3.0 LEARNING FROM CHATHAM-KENT S CITIZENS

Transcription

1 3.0 LEARNING FROM CHATHAM-KENT S CITIZENS An important aspect in developing the Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan was to obtain input from stakeholders and the general public. Throughout the course of the study, the study team received many helpful suggestions. Comments regarding the network, maintenance and monitoring, the promotion and encouragement of trail use were evaluated in the context of the objectives and guiding principles. Where possible, suggestions were integrated into the Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan. 3.1 CONSULTING KEY STAKEHOLDERS The Project Steering Committee provided guidance to the consulting team throughout the study. Steering Committee meetings were held at critical junctures in the development of the Trails Master Plan. Meetings were used as a venue to present fi ndings, solicit input and conduct working sessions related to specifi c aspects of the plan. Recognizing that there had been a considerable amount of work already in progress or completed that related to trail planning in Chatham-Kent, individuals who had this knowledge/ high level of involvement were asked to participate on the Steering Committee. Where appropriate, these individuals reported back to their local organizations (i.e. local trail clubs), and municipal departments regarding the master plan study. The Steering Committee included representation from: Chatham-Kent Trails Council; South Kent Trails; Residents at large from various communities across Chatham-Kent; Chatham-Kent Council; and Staff representatives from Community Development and Planning, Infrastructure and Engineering, Chatham-Kent Public Health. 3.2 ONLINE SURVEY In order to better understand public attitudes towards trails and trail usage within Chatham-Kent, an online web-based survey was developed and deployed as part of the public consultation strategy for the Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan study. The survey sought to engage the public and stakeholders and obtain their views on what an appropriate trail system for Chatham-Kent should look like. The survey was posted in November 2007 and was available to respondents until June A total of 274 responses were received during this time. This section discusses some of the key fi ndings that support the development of the Trails Master Plan and highlight locations in Chatham-Kent where trail development should be focused. The survey provided information on general attitudes towards trail use in Chatham-Kent. Although it was not designed to be statistically valid, the survey was very useful for informing the study team and identifying additional candidate routes for investigation in the fi eld. The survey revealed that many residents recognize the benefi ts of trails and support the municipal investment to improve trail infrastructure in Chatham-Kent, and may be encouraged to use trails more often if improvements were made and more trails were linked. Respondents also recognized some Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan MMM Group Limited and TransActive Solutions Final Report September

2 signifi cant challenges in developing a municipal-wide trail system throughout Chatham-Kent. The survey results provided the study team with useful information including: Frequency of use; How respondents perceived the trails; Types of uses that should be encouraged on Chatham-Kent s trails; Perceived challenges and opportunities to improve the trail system; and Locations for new trails and missing links. Several questions required respondents to rank statements related to a similar theme in order of agreement or preference. For example: Please rank from most important to least important the reasons why you think a trail system for Chatham-Kent should be developed. The choices or statements included: To provide places to walk and cycle within communities; To improve the quality of life and health of Chatham-Kent residents; To provide access to natural areas; To connect communities to each other; To provide access to historic/cultural destinations and support tourism; To provide designated routes for recreational motorized uses such as ATV s; To improve walking and cycling routes as transportation options; and Other (please specify). Results were summarized in tabular format indicating response percentages and rating averages. The percentages that are shown in the table are to be read across the rows and relate to the response count (i.e. number of respondents relative to the total number of responses that ranked an individual statement as most important, second most important and so on, to the least important). The rating average gives the statement a score relative to the scores of other statements included in the question and the rating average relates to the levels of agreement presented in the question. The lower the rating average, the higher the relative level of agreement to the statement presented, the higher the score, the lower the relative level of agreement to the statement presented Survey Results Question 1 queried the public s attitude towards expanding the existing Chatham-Kent Trails Network with the following question: Are you in support of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent developing an expanded and better connected trail system in Chatham-Kent? Ninety eight percent indicated that they either strongly agreed or agreed with the expansion of the trail network while less than one percent disagreed, with a similar amount not having any opinion (refer to Figure 3-1). 3-2

3 Several questions required respondents to rank statements related to a similar theme in order of agreement or preference Figure 3-1 Abandoned railway line along north side of Wheatley Area Community Centre, Wheatley Trail along Grand Avenue, Chatham St. Clair Marshes National Wildlife Area Trail in Tilbury Northside Park, Tilbury Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan MMM Group Limited and TransActive Solutions Final Report September

