Though at first it may seem a bit counterintuitive to users who’ve had to step over cables crossing pathways around Cochrane this summer, they are there to help make the corridors safer and more user-friendly down the road.
The counters are a part of an ongoing study of traffic patterns. Bike Cochrane spearheaded the study in partnership with the Town of Cochrane, aimed at ensuring the multi-use pathways are strategically developed in a way that keeps pace with population growth in what is currently the fastest-growing town in Alberta.
In addition to the cables that sense bike traffic, the sandwich boards contain a visually activated sensor that counts the number of pedestrians who pass along the path as well.
It’s all part of gathering data to inform the 2022 Infrastructure Gap Analysis, a joint project between Bike Cochrane and the Town that began almost two years ago. The study will eventually make recommendations on new pathway construction in Cochrane, and maintenance and upgrades on existing paths.
Counters were placed in the east end (where a pathway crosses the railway tracks near First St. E.) in July and have been moved to the Bow River pathway for the month of August.
Bike Cochrane uses a multitude of data aimed at recognizing the burgeoning need for more interconnected pathways as the town’s growth continues to boom.
Director of Operations for Bike Cochrane Paul Perrault said in order to receive grants from any level of government for pathways, you first need usage data to back up the request – hence the study.
He had an experience biking with his family that highlighted the issue of safety along local paths.
“My four-year-old fell in Bighill Creek, because the trail wasn’t adequate and was sliding off and was simply unsafe,” Perrault said.
Bike Cochrane is a non-profit group, dedicated to developing a bike-friendly culture and participating in the planning of safe infrastructure for all kinds of users. The group works hand-in-hand with multiple users of park space (including off-leash dog walkers) to ensure solutions work for everybody, as safer bike paths also become user-friendly routes for runners, wheelchairs, scooters, and strollers.
Their study includes a look at the pathway between Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre and the Bow River, where a paved pathway runs through an off-leash park – an area that has been identified as a safety concern by users, as there is no fence separating the path from the dogs.
Perrault recognizes the pressures on the Town to keep up with maintenance of pathways and trails, which is why his group stepped up and told the municipality they would help out with the work.
He has a cautionary comment on statistics that were cited at some Town council meetings, where a Canadian Federation of Independent Business 2021 report listed Cochrane in first place in Alberta in terms of holding the line on operating spending. The Alberta Municipal Watch Report pointed out that Cochrane actually decreased per capita operating spending from 2010 to 2020 at the same time population surged by 107.5 per cent.
“While that’s a good thing from the standpoint of being fiscally conservative, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense in a town that’s been the fastest growing in Alberta,” Perrault said.
“So what’s happening is, we’re basically borrowing from our future by not investing in our future.”
He added the Town has been vocal about this challenge.
“We need to be investing in our town as a city of 35,000 people and not a town of 5,000, which is really what the town has been sized for,” he said.
He also points to a recent public survey the Town did, showing a preference among residents for dedicating funds to parks and pathways.
However, Perrault added kudos to Town of Cochrane staff, who, he says, have been “run off their feet” for the last few years, doing everything they can as the town expands.
Councillor Tara McFadden is Chair of the Town of Cochrane’s Parks and Recreation Committee.
Besides Bike Cochrane, the Town has been meeting with stakeholder groups, gathering feedback on pathways which will feed into overall parks and recreation planning.
“We’re getting other groups involved to make sure we have multiple perspectives and experiences on use of the trails, and to get that broad knowledge,” McFadden said.
“We have a meeting in September where we’ll be pulling all that information together,” she said.
Some of Bike Cochrane’s projects recognize that some neighbourhoods have very poor connections to the rest of town, such as Sunset, Bow Ridge/Meadows, and Fireside.
One of their goals is that any child in any community in Cochrane should be able to safely wheel and walk to school.
They’ve read every area structure plan for the Town of Cochrane, arriving at a prioritized summary of projects to improve what they call active transportation.
Currently sitting at 700 paid members, Bike Cochrane is always looking for volunteers and new members. Besides their in-town work, such as the Launchpad they built in 2020 behind Garmin Canada, they are also involved in overseeing and maintaining mountain bike trails, road biking, tours – just about anything involving bikes.
They are also the trail stewards in and around town. They have a trail crew that is responsible for, and liable for maintaining the trails that Perrault said “haven’t seen a lot of love over the past 20 years.”
Bike Cochrane’s work is outlined on their website, bikecochrane.com.
