News Release
HRM To Hire Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator
(Friday, January 25/2002)-- The Halifax Regional Municipality and the Transportation Halifax (TRAX) Project of the Ecology Action Centre have teamed up to hire the municipality's first Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator.
District 14 Councillor Sheila Fougere, chair of the HRM Bikeways Task Force, said today the hiring of the new coordinator will be a major step forward in helping the municipality to become more pedestrian aware and bicycle friendly.
Councillor Fougere said "There are many residents of HRM who would prefer to use bicycles to get about, but they have safety concerns associated with the lack of designated bikeway routes throughout the region, particularly in the urban core. We're trying to take the major focus off motor vehicles, and try to make it safer and more convenient for those who prefer to walk or cycle."
A key priority of the new co-ordinator will be to help develop a Cycling Master Plan, including a proposed network of designated bikeways.
The coordinator will also work with the existing voluntary HRM Bikeways Task Force, and maintain contact with the Regional Trails Team. The Bikeways Task Force has a mandate from Regional Council to plan a system of on-street and off-street bikeways, primarily for utilitarian transportation such as commuting by bicycle. The Trails Team is helping develop recreational walking and biking trails, like the Trans-Canada Trail.
This new coordinating effort, which is the result of an innovative partnership between the municipality and TRAX, is being partially funded on a short-term basis by HRM and the Ecology Action Centre through TRAX. The Ecology Action Centre works to promote sustainable transportation in the HRM, including cycling, walking, car-pooling, van-pooling and transit.
The Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator will be based at the HRM Public Works and Transportation Services.
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David McCusker
HRM Traffic Authority
(902) 490-6696
TRAX
(902) 429 0924 (TRAX)
Email: trax@istar.ca
Councillor Sheila Fougere
(902) 452-3209
