The Yorkton Active Transportation Collaborative (YATC) appeared before the regular meeting of Yorkton Council on Monday, Apr. 23, to promote bicycle use in the city.
The YATC is a partnership that grew out of the Yorkton In Motion Committee in 2009. Its vision is that Yorkton chooses Active Transportation to create a safe, healthy, and connected community where we live, work, learn and play. The YATC members consist of community members, representatives from Saskatchewan Heart and Stroke Foundation, and Community Development, Parks & Recreation Department.
The “YATC was instrumental in assisting with the development of the City of Yorkton Cycling Network Plan. We have seen its implementation over the past years and are very gratified to the City for its support. To support community education, YATC will be hosting a Community Bike Rodeo on Wednesday, May 16 during Bike Safety Week, May 13–19, 2018. The event will run from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., at the Yorkton Fire Hall. We invite Council and the community to participate,” explained Sheila Hryniuk, chair of the group.
“In addition, with the snow almost gone and spring near, we look forward to the fresh painting of the on-street bike lanes along Gladstone, ‘Shared Use’ stenciling along Gladstone and Darlington and the crosswalks in all the school zones. Considering that many school children look forward to the first day of riding their bikes in spring, we are asking that Council make these areas a priority for the upcoming seasonal painting schedule for Public Works. As the schools encourage the students to use active transportation we want to ensure clearly marked routes for their use,” she explained.
“In conjunction with Saskatchewan In Motion, we are continuing to support the efforts of our School Travel Planning Schools of Columbia, St. Mary’s, Dr. Brass, and St. Paul’s. They’re all working at raising awareness of active transportation for students coming to and leaving from school each day. Hundreds and hundreds of young residents make the trek to and from our schools each school day. No other service or business has that many people approaching or exiting its doors at one time. That’s why YATC believes providing clearly signed and fresh painted routes and pathways for our children should be a priority,” detailed a letter from the YATC to Council.
The letter was received with the issue of street painting referred to Administration for a follow-up report.
