Improve Sidney’s walkability score to over 80, it currently is 51, that kind of shocked me.
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I used this resource: https://www.walkscore.com/CA-BC/Sidney#:~:text=Sidney%20is%20Somewhat%20Walkable&text=Sidney%20has%20an%20average%20Walk%20Score%20of%2051%20with%2011%2C178%20residents.
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Hi Godfrey, excellent topic to bring up! You may also want to check out the Background Report from Phase 1 of the project; pages 67-75 have some interesting maps which highlight where some of the “walkability gaps” in Sidney are – what would you do to address this in neighbourhoods that have low walk scores? Better transportation? More local services?
This is not surprising given how very few of Sidneys residents live within a 5 minute walk of grocery stores, restaurants and the like. In order to change our walk score, you are talking all about zoning reform and parking reform and just the way we think about public space. Issues that I believe are necessary. right now the Sidney Community Association is engaging members to join us to talk about Development, Transportation, Environment and Governance as part of the OCP review. time to get involved.
Eric, since the OCP sets the stage for future zoning changes, what kind of land use changes would you think are necessary to improve walkability in Sidney?
Open up zoning to permit retail/ light manufacturing uses along Resthaven/ 5th- Lochside in many more areas. This would allow many more houses to be converted to businesses and put more residents within that 5 minute walk shed of services/ jobs. Other ways of improving walkability are to lower speed limits on streets with no centrelines (already being worked on) and of course eliminating parking requirements for all land uses- or perhaps doing what they do in Japan and only have parking requirements on public buildings larger than 1500 sqM as well as starting to price street parking based on demand.