As pressures from cyclists to expand the cross-town trail build, the City of Fredericton has unveiled a new, safety-oriented plan to tackle a section of trail considered the “weakest link” in the multitudes of walking and cycling paths connecting Fredericton as one.
The cross-town trail is a small part of a much larger trail system constructed on select parts of the decommissioned rail lines that decorated New Brunswick in years gone by. Unfortunately, many of the sections of the cross-town trail in the residential areas of downtown Fredericton aren’t made up of trail at all, but designated sidewalks. This bodes a relative threat to cyclists, as many of those looking to bike the city on the cross-town trail are subjected to crossing some of the busiest streets in Fredericton, putting them in potentially dangerous situations due to the lack of proper trail expansion.
CBC’s Aidan Cox interviewed Randy Dickenson, a Fredericton accessibility advocate who experiences the danger of the cross-town trail’s unsystematic layout firsthand in his power chair, “it’s risky… to have to repeatedly go from sidewalk to trail and back to the sidewalk to use the route,” said Dickenson. Especially for disabled Fredericton residents, the cross-town trail bodes a seriously higher risk than it needs to.
Additional to the risk, the random trail disconnections are inconvenient for foot traffic and cyclists alike. For productivity’s sake, a straight-shot, (or, almost straight-shot), cross-town trail would assist Fredericton residents to reach their destination faster, without having to worry about the commonality of abrupt trail disconnection. Further contributing to the inconvenience, the cross-town trail fails in the signage department, only having a scattering of occasionally misleading directory metal signs around the city, pointing lost trail users in the general direction they need to travel in to reach a section of continuance.
Due to these factors, many avid trail users of Fredericton began putting pressure on the local government to make a change, and eventually, the city agreed. On October 13th, Sean Lee, the city’s director of operations and engineering, presented the city’s plan to expand the cross-town trail, finally converting the final 2 of more than 200 blocks of developed ex-rail systems that make up the Fredericton trails. Lee announced plans to construct new trails connecting the severed parts of the cross-town trail, which land between Northumberland and Smythe streets, and York and Westmoreland streets.
Initially, the end goal for the cross-town trail was to develop every inch of the long-abandoned rail lines stretching throughout Fredericton. Unfortunately, that is no longer an option. Because Fredericton trail development largely hasn’t been touched since the 1990s, many of the sections of the old railroad have been bought and developed residentially, meaning that the City of Fredericton is going to have to find another way to connect the paths.
Luckily, urban designers have discovered an alternate solution. The construction of the new cross-town trail sections would dictate a shrinkage in Smythe Street at the end of the Valley trail behind the Atlantic Superstore in order to create room for the construction of a separate trail stretching up the eastern side of Smythe Street, turning onto Argyle Street.
The newly developed Argyle Street sect of the cross-town trail would continue until Northumberland Street, where a pre-existing spot of trail would provide a path to Westmoreland Street.
Then, the trail will cross Westmoreland and cut diagonally to Aberdeen Street, where the trail will fork. This fork sends one section continuing down Aberdeen, Crossing York Street and connecting to Carleton Street, which will lead travellers to the downtown area of Fredericton, with the other section crossing York and running through an undeveloped section of land beside NB Liquor, stretching alongside Sobeys and connecting to the section of the trail that eventually runs adjacent to Queen’s Square.
The City of Fredericton plans to have this project finished in the next two to three years, and over the entirety of the project, expenses are predicted to break $700 000. Sean Lee, after revealing the developmental plans, stated that the majority of Fredericton’s 2023 active transportation budget will be dedicated to starting work on the new trail sections.
The progression of the trail system speaks well for the walkability of Fredericton and shows the city’s willingness to put time and effort towards developing alternate ways to get around the city, without having to use a vehicle. Sean Lee shares exactly that perspective, saying, “[The trail is] a reflection of how our downtown is structured. We have a very urban downtown now… so we’re trying to give people more opportunity to be able to get around without having a vehicle.”
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