January 13, 2009
COLDSTREAM, BC – The Regional District of North Okanagan, through funding provided by The New Deal for Cities and Communities for projects focused in electoral areas, has begun work on the Transportation Options for Rural Residents Study, a community visioning and planning exercise to improve transportation options for rural residents of the North Okanagan.
The study will involve exploring programs and infrastructure to improve transportation options for rural residents. Potential improvements will work toward increasing mobility, but also seek to make rural transport more socially equitable, universally accessible and environmentally sustainable. The study will address transportation options within rural areas as well as connections to existing regional and municipal transportation systems.
In addition, as a signatory to the BC Climate Action Charter, the Regional District of North Okanagan is working to reduce the community’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Provincial government estimates that 35% of the typical household’s carbon emissions are attributed to transportation, the largest of the major sectors.
“Rural residents have a high level of automobile dependency simply because the distance between where they live and where they are going is so great,” notes transportation consultant Daniel Casey. “Rural settlement patterns do not typically have the population necessary to support an effective transit service and the distance between destinations makes walking and cycling difficult.”
A community survey is being developed to get a better understanding of North Okanagan travel behavior and to identify barriers to efficient, sustainable transport. The survey is available through the Regional District of North Okanagan’s website and offices. All Electoral Area residents are encouraged to complete the survey.
Electoral Area residents are also encouraged to attend one of three community workshops being held February 17th-19th. The workshops will be an open forum where rural residents can work with the project team to identify and prioritize future transportation infrastructure improvements.
For details on the community workshops and more information about the Transportation Options for Rural Residents Study please visit the Regional District of North Okanagan’s website at www.rdno.ca or contact the Regional District of North Okanagan’s Sustainability Coordinator, Anna Page at (250) 550-3700.
For more information:
Anna Page
Sustainability Coordinator, RDNO
Phone: (250) 550-3700
Email: anna.page@rdno.ca |
Daniel Casey
Planner, Boulevard Transportation Group
Phone: (250) 388-9877
Email: dcasey@blvdgroup.ca |
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