The Town of Bonnyville will be developing a pedestrian strategy to address concerns surrounding sidewalks and trails.
During their regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 22, council tasked administration with brainstorming a way to address specific areas in town, including creating a safe walking space for pedestrians along Hwy. 28.
Coun. Brian McEvoy noted they've identified an issue for residents when it comes to moving around town safely.
"If we're going to do this, because we're talking about a substantial chunk of change to correct some mistakes that were made, in some cases, 45 years ago, I think we need to look at this as a complete strategy. Do it publicly with input from the public on what they want, and how they want people to move through the community," he detailed.
Coun. Chad Colbourne raised the point about a lack of sidewalks along Hwy. 28 from the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre to the east end 7-Eleven.
"I see kids walking there late at night, lighting can be a bit of an issue, I just think it's a bigger safety concern than what we're looking at right now. I don't know if it's a sidewalk we address it with or a speed change we address it with, (but) something needs to be addressed with that stretch of road."
Mayor Gene Sobolewski agreed.
"The C2 is going to be more and more of a hub. We've already put two crosswalks up there at the C2 as a result of some of the actions. We know that the East Gate subdivision is going to continue to develop, and we may as well start making some strategies now to move pedestrians," he said, adding administration can look at the budget to see where the funds can be taken from, and come back to council with top priorities after reviewing feedback from the public.
Instead of a sidewalk, Coun. Ray Prevost suggested a trail which could save on cost and time moving forward.
"The (sidewalk) going out to the 7-Eleven is one we should talk about with a long-range plan of what we're going to do there, because obviously we need to get the province involved," expressed Coun. Elisa Brosseau.
Rough estimates were provided for a concrete walkway from the C2 to the 7-Eleven after the request was made.
On the south side, which would be about 400-metres of sidewalk, common excavation came in at $20,000, while a separate sidewalk was $70,000. The para-ramps, which are sections to make each sidewalk accessible for wheelchairs, came in at $14,000.
For 700-metres of sidewalk on the north side, the common excavation was $35,000 and the separate sidewalk was $122,500. For this one, the cost of para-ramps was estimated at $28,000.
Once administration determines a plan, they'll present it to council for discussion at a future meeting.