4 Question 2 examined the frequency of use of the existing trails in the Chatham-Kent Network, and asked respondents the following question: How often do you typically use existing trails in Chatham-Kent? The results, in Figure 3-2, show that daily usage was reported by 11.9% of respondents, while 24.9% and 26.1% of respondents indicated that they use the existing trails in Chatham-Kent 1 to 2 days a week and month, respectively. In other words, almost 65% of respondents indicated that they currently used Chatham-Kent s trails at least 1 to 2 days per month. Figure 3-2 Trail along Brown s Drain, Chatham Pedestrian Bridge, Wallaceburg Trailhead at the Spicebush Trail, Rondeau Provincial Park Uncle Tom s Cabin, Dresden 3-4

5 Question 3 (Figure 3-3) asked respondents to rank types of uses (1 = most important to 6 = least important ) that should be considered for Chatham-Kent s trails. The highest level of agreement was with walking / hiking with a rating average of In other words, most respondents believe that walking is the fi rst, second or third most important use to be considered on Chatham-Kent s trails. Cycling received the second highest rating average with a score of 2.72 and cross-country ski/snowshoeing was next with a rating average of Although ATV use received a rating average of 3.71, a high percentage of respondents chose it as their #1 or most important use. A comparison of most important uses (column 1 ) suggests that ATV is second with 28%, or 67 of 236 respondents indicating it is the most important, whereas walking/hiking is was most important to 103 of 236 (44%) of respondents. A closer look at the ATV rating average (row 3) reveals that respondents were either of the opinion that it was most important (67 of 221), or least important (70 of 221). This divergent opinion results in the lower rating average. Further detail regarding trail users groups and their needs is presented in Chapter 5, the Trail Designer s Toolbox. Figure 3-3 Abandoned Railway Line, Ridgetown Mud Creek Trail, Chatham Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan MMM Group Limited and TransActive Solutions Final Report September

6 Respondents were asked in Question 4 to rank from most often to least often, the reasons that they would use Chatham-Kent s trails. The top three responses as indicated in Figure 3-4, were enjoyment of natural environment with a rating average of 2.23, recreation/ fi tness with a rating average of 2.43 and travelling to visit family/friends/ shopping/errands with a rating average of Tourism and commuting to work or school had lower rating averages of 3.59 and 3.91 respectively. Figure 3-4 Buxton National Historic Site CSX railway line at Tupperville Two Creeks Conservation Area, Wheatley Victoria St., Thamesville 3-6

7 Trails allow people to get out and appreciate the area s natural resources...chatham-kent Resident Question 5 asked respondents to rank the 8 reasons why a trail system for Chatham-Kent should be developed (1 = most important and 8 = least important ). Figure 3-5, presents the top three reasons as: To improve quality of life and health of Chatham-Kent residents (rating average of 3.15), To provide places to walk and cycle within communities with a rating average of 3.17 and To provide access to natural areas with a rating average of Similar to question 3, when the list of uses for top reasons (column #1) are compared among each other, a high percentage of respondents felt that providing designated routes for recreational motorized vehicles such as ATV s was the most important. Of the 224 responses for most important, 68 or 30.3% selected provide designated routes for recreational motorized vehicles such as ATVs. This was mirrored by a high percentage of respondents who felt provide designated routes for recreational motorized vehicles such as ATVs was least important (56 of the 125 who made an entry in column 8, or 44.8%). These strongly polar opinions contribute to the rating average of Figure 3-5 Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan MMM Group Limited and TransActive Solutions Final Report September

8 Question 6 (Figure 3-6) asked respondents to provide their opinion regarding the priority for trail development in Chatham-Kent. Specifi cally, respondents were asked if trail development priority should be focused on the urban areas, rural areas or balanced between urban and rural. Balance of urban/rural received a rating average of 1.76, followed by rural (1.87), then urban (2.15). Figure 3-6 Question 7 was open-ended and asked respondents what they thought were the main challenges that needed to be overcome for the successful development of an expanded trail network. Overwhelmingly, the top challenge identifi ed was the cost to implement and maintain the trail system, and the political will to undertake the initiative and subsequent commitment to funding. Other key challenges identifi ed were: Diffi culty in creating a continuous off-road network, in addressing concerns of adjacent private landowners, and in making arrangements with private landowners where the best/most desirable/only route crosses private land; Communicating to the public and gaining support for the development of trails as a worthwhile initiative from a number of points of view including economic benefi ts, public health and quality of life; The ability to get various partners with interests in trails throughout the municipality to work together; and Balancing the development of trails effectively across the entire geography of the municipality. Question 8 was also open-ended and asked respondents to provide suggestions for the three most important locations or corridors where new trails or missing links in existing trail networks should be provided. Suggestions were used to inform the study team of additional candidate routes for investigation in the fi eld, and a number of these were carried through to the proposed Trail Network (Chapter 4), and the Implementation Strategy (Chapter 6) of this report. The list of suggestions varied, both in terms of the extent and geographic location, but some common themes emerged. Common themes included: Developing a continuous trail system along the Thames River; Creating trails using abandoned railways lines; Linking communities within the Chatham-Kent area to one another; and Linking existing trails within Chatham-Kent. 3-8

