Cycling-friendly infrastructure project in Courtenay, B.C. granted federal funding

The Vancouver Island city of Courtenay, B.C. made progress this week towards realizing a long-standing vision for city transportation—one that would have the bike-friendly ideals of active transportation at its heart.

The Comox Valley Echo reported the news on Feb. 12.

It’s described as a “complete streets project,” and for cyclists, it would result in a network of bike lanes throughout the municipality—some on street, some separated—along with other significant upgrades to both above- and below-ground infrastructure on 5th street, between Fitzgerald and Menzies. To achieve the goals of the project, a grant of $3.253 million was awarded to the city,bringing a project that has been on the radar of two city councils close to a reality.

Courtenay’s mayor, Larry Jangula, referred to the funding’s significance in announcing it on Feb. 12. “It is extremely significant,” he said. “We have talked about it for a long time. Quite frankly there’s a lot of confusion in the minds of the public and other people and even some elective people on what a complete street actually looks like, how it functions and what will be different on this street from other streets. It will be great example to see how it will work and I know it will work.”

Along with the introduction of rain gardens for stormwater management, the plan will significantly improve routes for both pedestrians and cyclists—a “key factor,” the Comox Valley Echo said, in encouraging alternative transportation in the British Columbia city. The project is one of 57 other initiatives for 2016 being funded through the Strategic Priorities Fund under the Federal Gas Tax Fund.

The project is estimated to be completed by September 2018.