At the beginning of the year, Municipal planner Emma Chow urged council to approve a request for funding that would fast track plans for a multi-use path connecting Snug Cove to Tunstall Bay to create a section of path around the corner at Charlie’s Lane. At Monday’s council meeting Chow announced that the $160,000 request to TransLink was approved in early June and the legal agreement outlining the use of funds is being drafted.
This news came as part of an update on the Integrated Transportation Master Plan (ITMP) project, which outlines a twenty-year vision for transportation infrastructure on Bowen. The project is moving into its fifth and final stage, and according to Chow, is predicted to wrap up on-time (at the end of this summer) and so far it is within budget.
The project’s fourth phase, said Chow, brought more progress including the installation of three physical bus stops on the island, the extension of evening blue bus service, the inclusion of the planned path from Snug Cove to Tunstall as a part of the regional North Shore Spirit Trail. She added that municipal staff is currently in conversation with TransLink about implementing a real-time technology for locating the bus and exploring on-demand transit service.
Chow says the goal of the fifth and final phase of this project, which will be wrapped up by the end of the summer, is to draft and have council adopt the final ITMP report.
The projected total budget for the ITMP is $38,645.
