Members of the Altona Community Action Network (ACAN) recently shared the results of their public survey with Altona council.
ACAN is a group of citizens concerned about our community’s sustainability and ability to deal with climate change. Over the years they have been involved in small and large projects alike, including establishing year-round curbside composting in Altona, managing the community garden, hosting Earth Day events, and more.
In 2023, in anticipation of the annual Earth Day celebrations, ACAN partnered with the Green Action Centre to host an event focused on Active Transportation (AT) in the area.
As part of that event, ACAN worked on two specific data gathering activities: a large-format map where people could mark their most used active transportation routes as well as note their most significant areas of concern, and an Altona Active Transportation Survey to give residents the chance to further share their thoughts on what is needed in the community.
“It was supposed to be very conversational. This was a way for people to put ideas forward,” said ACAN member Mike Hiebert. “About 40 people submitted their information so we can keep them updated to hear more. So I think it’s something that people in Altona are catching on to.”
The responses covered five themes: infrastructure, safety, network, culture, and leadership.
Some responses indicated that while the bike paths and walking trails in the community were very appreciated, there is a real need to repair potholes and rough patches on those paths.
“The important point that they’re trying to make is that there’s more citizens and residents that use the street than just people in cars,” noted Hiebert, stressing the importance of “being able to have a different lens on good development of infrastructure so that you can ask yourself questions like what is it like to move through this space as a child if you’re trying to get from school to home? Or from the park to your house? What kind of infrastructure do you interact with?
“If you’re a senior and you’re taking your mobility scooter to get groceries, how does the infrastructure affect that? So that’s not car-centric. It’s a different way of looking at the space, and the importance of that was highlighted in a lot of the comments.”
In terms of safety, Hiebert says a lot of the comments were about schools and children. For example, how students are getting across Centre Ave. was a big area of concern.
Another thing noted in the survey was that the connectivity to workplaces and industrial areas is lacking.
“That’s actually where the roads are most narrow, in the industrial areas, and it’s not conducive to get to work in any other way besides a car,” Hiebert said. “A lot of people are driving to places that are within a five-minute bike ride or 15-minute walk. It could have a big impact on our community if other modes were considered.”
In conversations, it’s easy to steer active transportation into the realm of recreation, he noted, but ACAN wants the community to think in much broader terms.
“The concern is that if there isn’t a lens of active transportation put on planning and development, it will simply default to business as usual. A large part of what we’re advocating for, and the town is responding positively, is the idea that an active transportation strategy should be put in place. It would provide a good reference document that the town can apply to their projects.
“We are really just one voice among many,” Hiebert noted. “I feel like we have alignment with the Altona Equal Access committee. I feel like there could be good alignment with schools, [with] businesses and stakeholders, with newcomers who come to our community who aren’t prepared to drive right away. It goes all over the place with any scopes.
“That’s where the leadership piece is important to us, that the people in power can see it that way, and make sure that those motions are integrated into the work.”
“There are needs besides cars, whether it’s local or regional transportation. It’s time for us to open our perspectives on ways to get around.”
