The Town
of Lacombe has in recent years experienced a considerable growth in population.
Rapid growth in population is accompanied by rapid growth in traffic, and the
volumes on the town roadways have increased to a point that congestion,
bottlenecks, safety concerns, and traffic delays in the existing transportation
network are becoming more pronounced and frequent. This impact is compounded by
the fact that the Town is bisected by Highway 12, a Provincial highway carrying
a significant proportion of truck traffic.
The
current residential and employment growth was anticipated and encouraged in the Municipal
Development Plan (MDP) which stated that the natural attractiveness of the
town, combined with the strategic location in the Red Deer region and on the
Calgary/Edmonton corridor, would result in the expectancy for continued growth
and development into the future. As well, the MDP describes the overall
transportation objective as follows:
“To endeavour to ensure the
provision and maintenance of adequate infrastructure to allow efficient,
effective and safe movement of vehicles and pedestrians.”
The
Transportation Study undertaken by the Bunt & Associates Team respects the
transportation needs of the community within the framework of the existing MDP,
while specifically retaining the “feel” of the town as expressed in reports
such as the Heart of Town Area
Redevelopment Plan. The general objective for the study was the
accommodation of auto-dependant commercial vitality. In other words, the main
focus of the study was associated with transportation via private vehicles. The
private automobile is, and will likely continue to be, the dominant mode of
travel for the public. Commercial and employment precincts throughout the Town
experience considerable demands from private automobiles as well as trucks and
therefore require parking and circulation capabilities that accommodate
vehicular demands without compromising the commercial environment. The MDP noted
the need for sensible and responsible expansion of the transportation road
network to the 20,000 population horizon, and the specific issues examined
within the study were reviewed on that basis.
Critical to the success of the study was the on-going need to confirm that the completed work and next steps were in keeping with the Town’s objectives. Therefore, input and feedback from the Steering Committee and the public were solicited. While not intended to cater to every individual demand for change or improvement, the process (and the acceptance of the eventual recommendations) was certainly impacted and enhanced as a result of soliciting feedback from the Steering Committee and residents affected by the recommendations eventually developed for the study.