Bike Cochrane has travelled a long way in just one year and people around town – not just bikers – are taking notice.
In a presentation to Cochrane Town council Oct. 17, Bike Cochrane director of operations Paul Perrault highlighted some of the accomplishments of the volunteer-only, non-profit group, not the least of which is the growth in trail development from last year.
One of the group's ongoing goals is that residents of all Cochrane neighbourhoods are able to ride, walk or run to access a natural dirt trail from their home without needing a car.
Another goal is to significantly increase the number of legal trails in and around town. “Legal trail” designation can only come after certain provincial rules and regulations are satisfied, mostly couched in terms of safety and environmental issues.
On Oct. 17, Perrault told council that in 2021, there were zero legal trails, and zero per cent of Cochrane could ride to a trailhead from home.
But just one year later, powered by an enthusiastic group of 76 volunteers, the town now boasts 17 kilometres (km) of legal trail, allowing residents from 40 per cent of Cochrane’s communities (Heritage Hills, Heartland, Cochrane Heights and Sunset Ridge) to ride or walk directly to trailheads.
“That’s something that’s a huge source of pride for our trails crew and for Bike Cochrane,” Perrault said.
The goal for 2023 is to increase the proportion of Cochranites who are able to access trails from 40 to 72 per cent, with work focussed on the south side of town, according to Perrault's delegation.
Bike Cochrane also worked closely with the Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre to open a legal trail on private land along Bighill Creek, in what Perrault described as a “stunningly beautiful” area. The Centre, which holds silent retreats, had at one point considered fencing off their land as a solution to issues about noise from off-leash dogs and people playing loud music. Bike Cochrane worked closely with them to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution, which involved removing access to some trails and improving it to others.
Other 2022 success stories highlighted by Perrault include the Bike Bros Kids Bike Camp at Buffalo Bean Trail, the first ‘Angry Hawk’ enduro race, and the Riverfront Micro Bike Park for first-time riders.
Perrault said he visited the micro park last week and in one hour counted 56 kids there. He spoke to parents who told him the park has frequently changed their weekend plans, as their twin three-year-olds want to go there all the time.
Bike Cochrane’s Active Transportation Committee has completed a Connectivity Implementation Plan in conjunction with the Town about how to connect neighbourhoods. Five- and ten-year plans are in the works.
Other proposals under consideration include: safe bike routes signage, and encouraging bike parking for businesses.
Besides the more obvious benefits of building a biking community and opening options for non-bikers at the same time, a discussion of the trail-building experience in Medicine Hat helped to re-iterate the financial implications of the Cochrane approach.
Perrault related the story of how Medicine Hat decided it wanted to speed up development of trails, which prompted a decision to go with eight private trail contractors. Two million taxpayers’ dollars later, they have gone from zero km of legal trails to about 50.
So far, Cochrane’s trail development is a result of Bike Cochrane’s volunteer efforts. That's zero taxpayers' dollars.
Perrault cited examples of towns in the U.S. that are actively promoting their trail systems as reasons to move there. As Cochrane becomes a destination community, he noted the expectation might be that a vibrant trail system could be considered an economic draw.
“Bike Cochrane wants to be a part of helping that,” he said.
Perrault added that he’s even heard from developers who’ve told him that the work Bike Cochrane is doing is helping them sell houses.
Coun. Alex Reed echoed the views of the rest of council when he congratulated Perrault’s group on their organizational skills, results, and how well they work in synergy with the Town of Cochrane administration.
He added to Perrault’s account of the Medicine Hat experience, saying that in addition to spending tax dollars, the trails project ran over budget and past the scheduled completion date.
“It’s a remarkably well-run group,” Reed said. “You guys are a classic example of what a non-profit volunteer group can do. My experience has been that when government gets in the way, it actually gets in the way.”
For more information on the work of Bike Cochrane or to volunteer, go to bikecochrane.com.
