The Blue Route: Nova Scotia`s Emerging Provincial Cycling Network - By Ben Buckwold

NOVA SCOTIA’S PROVINCIAL CYCLING NETWORK Cycle Tourism Conference 2016 Ben Buckwold Bicycle Nova Scotia

competition. advocacy. education. touring. sport.

competition. advocacy. education. touring. sport.

BLUE ROUTE VISION The Blue Route is a province-wide network of designated bicycle routes on roads, trails and streets designed for travel and transportation between and within communities.

~3000km of routes designated by 2025‌

PROJECT GOALS o Improve the safety of bicycling in Nova Scotia o Increase the number and diversity of people who bicycle regularly in Nova Scotia o Provide the benefits of a recreational and transportation asset to people across the province o Support the development of Nova Scotia’s outdoor recreation and tourism sector

ROUTE TYPES o

PAVED SHOULDERS

o

AADT is greater than 1000 vehicles/day

o

Width depends on traffic volume and speed; range from 1 - 1.75m

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ROUTE TYPES o

SHARED ROADWAYS

o

AADT is less than 1000 vehicles/day

o

Low truck volume

o

Primarily rural areas

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ROUTE TYPES o

TRAILS

o

Shared use and/or Greenways

o

Compact surfaces adequate for touring bicycle

o

Surfaces and widths appropriate for context and user mix

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ROUTE TYPES o

BIKE LANES AND LOCAL STREET ROUTES

o

Standard bike lane should be 1.5m-1.8m wide

o

Local street routes are low speed and low traffic volume, may include traffic calming and/or diversion strategies

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BLUE ROUTE CONCEPT PLAN (DRAFT) Trails Trails 15% 15%

Paved Shoulders Paved Shoulders 41% 41%

Low Traffic Routes Low Traffic Routes 44% 44%

PROCESS AND OBJECTIVES o Engage stakeholders, partners and jurisdictions in planning, improving infrastructure, building a collaborative bikeways vision  o Develop standards and criteria for network development and wayfinding o Create marketing, promotion, and communications materials and strategies o Engage local business community and tourism industry o Establish and implement evaluation strategy

BLUE ROUTE TEAM o Interdepartmental Committee o Strategic advice and coordination of mandates o Collaborative implementation o Route evaluation and designation o Co-chaired by Bicycle Nova Scotia and Transportation Department

Outdoor enthusiasts spend $110 more per day on average in Nova Scotia STAKEHOLDERS Provincial Government Policy o

Health and Wellness

o

Tourism Nova Scotia

o

Department of Energy

o

NGOs

Nova Scotia spends upwards of $500M annually on health problems associated with obesity and physical inactivity,

Over 1/4 of NS GHG emissions come from the Transportation Sector Cycling in Halifax, Rocky Lake Rd.

STAKEHOLDERS Roads o

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal

o

Cabot Trail Cape Breton Nova Scotia

~85% of planned network

STAKEHOLDERS Rails to trails corridor o

Community trails associations, Nova Scotia Trails Federation, Department of Natural Resources

o

~15% of planned network

Celtic Shores Coastal Trail, Cape Breton

STAKEHOLDERS Streets and pathways o

52 Municipal Units in NS, several are responsible for local street networks

o

63% developing active transportation plans and projects

o

Blue Route now mentioned in many AT plans, route determination ongoing

Halifax Nova Scotia

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT o

Meetings and workshops in communities across Nova Scotia

o

Experts from Velo Quebec invited to provide advice and inspiration

o

Develop a basic network concept and plan

IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS o

Upgrades completed through coordination of projects among inter jurisdictional partners

o

Funded through existing programs

o

Upgrades on Prov. roads addressed by TIR during repaving contracts

o

Designation required before signage installed

o

Blue Route Team approves designation of routes

Sign installed as part of Blue Route launch

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES o

Promoting routes in destination areas

o

Establishing bicycle friendly services and accommodations network

o

Sign installed as part of Blue Route launch

Industry focus groups

E V A L U AT I O N P L A N S o Tourism Nova Scotia Market Research o Route User Intercept Surveys (RUIS) o Manual and automated counts o Service provider focus groups and surveys o Populations surveys o Travel diaries o Collaborating with local universities to improve provincial baseline data

Celebrating launch of first route!

www.blueroute.ca