About the Plan
The Town of Cochrane is working to develop its first long-term action plan to improve mobility, connectivity, and access Town-wide to ensure people have the opportunity to get around by walking, cycling, or other people-powered modes of travel. Having secured funding from the Federal Government, the Town of Cochrane has enlisted a consultant to support the process to develop an Active Transportation Master Plan (informally called the ATMP).
The development of an Active Transportation Master Plan is supported by our 2022 Parks and Recreation Master Plan where we concluded 64% of our population use our trails and 53% of our residents indicated that they are looking for more active transportation opportunities. As such within the Parks and Recreation Master Plan there are multiple recommendations towards Active Transportation opportunities including:
- Conduct public and user group consultations to identify current needs, issues, and gaps in the provision of active transportation as well as a vision for AT in the Town and future opportunities.
- Coordinate recreation plans and existing active transportation plans to provide better connections across the Town.
- Enhance and improve AT infrastructure to offer safety and connectivity to encourage active travel.
- Revisit the Town’s Active Transportation policies as a base for creating the necessary on-road and off-road connections. This should also include enhancements in the downtown core to improve the safety of cyclist, signage, and connections to the off-road network.
- Develop an operational strategy to determine the likelihood that winter trail maintenance practices can be expanded in response to the desire of the public to enjoy winter trails.
- For off-road trails, connections, work progressively over the life of the plan to implement the necessary connections
The ATMP will aim to:
- Develop a network of continuous and connected routes made up of on and off-road facilities that prioritize safety and consider a range of users
- Strengthen the Town’s integrated transportation system to achieve the benefits of multi-modal travel and first-last mile active travel
- Accommodate varying trip types and purposes by linking key destinations such as schools, community centers and future mobility hubs
- Address barriers to active transportation such as trucking routes, topography, missing links, environmental features, etc.
Cochrane’s natural beauty, small-town hospitality, and diverse shops, services, and other destinations give it the potential to be a great place for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, and get active for all kinds of trips – whether for recreation or getting to and from various destinations intown. Let’s work together to make Cochrane Wonderfully Active!Â
Active Transportation Master Plan Phases
The master plan will include the following phases:
Phase 1 – Background & Setting the Stage – During this phase, we will review and understand relevant background information about active transportation within the Town, and explore strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats regarding active movement and travel. We will engage with you to shape the vision, goals, and other foundational commitments.
Phase 2 – AT Improvements & Implementation – This phase will involve identifying and prioritizing improvements to develop a Town-wide active transportation network. This will include the development of a series of design guidelines and standards for a consistent walking, cycling, and trail experience. We will prepare a long-range implementation plan to ensure that the plan is achieved and that the plan’s recommendations are put into action.
Have your say!
This is your chance to provide feedback to decision-makers and make a meaningful impact on important initiatives related to connectivity and accessibility within your community. We are committed to gathering feedback exclusively from residents like yourself, and not from those living outside your area and reporting back on how it is being considered or used as part of the development of the ATMP.Â
Your input will help us:
1. Develop a future vision for getting around the Town
2. Identify places and spaces that need to be improvedÂ
3. Highlight new opportunities for connectivity
 4. Prioritize improvements and identify preferred actionsÂ
5. Establish supporting tools and tactics to educate, encourage and drive change
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Active transportation master plan
How to Participate
There are different ways we would like you to interact and provide input to the ATMP:
- Completing the AT behaviors survey
- Taking the AT Plan Poll
- Interacting and commenting on the PlaceIt mapping feature
- Participating on the discussion board
We look forward to considering your input as we start to develop the Town’s Active Transportation Master Plan!
Town of Cochrane Planning Documents
These resources provide some additional context on how active transport and mobility is addressed within the Town and potential policies that will be improved as a result of the ATMP outcomes.
