It’s quite interesting looking at the Town of Cochrane’s second workshop presentation on its Transportation Master Plan, which was held Oct. 16.
There are a lot of helpful bits of information on Cochrane’s traffic woes and some of the efforts that are being looked at on how to deal with them.
For example, it shows that 92 per cent of Cochranites use their own vehicle to get to and from work, and that pretty much half of employed people who live in town commute into Calgary for work – 41 per cent work in Cochrane.
Only three per cent get to work via a transit system, which, considering what is currently available, must mean they utilize the Southland bus to get into Calgary or, if they work in town, take a taxi.
Of those who work in Cochrane, the majority (61 per cent) also live here, with 19 per cent coming in from Calgary and 15 per cent from somewhere in Rocky View County.
The presentation also states that Cochrane is similar to most other small Alberta municipalities in that it is largely vehicle dependent.
Whether people would take advantage of a local transit system to get to and from work if it were available depends on whom you ask, but in truth, there is very little anyone could do to prove this one way or the other. It’s not as easy as simply asking people and getting a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer…someone who says, ‘sure, I’d hop on a bus,’ may like to in theory, but then not follow through when it’s -20C and standing at a bus stop isn’t so appealing.
Much of the traffic people see (and have to deal with) during peak afternoon hours is primarily due to people getting off work and returning home to Cochrane, accounting for 40 per cent of vehicles on the road, which lasts from around 4:30-6 p.m.
Peak morning traffic is mostly a result of trips within Cochrane, such as going to work, or dropping the kids off at school.
The two hardest hit (above capacity) intersections are quite obvious to anyone in Cochrane who drives: the Highway 1A/22 and the 5th Ave./Railway Street intersections.
Several other intersections are either at or approaching capacity – Highway 22/Quigley Dr., Highway 22/George Fox Trail and Highway 1A/4th Ave.
Traffic light functionality also continues to hinder vehicle flow at the new Centre Ave./Railway Street intersection and at times at 5th Ave./Railway Street as well. The Centre/Railway intersection quite often holds vehicles in all directions prior to the arrival of a train, quite often remaining green for those travelling south toward Wal-Mart, which is understandable when a train is approaching to clear the road, but the light holds people immobile for such an inordinate amount of time, that motorists often sit there for several minutes, which is completely unnecessary and causes some to reverse and head in a different direction altogether.
The 5th/Railway lights are also guilty of holding vehicles gratuitously.
There are times when a train is passing through and those wanting to make a left from 5th Ave. onto Glenbow Dr. are unable to until the train has gone, which also makes no sense and causes major traffic backups on an already-busy 5th Ave.
Another fascinating bit of information the workshop presentation reveals is the level of population growth expected in Cochrane and where that growth is expected to occur.
According to the World Bank, Canada’s population grew at a rate of 1.2 per cent in 2013. Cochrane’s growth rate for 2013 was 10.4 per cent.
During the transportation workshop, it was suggested that Cochrane’s town core would see 25 per cent of the community’s population increase, while 30 per cent would be to the north (Sunset Ridge, Cochrane West and Heritage Hills) and the remaining 45 per cent in the south (Riversong, West Ridge, River Heights and Towers Trail/Rolling Range).
It’s also projected that by the time Cochrane families with toddlers see their kids enter high school, the town would boast a population between 31,000 and 35,000.
The first transit public session revealed that 54 per cent of attendees wanted to see the town focus on access and connectivity on Cochrane roads, while 23 per cent sought highway improvements (in the hands of the province) and one per cent wanted something done with transit.
When it comes to roads, the town has some improvements planned, including building the bridge over the Bow River and, if the province is on board, upgrades to Highway 1A and 22 and several intersection improvements.
But the town is now looking at possibilities for the future network of Cochrane’s roads.
There are three options being looked at: higher standards for the highways, better local road connections and improved highway and local connections.
With traffic congestion being such a hot topic of late, it’s important for people to provide their input. Though a survey has now been taken down from the town’s website, anyone with comments or questions on the matter can email [email protected].
A third transportation workshop will take place early 2015.
