In an email to the Eagle, Judy Bailey brought up concerns with a recent article from a Calgary media outlet on Cochrane’s growth and its attractiveness.
In the Aug. 7 story, highlighting Cochrane’s attractiveness as a growing community, the town’s manager of development Jared Kassel discussed reasons behind why newcomers continue to settle in the town, such as the amenities and pricing.
Bailey took issue with Kassel’s lack of mention about what the Town of Cochrane was doing to address traffic concerns.
“It’s great to promote the increase in residential/commercial/retail development, but how are we going to handle all the traffic it attracts to our town?” she wrote.
According to Cochrane’s most recent census, the town experienced an 11.5 per cent rise in population – 23 per cent since 2013.
And traffic is only expected to rise with the newcomers: from 19,700 drivers in 2013 to 52,400 (although the data didn’t indicated when that number would be reached) on the section of Highway 1A before Centre Avenue, according to the Town of Cochrane’s Master Transportation Plan.
Nicole Law, listed as living in Cochrane, posted a comment on Facebook, expressing similar concerns: “The road system going in and out of Cochrane is brutal. In town is no better. The town cannot support a 23 per cent increase in population nor any new developments until the road structure is improved.”
An anonymous individual posted a more pointed complaint on the social media site, saying, “I will not be living in this town any longer if 25 minutes of my hour commute to Calgary is because of Cochrane traffic.”
Kassel said he’s not deaf to Cochranites’ feelings on traffic. “I regularly hear from residents about their concerns about the delays,” Kassel said.
In regards to what the town is doing, he pointed to the municipality’s Transportation Master Plan, “Connecting Cochrane.”
The plan, presented at two open houses thus far, categorizes transportation into four separate areas and how each will be accommodated: roads, pedestrian network, cycling network and transit.
Specific options include widening Highways 1A and 22 into six lanes, constructing interchanges and creating bus service to and from the Crowchild LRT station in the city.
Kassel reiterated that certain trouble spots, such as the Hwy 22-Hwy 1A interchange, are not within the town’s jurisdiction, but rather the province’s.
In the meantime, the town has been in talks with the provincial government to determine the future of those highway upgrades. When asked about the progress of those discussions, Kassel said they are still ongoing.
“We’re repeatedly having meetings with Alberta Transportation and all of our developers in regards to the highway. It’s definitely a weekly discussion that we have with them.”
The plan has yet to be presented to council, something Kassel expects to happen this fall after a third open house on the Transportation Master Plan is held.