9 125 of 128 (97.6%) agreed that developing trails in Chatham-Kent is a good idea (Open House July 3 and 4, 2009) 3.3 PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE A Public Open House was held on July 3rd (11am-9pm) and July 4th (12pm-8:30pm) at Chatham-Kent s Rotary Ribfest event in Tecumseh Park, Chatham. A set of displays was prepared which summarized the study process by generally providing highlights from each of the chapters of the draft report. The displays included a set of maps illustrating the existing and proposed routes by facility type for the entire municipality, plus enlargements for each of the urban areas. Each map included a description of key elements of the proposed trail network and potential priorities for implementation. One representative of the consultant team was in attendance for the duration of the event and was accompanied by members of the steering committee at different times. It was estimated that over 300 people reviewed the displays and/or spoke with one or more of the project representatives. Comment forms were available and 128 were fi lled out and returned. The following is a brief summary of responses: General Comments 125 of 128 (97.6%) agreed that developing trails in Chatham-Kent is a good idea, 2 were unsure (1.6%), 1 disagreed (0.8%). Many were of the opinion that Chatham-Kent is behind many municipalities with initiatives to develop trails and cycling routes, and they were very pleased to see that the Master Plan was being undertaken. Several remarked the sooner the better and this should have been done years ago. Many were of the opinion that improved trails and cycling facilities will improve safety and that giving children options to get safely to school is important. Many expressed a desire for the municipality to develop continuous routes, and noted that linking existing trails should be a priority. Trails allow people to get out and appreciate the area s natural resources (natural heritage). Trails provide an outlet for fi tness and will improve the health of residents. Trail Planning and Design Follow examples from other cities that have done a good job like London, Ontario. Signage should include information about trail length, where one is along the trail and where the next off road link is located. Rest areas and washrooms should be included along the trail. Trails should be located close to plazas and restaurants. Trails should be included in the development of all new subdivisions. Trails should highlight community features. A trail is needed in every community, it promotes healthy living, attracts tourists and creates a connection between communities. Some trails should be developed for in-line skaters with a smooth asphalt surface. Make rural trails available to ATV s, snowmobiles and equestrians as well as hikers and cyclists. Take ownership of abandoned rail lines before they are broken up and sold to individual land owners. If abandoned railway lines are used in rural areas, make sure that adjacent landowners rights are respected, and make sure that access is maintained along or across the rail line where it has been available in the past. Chatham-Kent Trails Master Plan MMM Group Limited and TransActive Solutions Final Report September

10 Priorities for Trail Implementation Water routes could be easily incorporated. Current trails are discontinuous and linking and upgrading existing trails should be a priority. Priority should be put on routes to schools where no sidewalks currently exist. Make sure trail and/or cycling facilities are built when new roads are being constructed or roads are being upgraded so that opportunities aren t lost. Promoting Trails and Encouraging Trail Use Trails provide a good alternative to transportation by car. A number of respondents noted that they would ride to work more if there were better facilities such as more paved shoulders and bike lanes, especially on main roads. Provide a dedicated website that encompasses all trails and cycling routes in Chatham-Kent with useful links to other sites. Utilize signs, websites, brochures, maps, local shops (bike shops), advertising, special events, competitions, and corporate sponsorship to promote trails. Develop a database of contact information for Open House in Tecumseh Park, Chatham (July 3 and 4, 2009) people who are interested in becoming involved as volunteers. Education is required where bikes use crowded streets. A well developed trail system may help to attract more young people to settle in the area and help retain current residents. Trails in Ridgetown South Point Trail, Rondeau Provincial Park 3-10