COQUITLAM, B.C., May 17, 2023 – As Coquitlam continues to develop a new Strategic Transportation Plan, the public is invited to learn more and share feedback about the future of how we move people and goods in, around and through the community.
The next phase of engagement to support the development of the updated Strategic Transportation Plan will focus on hearing from the community about the proposed vision and goals of the plan, as well as hearing more about e-mobility and micromobility (i.e. scooters/e-scooters and bicycles/e-bikes).
Reimagining Coquitlam’s Transportation Future: A Conversation with Experts
A key highlight of this phase of community engagement includes a panel discussion on the future of Coquitlam’s transportation system moderated by Dale Bracewell, a global mobility leader and catalyst for enabling sustainable mobility to create healthy, safe communities.
When: Wednesday, May 31 from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Douglas College Coquitlam Campus (1250 Pinetree Way) Main Building Room A1470
Register at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/TransportationPlan.
In addition to the moderator, the panelists for the event include:
- Dr. Meghan Winters, Professor, Simon Fraser University - is an epidemiologist interested in the link between health, transportation, and city design
- Sandra Phillips, CEO and Founder, movmi - movmi is an agency focused on Shared Mobility, from micromobility, carsharing to Mobility-as-a-Service
- Gina Hortelano, Director of Programs and Services, Share Family & Community Services – Share offers resources to newcomers, youth, seniors, and other Tri-Cities residents
- Tyler Golly, Transportation Engineer and Certified Road Safety Professional, Martinson Golly Ltd. – Martinson-Golly is a consultant on the City’s Road Safety Strategy
A recording of the session will be available after the event at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/TransportationPlan.
Other Ways to Get Involved
Throughout May and June there will be various opportunities for engagement, such as community pop-up events (including at Coquitlam’s Canada Day event) and an online community survey.
To stay informed and participate in the engagement process, visit the project’s engagement page at letstalkcoquitlam.ca/TransportationPlan.
Ultimately, the updated Strategic Transportation Plan will balance public feedback along with technical analysis, best practices, other City plans and strategies as well as regional plans and strategies, budget and overall community need.
Vision Developed through Community Input and Household Travel Survey
In summer and fall 2022 the project team gathered extensive public input from nearly 1,500 people through meetings with Council Advisory Committees, equity-deserving groups, a community survey, pop-up booths, and the Let's Talk Coquitlam engagement platform. A full What We Heard report, as well as a summary infographic, is available at LetsTalkCoquitlam.ca/TransportationPlan.
During the engagement process, three key themes emerged:
- Residents expressed their desire to walk and bike more, emphasizing the need for road safety improvements and comfortable facilities.
- The community expressed a strong interest in increasing the use of public transit, requesting higher frequencies and improved reliability to enhance convenience.
- Electric vehicles were identified as a popular solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with concerns raised about the high purchase costs.
The project team also conducted a statistically-valid Coquitlam Household Travel Survey in fall 2022 to better understand how, where, and why residents travel in and around Coquitlam. The survey found 22% of trips were made by sustainable transportation modes (walking, micromobility and transit). Results for this survey can be explored further using an interactive data visualization tool.
New Vision and Goals for Transportation in Coquitlam
Building upon this community feedback, household travel survey results as well as technical analysis, the project team has developed a new vision, goals, and key themes for the Strategic Transportation Plan.
The new vision imagines Coquitlam as a complete and connected community that prioritizes the sustainable movement of people and goods to support a thriving economy, healthy environment and equitable society with accessible, safe and reliable transportation options for all.
To achieve this vision by 2050, the project team has proposed three citywide goals:
- 50% mode share by active transportation and public transit
- Zero transportation GHG emissions
- Zero serious traffic injuries and fatalities
The following key themes identify strategic directions for the City’s transportation network that support the vision and goals: Safety and Accessibility for All, Compact and Connected Communities, Sustainable and Innovative Mobility, Reliable Transportation Network and Fast and Frequent Transit.
About Coquitlam’s Updated Strategic Transportation Plan
The City adopted the current Strategic Transportation Plan in 2012. Since then the City has made modest progress increasing sustainable transportation in Coquitlam such as walking, cycling and public transit. There has also been significant changes in transportation over the last ten years, including the addition of SkyTrain, consideration of different kinds of street users, and emerging technologies to address climate change mitigation and adaptation.
A new Strategic Transportation Plan will provide a refreshed long-term vision for Coquitlam’s transportation network with a focus on prioritizing key actions and policy changes for the next 10 years. It will also align with other City plans such as the recently adopted Environmental Sustainability Plan and the Economic Development Strategy currently in development, while also applying the City’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
The revised Strategic Transportation Plan will be developed through five phases spanning approximately 18 to 24 months and will also include two key sub-strategies being developed in parallel that would align with its vision and themes: an E-Mobility Strategy and a Road Safety Strategy.
Learn more at coquitlam.ca/TransportationPlan.
About the Road Safety Strategy
The Road Safety Strategy will serve as our roadmap to creating a transportation system designed with safety in mind. The Road Safety Strategy will be guided by the principles of Vision Zero and the Safe Systems Approach.
Vision Zero is a philosophy that aims to eliminate road fatalities and serious injuries while ensuring safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all road users.
The Safe Systems Approach is a comprehensive process that addresses all aspects of road safety, including human errors, to prevent predictable and preventable traffic injuries and fatalities. The Safe Systems Approach considers all aspects of road safety, from road users, vehicles, speeds, roads and roadsides, land use and mobility planning, and post-crash care, to build a safer Coquitlam.
About the E-Mobility Strategy
The E-Mobility Strategy aims to focus the City’s priorities for e-mobility policy and program development, while remaining flexible enough to support new forms of mobility and technology. The E-Mobility Strategy will include short- and long-term actions to better prepare the City for a rapidly changing market that has seen electric bicycles (e-bikes), electric-scooters (e-scooters), seated power scooters and electric vehicles gain increasing popularity around the world.
The City is currently working on a Shared Micromobility Pilot that will make rentable e-bikes and e-scooters available to the public in Summer 2023. Learn more at coquitlam.ca/escooter.
Media contact:
Thomas Thivener
Manager, Transportation Planning
604-927-4322
tthivener@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-kwuh-tlum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem) traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the sq̓əc̓iy̓aɁɬ təməxʷ (Katzie), and other Coast Salish Peoples.