Recently, Sustainable Cobourg’s Bicycle Action Committee released its Policies and Plans for the future:
BAC Priorities and Plans
Approved May 15 2017
Role of BAC: Our primary role is Advocacy, including research, promotion, watchdog. We appreciate the positive collaboration of the Town of Cobourg towards building cycling infrastructure. However, there remains much to be done to achieve a cycling culture and adequate cycling infrastructure. We urge Council to make on-going regular consultation with the cycling community a priority, especially when developing/changing transportation and recreation infrastructure. There is significant expertise within the cycling community to initiate policy and projects that would benefit the Town.
Priorities:
Policy Initiatives:
a) Safety and education:
▪ Speed reductions @ schools and other public venues where there is significant cycling and pedestrian traffic;
▪ Creation and maintenance of trails, Bikeways and roads to accommodate cyclists safely;
▪ Winter maintenance;
▪ Development and Promotion of safe cycling policies;
▪ Cycling education for students, parents, seniors through community programs;
▪ Updating of best practices in safety and education.
b) Infrastructure:
▪ Improving standards for design/building of Bikeways, see for eg. Ontario Traffic Manual, Book 18; TORONTO MULTI-USE TRAIL DESIGN GUIDELINES-December
2014;
▪ Create bike lanes at least 2 metres wide;
▪ Use of boulevards for multi-use trails;
▪ Build complete streets (see Pilot Studies in Bikeway Design);
▪ Culture change in the planning and (re)building of trails, roadways/streets: There is a prevailing ideology built on cars and trucks, which causes planners to “forget” about or downplay cycling. This has to change;
▪ Creation of links to and between public venues, especially schools, parks, civic buildings;
▪ development of local business support for cycling: e.g. providing bike parking, encouraging bike lanes/tracks to their locations.
Infrastructure (including signs, maps, information): Vis. Master Cycling Plan Doc.
- Trails:
◦ Kerr Trail:
▪ Resurface – D’Arcy to Brook N.;
▪ Re-route/resurface – Division to D’Arcy;
▪ Construction – Division to Ontario;
▪ Ontario to William;
▪ William to Burnham;
▪ Rogers Rd to New Amherst Blvd;
▪ Brook N. to Workman.
◦ Cobourg Creek (Cycling Spine – see Master Plan):
▪ Elgin -William;
▪ William to lake.
◦ Abbott (west side) from Lakeshore to King
◦ Lakeshore (southside) through to Lucas Point
◦ Coverdale from Lakeshore to Coverdale Park
◦ Pebble Beach to New Amherst Blvd (Waterfront Trail) - Road Diets:
▪ Research on Division;
▪ William St. study and design;
▪ University. - Bike lanes:
▪ D’Arcy (incl. removal of street parking);
▪ Division south of University. - Connectors:
▪ Division from Elgin to Sobeys;
▪ Elgin from east of Ontario to YMCA;
▪ Kerr trail to CCC/Legion fields;
▪ Donegan Park to CCI and Gummow school via Abbott/Cottesmore;
▪ Terry Fox school to YMCA via conservation area. - Bike Parking: parks /civic venues/commercial:
▪ New Sobeys Supermarket. - Cycling safety education – Can Bike Instruction move to municipal responsibility (under Parks and Recreation).
- Pilot studies in Bikeway design?
▪ Experiments with bike tracks (lanes separated from the roadway);
▪ complete streets e.g. Kerr;
▪ coloured lanes;
▪ specialized signaling.
For a PDF copy of these Policies and Plans, click below:
Your feedback is welcome. Please use the ‘Leave a comment’ field below.
There is an omission; the Darcy Street railway crossing. It is in derelict condition. It is a clear danger — no curbs, no paved shoulder, deeply pitted shoulders on the east side by the cement plant. It provides the route to the Cobourg Community Centre; it is not a side street or residence street.