The Village of Pemberton has been working on a Cycling Network Plan since October 2019.

The Plan is currently in draft form, and open to community feedback.

Fill in the short survey by January 31: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CyclingNetworkPlan

The Plan establishes a long-term vision for cycling in the Village, by identifying the bicycle network and focusing on maintenance, end-of-trip facilities, education and awareness.

The purpose of the Pemberton Cycling Network Plan is to make cycling in Pemberton safe, comfortable, and convenient for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.

The final Plan, expected February 2020, will set the Village up well to apply for grant funding, as the province’s Clean BC Plan and Provincial Active Transportation Strategy, to “move. commute. connect”, aim to “double the percentage of trips taken with active transportation by 2030.”

Here’s a quick summary of the situation:

• Pemberton is young, dense and growing.
• It also is located in a mountainous valley, shot through with an increasingly busy highway and dykes that have been access challenges for decades.
• People in Pemberton bike for recreation (with a passion), but don’t commute (probably because most of us commute too far to do it by bike: approximately 40% of commuters spend 30-44 minutes commuting.)
• Also: there is no commuter cycle network to speak of – certainly not anything that would cater to people of all ages and abilities (as any parent who has chased their pedal-biking kid along a sidewalk, punctuated with driveways and turn-offs and train tracks,  well knows.)

The draft Plan notes that “The Village of Pemberton does not currently contain any on-street cycling facilities under its jurisdiction.” (The Highway is managed by the province.)

The Plan suggests phasing in a commuter bike network, using a combination of bike paths, painted lanes and neighbourhood bikeways. The Plan suggests working with partners, like the SLRD and Lil’wat Nation, and tying into existing trails and sidewalk infrastructure.

I didn’t review the draft Plan with a fine-tooth comb, nor did I attend the Public Info session at the library or Rec Centre. Anyone who did, please let us know your thoughts in the comments. My sense is that this draft Plan is the basic preliminary step required for the Village to start putting the pieces of a bike network in place.

What your feedback will help the Village do is prioritise the neighbourhoods, areas and intersections to get the first phases of trail infrastructure. So have a say.

Survey takes about 5 minutes.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CyclingNetworkPlan