Kelly's Brook Shared-Use Path

More bike parking at the Farmers' Market

The bike racks here are already overfull on market days - with a bike route running past, it'll get mighty crowded. Great spot for more infrastructure. Repair station too.

Safe intersections for all users

There are some really tangly intersections along the route - particularly all of the intersections along the Empire Avenue stretch. They'll need work to accommodate the trail which is a chance to make them safer for all users.

I understand the City has NO plans to clear the Kelly's Brook path of snow. They will be no more walkable in winter than they are now.

I don't know why so many people on here think otherwise. The city should clear up that misperception.

Pedestrian Safety, Loss of Nature and Environmental Impact

The stated purpose of the shared path was to provide improved commuting for bikes. This will result in a dangerous situation for pedestrians. It will be equivalent to allowing bikes to travel on sidewalks of the existing road system. If the City wishes to facilitate bike commuting it should alter the road system. Altering the existing paths will cause the loss of the nature walk environment for which these paths are used and recognized.

Safe connector route from upper elevations

It will be very difficult and potentially dangerous to connect from the Georgestown/Rennies Mill area or other upper elevations to the bikepath without using Carpasian or Rennies Mill below Circular. These hills are too steep especially for senior citizens or anyone else not in exceptional physical shape to go up or down on a bike. Can a connector be developed--at a minimum a wide bike path to push a bike up/down; or a better gradient or less busy connector, perhaps using the lane from Circular near the brewery to Empire and then on to Kelly's Brook? As those of us who walk are giving up peaceful enjoyment of this trail, at least accomodate us for this other use.

Why should wheelchair users have to team up with cyclists just to get an accessible path?

Bikes are vehicles. Full stop. They should not be on the same paths as pedestrians and wheelchair users.

Concerns? Where to begin??

People with mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive challenges and mental illnesses, as well as slow-moving seniors, children and dogs will be particularly at risk. What kind of society prioritizes cyclists over these vulnerable groups?

Safety of pedestrians around bikes

I use this trail a lot, and I have used many multi-use trails before living in Montreal. My experience with them is that there is some danger involved in sharing a bike path if there a cyclists (for both pedestrians and cyclists). Children can wander in front of bikes, or children on bikes can collide with others, for example. Or bikes going too fast can collide with walkers. How do you plan to ensure safety when this path will be shared?

Rethink adding bikes to a walking trail and consider ways to safely add bikes to roads.

At the Feb 18 Engage St John's meeting many people expressed significant concerns about the viability of a shared use pathway. Nevertheless, the discussion focused on options (e.g., lighting) as if the multiuse pathway could not be reconsidered. Someone raised the very good point that cars are not being asked to compromise at all. In many large cities cycling lanes have been added to roads and this system works well. Could it not be considered here?

Challenges at the eastern end

Following the road around Empire/King's Bridge makes the connection over to Quidi Vidi lake a fair bit trickier than a route along the existing riverside trail. Some difficult intersections and slopes.

Signage

With proper signage, everybody can feel comfortable and confident using the shared-use trail!

Transportation

Around 90% of my time is spent around the Kelly's Brook trail. I live quite close to Wishingwell Park, work near Empire Ave/Columbus Drive, regularly visit the Farmer's Market, go to MUN, and spend time around Quidi Vidi. A shared-use trail would make commuting to all of these places quicker and safer by bicycle!

Design with winter maintenance in mind

With long, difficult winters St. John's should aim to be a winter city by designing infrastructure such that it is maintainable year-round. While clearing is likely not planned at this time the trail should be designed to accommodate winter maintenance equipment should this prove feasible in the future. Winter trail use currently suffers but it could be a year-round safe, accessible route.

Reroute Trail portion from behind #1 - 25 Whiteway Street to Gravel Area at Lions ballfield, and use existing asphalt Lions Park Access Road

