Sault city council looks for input on transportation from the community

The way Sault Ste. Marie's transportation system is envisioned is being reimagined.

“Most people do travel around Sault Ste Marie by car,” says Steve Turco, a senior planner with the city.

He says it is something the city is looking to change.

"A lot of that is because there isn’t really a viable or safe alternative to allow people to choose to leave their cars at home.”

The Soo Moves campaign is being influenced with feedback from a number of groups including the Sault Cycling Club.

Andre Riopel, the club's advocacy director, said there are changes needed from the ground up.

“The car comes first and then if there’s any room left over for pedestrians they might put a sidewalk on one side, and if there’s a little bit of room left we might put a bicycle lane on the other side,” he said.

“So it’s just flipping the cart on its head and giving the priority to pedestrians and cyclists.”

The campaign is aimed at learning where infrastructure improvements are needed for the safety and function of pedestrians and cyclists.

Riopel and the club have expressed their displeasure with the lack of bike lanes in the city's downtown and he said there also needs to be work done at major intersections that can be dangerous.

"We don't need to have every single street pedestrian friendly, but there are some that are actually really critical."

By visiting publicinput.com/SooMoves residents can complete a survey and add to a map of the area to show city staff exactly where they feel improvements are needed.

Turco told CTV News he is looking forward to hearing from the community.

“We understand that we have to create better connections to the west end of the community and also to the far east end of the community,” said Turco.

“We also want to look to see if there’s opportunities to create better connections to both Batchewana and Garden River First Nations.”

He added that they will be holding on-line and in-person discussions and are looking to hear from residents who aren't typically heard, such as the local homeless population.

Once consultation is complete, Turco aims to have recommendations on active transportation changes completed by the spring, awaiting approval from council.