Master plan for trail would be beneficial
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e think it's OK that city staff is taking more time to think about options to fix the pedestrian crossing on John Stockbauer Drive for our hike and bike trail. But we urge planners to think in terms of a master plan for the trail that would eventually hook up all segments of it through the city - probably through existing and future parks and along drainage ditches - and this means that, eventually, there will be more locations where crossing a major street will be necessary.
But Ray Miller Jr., the city's deputy director of Development Services, said each intersection of the trail would be uniquely different and present varied tasks to overcome. Bike lanes (on-street or by drainage ditches), rights of way and other considerations will have to be taken into account, and a citywide trail plan will be formed on ideas and concepts as individual segments are constructed.
One thing is clear, residents use the trail, and they use it frequently, so there's little doubt about the trail's value. Residents and visitors, too, see that value.
We have said it before: We think a citywide trail is of the utmost importance, and the city should make such a trail a priority, although we realize it won't happen overnight. A master plan should be drafted for such a trail to provide a service that promotes exercise and recreation - the benefits don't stop there when one factors in the attraction for people considering a move to Victoria. A citywide trail also would offer the benefit of never having to turn around and go back the same way you came, and could eliminate the use of motorized vehicles to travel to locations far from one's residence.
Such a master plan for a trail has not officially been mapped, but one should be as planners are tackling the safety issues associated with the Stockbauer crossing. Similar safety problems might be easier to solve as future segments of the trail are conceptualized, even though new problems might arise.
Miller and Lynn Short, the city's Public Works director, said such a trail master plan is possible in 2010.
We understand that the city staffers are poring over seven options to solve the safety issue at the crossing. Three of the options cost nothing, and four have costs associated with them ranging from about $42,600 to $339,000, but which one really looks to the future of the trail?
We urge planners to further discuss ideas and concepts of how the trail will connect. Planning ahead will help to save money and ease difficult decisions that might arise in the future.
This editorial reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.
