Symposium Creates Unified Vision For
Future Transportation Priorities In the Okanagan
Between May and September, 2011, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure conducted a symposium with municipal governments and First Nations to develop a comprehensive vision for the future of transportation in the Okanagan.
The symposium was made up of several meetings and four workshops, which began at the grass-roots level with staff from the local governments and First Nations identifying transportation needs and priorities to the ministry.
Those ideas were then brought forward to a gathering of 48 elected local government officials from the Okanagan Valley. In all, 17 communities, six First Nations and five Regional Districts were part of the process– representing nearly 10 per cent of the province’s population. Transportation priorities were identified, and a valley-wide consensus was reached.
The long-range vision for the Okanagan Valley transportation system will:
- Be a safe, functional and efficient network
- Include fully accessible public and active transportation options within and between communities
- Be a coordinated approach to multi-modal and sustainable transportation
- Protect and preserve rail and other rights of way for the future
- Plan network improvements, assisting in community revitalization and provision of alternate routes
A report on the symposium and its accomplishments will be available later this year, and we’ll be posting more information about the vision for the Okanagan Valley then. You can also find out more about the different workshops that made up the symposium by clicking here.
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