KELOWNA, B.C. – The term ‘Active Transportation Corridor’ (ATC) may evoke visions of urban bumper to bumper traffic, but in the Central Okanagan, it means a safe route for people wanting to park their cars in favour of walking or cycling.
The next route set for ATC changes is Sutherland Avenue, one of several busy two-lane streets in Kelowna that still boast gravel aprons next to narrow sidewalks.
“We’re focusing more on cycling and pedestrians at this point,” said Moudud Hasan, Kelowna’s Transportation and Mobility Manager Thursday evening at an open house event on the proposed Sutherland Avenue project.
The project includes eliminating street-side parking on the north side of Sutherland to accommodate a “two-way street-level cycle track separated by a median from traffic”, according to the City’s website.
Most residents attending the open house event supported the proposed improvements, despite losing some street parking. They told Global News the support for cyclists is important to keep everyone safe on the road. A few opposed to the changes chose not to comment for the story.
“There is a general understanding it will make their corridor more attractive,” Hasan said.
Sutherland Avenue at Harvey Avenue saw similar improvements several years ago, supporting a connection to a pedestrian overpass that leads to the Parkinson Rec Centre.
A narrow bridge near Pandosy Street will be twinned to accommodate the new cycle track.
The next phases will eventually connect Sutherland to Abbott Street, the sight of an earlier ATC project.
Current upgrades to Ethel Street will eventually connect cyclists and pedestrians to the Rails with Trails project that will eventually connect Kelowna and Vernon.
The first phase of the Sutherland ATC project is slated for 2017 with completion of the entire route by 2020.