Although the Bike Plan title refers to bikes, in other jurisdictions Multi-Use trails allow skating, scooters, pedal-bikes, recumbent bicycles, wheel chairs, kid strollers, skateboards, longboards and many other non-motorized ways of moving around. I expect that our City also envisages a similar variety of users for our Multi-Use Trails. The City survey that accompanies this round of engagement poses questions about what types of transport people would be interested in allowing. In any case, once a wide Multi-Use Trail system is in place such a variety of traffic modes will become impossible to prevent, even if that is not what is currently envisaged. It is hoped that the final Trail designs will minimize impact: On existing Trails, preserving the quietness and natural setting as much as possible On the surrounding neighbourhoods where a Trail passes close to back yards. The final Trail needs to utilize alternate routing where such can be found. PRELIMINARY PLAN AT LIONS PARK AREA I live close to Lions Park. I have had a look at the preliminary Kelly's Brook Multi Use Trail route between Newtown Road and Bonaventure Avenue (ref Trail Sections 9 and 10). I note that the Preliminary Plan shows the new paved trail taking the route of the current gravel walking trail, close to backyards of houses 1 - 25 Whiteway Street. A widening and paving of the trail to 10 feet (3 metres), along with drastically increasing the amount and nature of the traffic, would deteriorate the quality of this very picturesque and quiet piece of Trail. In addition there can be additional noise nuisance anticipated by the residents who have back yards close to the trail, with the introduction of skateboarding, organized groups etc, as suggested by the City survey. DISCUSSION I use this trail daily to walk my dog, and can confirm that this is a very well used section of the Trail. This section of Trail is in fact its own Linear Park, with mature trees and a grassed separation from the bustle of the Lions Softball Park in particular, but also at times from the Lions Chalet and Re/Max Centre. The Linear Park provides a welcome quiet oasis for walkers, families pushing kids strollers, and wheelchair users. The Park bench is very pleasant to sit at. The City has been enhancing the shielding of the Linear Park by installing a row of nursery trees along the side of the gravel access road. It would be a shame to change the nature of the Linear Park as it is now, especially given that there is a readily available solution. ALTERNATE ROUTE SOLUTION A much better solution would be to instead provide the new paved Trail section along the side of the existing Lions ballfield gravel road. This road provides access to the scorekeeper building and club house. The paved Trail rerouting would begin behind the scorekeeper building, and end at the cul de sac bulb in front of the Lions Chalet. That way the existing Linear Park can remain as is. There are many advantages to rerouting the Multi-Use Trail along the existing Lions Ballfield road: - Replacing a narrow gravel trail with a 3m wide paved throughway will mix an ever increasing number of fast traffic (cyclists, skateboarders, scooters etc.) with the current walkers, kids strollers and wheelchair users. In wintertime walkers will have to share the trail with fat-tire bikers and possibly cross-country skiers. This is of course the objective in creating the Multi-Use Trail in the first place, the additional trail width being necessary to minimize accidents. Inevitably this will change the whole feel for current trail users with all the fast moving traffic going by. Apart from the discomfort of hearing the tire and skateboard noise, the walker will always be concerned that a cyclist or skateboarder coming from behind will crash into them. The City needs to build in a series of refuge areas where possible to give the walker a break from such concerns - The existing Linear Park provides just such a ready made refuge for walkers. In addition the gravel path in this place is flat and can be accessed by wheelchair users and kids strollers - There is lots of room along the Lions Ballpark access road to accommodate a 3m wide strip of asphalt. The asphalted surface would if anything be of benefit to the ballfield maintenance staff and their vehicles. If needed, to reduce any impact a small portion of the grassed area adjacent the gravel road could be used - The existing gravel Trail can remain in its current form, preserving its natural refuge feeling, and avoiding the need for tree removal - The rerouting will save the cost of approximately two thirds of the new asphalt paving that would have to occur if the existing trail route were paved over - The City also saves substantial future maintenance costs with less asphalt pavement to maintain. - Maintenance of the current asphalt access road from Bonaventure Avenue is currently a City responsibility so there is no additional maintenance cost to the City in expanding the use of the access road - Maintenance of the existing Linear Park gravel surface has proved extremely cheap. Indeed, in the 26 years that I have lived nearby I have never seen any works done on the gravel surface - Traffic along the existing paved access road from Bonaventure Avenue is low and cyclists etc. can easily see vehicles and safely avoid them - The existing paved access road from Bonaventure Avenue is very wide and can easily accommodate a dedicated zone for a Multi-Use Trail - The goals of the City Zero Increase in Runoff By-Law are better achieved with less asphalt paving taking place over the existing porous gravel Trail - Widening and making the current gravel trail behind 1 - 25 Whiteway Street, along with several properties along Bonaventure Avenue, with the resulting bike and skateboard use would seriously impact negatively on the enjoyment of the back yards of those residents. Rerouting as proposed here would spare those back yards the nuisance of increased noise from the planned increase in Trail users and noisier traffic from bikes and skateboards etc. - A potential biking safety hazard is avoided, where the gravel Trail currently exits to the asphalt road in front of the Re/Max centre (see additional commentary below). POTENTIAL BIKING HAZARD A serious sight hazard would be created if the existing Trail were paved over for bike use in the way shown on the current plans. A cyclist (or skateboarder) emerging from behind the white fence behind #99 Bonaventure Avenue would have no sight distance to see oncoming traffic. Given the low volume of traffic the cyclist may feel the risk is low, “take a small chance” and ignore a stop sign. Safety measures would have to include removal of a mature tree, acquisition of a triangular piece of backyard property, and relocation of the fence, which would involve more tree removal in the current backyard of #99 Bonaventure Avenue. Even then, the hazard is not totally avoided in the way that simply using the existing asphalt road for the multi use trail would achieve. I would be pleased to discuss this matter further with your design team if needed. Submitted by Brendan O’Connell

We understand the intent is to not destroy trees / shrubs and other life forms, but it will no doubt be a result of widening / paving etc.