Active Transportation Network Plan Update – Engagement Strategy

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report titled “Active Transportation Network Plan Update – Engagement Strategy” dated June 1, 2022 from the Director of Engineering be received for information.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation.

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

The purpose of this report is to update Council on the progress of the Active Transportation Network Plan project (“ATNP”), outline the engagement strategy, and to notify Council of the first public engagement event that will take place on June 25, 2022.

BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:

Council was last apprised of this project at the April 5, 2022 Council meeting, regarding the award of the Active Transportation Network Plan to Watt Consulting Group (“Watt”). Since then, staff and Watt have initiated the project and worked through the first phase of the project (identification of baseline conditions).

The work plan is structured into five (5) phases:

• Phase 1

  

  Project Initiation & Baseline Conditions To gather and review existing data, establish baseline conditions and begin preparations for community engagement
• Phase 2 Initial Stakeholder & Public Engagement To understand, from the community and key stakeholders, current active transportation strengths, challenges and opportunities. This will shape the development of the overall vision, direction and goals
• Phase 3 Network Analysis & Preliminary Strategies & Solutions To identify potential transportation improvements utilizing the information obtained from Phases 1 and 2. Continue to engage the community and key stakeholders with a focus on establishing the future network and to understand their level of support.
• Phase 4 Draft Plan To collate all feedback to date from the community and key stakeholders to develop the draft Active Transportation Network Plan. A draft ATNP will be presented for further public feedback.
• Phase 5 Plan Finalization To finalize and present the ATNP.

Figure 1: ATNP Work Plan Structure

The project is currently at the beginning of Phase 2 and a Community Engagement Plan has been established to guide public engagement for the project. The engagement plan outlines the following overall objectives of the community engagement process:

• To provide opportunities for the community to provide input and ideas to the development of the ATNP
• To increase understanding, awareness, and support of active transportation through meaningful engagement activities that focus on understanding local context, information sharing, education and promotions
• To show the community how their input helps to shape project outcomes

The Community Engagement Plan establishes three (3) rounds of engagement for the ATNP project. Staff is currently preparing for round 1:

Phase 1 Phase 2 - WE ARE HERE Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5

Engagement Activities

• Round 1: Community Ideas Fair, Online Survey #1, Stakeholder Interviews
• Round 2: Online Survey #2, Community Bike Shops
• Round 3: Community Open House

Engagement Deliverable

• What We Heard Summary #1
• What We Heard Summary #2
• Feedback Summary

Figure 2: Rounds of Engagement

Three (3) engagement activities are scheduled for Round 1:

1) Community Ideas Fair (3 Hour Event, In Person, 2 Key Outside Locations)

This event will introduce the community to the project through a series of maps and display boards. It will provide the community an opportunity to provide feedback back to staff on:

• The current state of active transportation in View Royal. “What are the key barriers and concerns?”
• What opportunities should be considered in an active transportation network plan. “What would a great active transportation network look and feel like?”

The Community Ideas Fair will take place in two key outdoor locations: one location north of Highway 1, and one location south of Highway 1. These locations have been identified as Chancellor Park and Portage Park respectively, due to the proximity to the Galloping Goose Regional Trail and E&N Trail corridors, and they are large spaces that caters to cyclists, pedestrians and families. This event will take place on June 25, 2022.

2) Online Survey #1 (3 Week Duration, Virtual)

The first online survey will ask specific questions to the public to better understand the barriers facing active transportation users within the vicinity of View Royal. Questions will target corridors, intersections and maintenance protocols.

The online survey will be launched at the same time as the Community Ideas Fair (June 25, 2022).

3) Stakeholder Interviews (Virtual)

Following the survey, Watt and staff will conduct interviews with key stakeholders and special interest groups. Watt will work with the Town to create a list of interviewees that could come from the key stakeholder list provided in the Community Engagement Plan.

The stakeholder interviews will take place throughout the month of July 2022.

NEXT STEPS:

The next step to this project is to prepare for the Community Ideas Fair. This will involve:

1. Preparing the maps and display boards
2. Preparing wayfinding boards along key corridors and gathering areas to notify the public ahead of time of the anticipated event
3. Notifying key stakeholder groups of the event
4. Promoting the event via press release, social media, newsletters and launch of the project webpage
5. Launch the event (June 25, 2022)

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report titled “Active Transportation Network Plan Update – Engagement Strategy” dated June 1, 2022 from the Director of Engineering be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY: I. Leung, Director of Engineering

REVIEWED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer