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Four months after Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition Alexi Zowadski gave the Tri-Cities area a "D" for its cycling infrastructure, the City of Coquitlam has stepped forward with a plan for improvements.
But it would only cover less than 10 percent of the cost of financing worthwhile cycling projects identified in a staff report.
In the report to council tomorrow night (July 7), Coquitlam staff have recommended approval of a list of 25 "prioritized" cycling projects.
The Scott Creek Connector ranked "higher priority" in the most categories: safety, demand, network contribution, transit integration, appeal, and implementation. It was ranked a "moderate priority" in the cost category.
North Road at Foster collected four "higher priority" designations--for network contribution, transit integration, cost, and implementation.
"When the list of prioritised projects is fully implemented, Coquitlam's existing 10-kilometre network will be expanded by another 33 kilometres," the staff report states.
The problem is that there isn't enough money set aside in the capital plan to come close to achieving this objective.
The 2008-2012 capital plan includes $1.1 million for bicycle-improvement projects in Coquitlam. Another $500,00 could be collected from "external sources" including the provincial government, the report states.
The cost of all 25 projects would be $21 million. So if Coquitlam spends $1.6 million on cycling projects through to 2012, it will only be able to cover the cost of less than 10 percent of the prioritized projects within the next four-and-a-half years.
The report notes that $5.4 million has been spent in the last seven years, working out to annual expenditures of $6.50 per capita.
This is below the $8.80 per capita average for Metro Vancouver municipalities spent on cycling infrastructure.
Larger municipalities such as Vancouver, Burnaby, and Surrey tend to spend more, the report notes. Coquitlam has the fifth-highest population of any municipality in Metro Vancouver.
Last March, Zawadski blamed poor planning by previous generations for the state of the cycling network in the Tri-Cities area.
“The cycling plan for the Tri-Cities will be very effective once completed," Zawadski claimed at the time. "For example, we are excited about the potential extension of the Central Valley Greenway into Coquitlam, and the opportunity to include a cycling route adjacent to the Evergreen Line.”
Zawadski is scheduled to speak to Coquitlam council tomorrow night, according to the agenda.
By Charlie Smith
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