 from South Lakeside to Mackenzie Avenue, is a barrier for many people outside of vehicles, with two bridges and little room for cyclists or those trying to walk.
“Active transportation in this area is extremely difficult; the public feels unsafe once they reach Highway 20. It is a complete bottleneck and challenging for any means of active transportation,” Flaspohler reports in a letter to council. “The City of Williams Lake has already established active transportation trails on the neighbouring municipal roads. Both Mackenzie Avenue and South Lakeside Drive have trails, but the provincial infrastructure does not even have proper development for pedestrians let alone a safe area for travel with bicycles. There are sidewalks on the bridges, but few areas to travel safely in between.”
Flaspohler credits the Streets for All group in Williams Lake with bringing the issue to the forefront through events such as ‘politicians on the pedal.’
“It became really apparent,” Flaspohler said of riding the area herself. “This is not okay.”
“It’s that critical infrastructure that links everything.”
Flaspohler also points out the significant volume of large industrial traffic on the route, which brings with it dirt, wood chips, and tree bark that line the sides of the road.
“In addition, industrial vehicles passing by is very intimidating. I truly am fearful when I see someone trying to travel it by foot or by bike. I recently saw a bicyclist pulling a child bike chariot carrier on this route, and got a knot in my stomach.”
Flaspohler has met with interested community groups plus the local Ministry of Transportation representative, and has discussed some of the challenges and potential changes that could happen to improve the area and address the safety and access issues.
She also lobbied for the improvement while at UBCM.
“I feel some safety initiatives could be accomplished quickly, such as extending the paved area, relocating the concrete barriers for not only vehicles but active transportation users, creating a safer passageway where it is narrow, and increasing the budget for this area for road byproduct cleanup,” Flaspohler notes in her report, which also includes several photographs depicting the challenges of the area such as;
Limited space for cyclists and inability to dismount safely to access pedestrian section of bridge.
Limited space, debris, and challenges for pedestrians.
Highway 20 and MacKenzie Avenue intersection preventing pedestrians, bikes, and individuals with disabilities from activating button for crosswalk.
Concrete barrier placement hindering active transportation.
