Shannon Road Hub Trail leg up in the air

Sault Ste. Marie City Council has decided to go back to the drawing board on the design of the Shannon Road leg of the Hub Trail.

In a move that Mayor John Rowswell says leaves the City in a "pickle barrel," staff will be asked to come back with a safer alternative to the present recommended design.

The problem is that the City may lose a $2.9 million grant from the province for street improvements to Shannon Road that seem to be conditional on there being a Hub Trail on the road.

Chief Administrative Officer Joe Fratesi told councillors last night that not going ahead with the Hub Trail as proposed puts staff in a difficult situation.

They've already entered into a contract with a construction company that includes the Hub Trail, so any changes will need to be re-negotiated.

Fratesi says the future of the Hub Trail could be compromised if City Council decides not to include it with the Shannon Road improvements as planned.

Councillors said last night that they supported the trail but felt this section needs to be changed to make it safer.

This, despite assurances from Sault cyclists, health professionals and world-respected bike path designers that the trail would indeed be safe.

Council heard last night from Donna Hilsinger, president of Sault Trails Action Committee (STAC), that the process to choose the trail's location and design was exhaustive and safety was a paramount factor in all the committee's decisions.

Council also heard from John Smale, a resident of Shannon Road in the area that's up for a new leg of a 22-kilometer non-motorized continuous trail okayed by City Council this winter.

Smale about some ideas to keep the trail but do it differently so as to keep the east sidewalk the same as it is on the rest of the street.

City Planning Director Don McConnell said safety was a primary factor in the design of the Hub Trail, including the Shannon Road leg, and he argued that the Hub Trail as approved by City Council in August 2007 is good for the Sault.

"The main goal of the Hub Trail is to improve the recreational and health opportunities within Sault Ste. Marie," said McConnell. "Walking and cycling provide enjoyable, convenient and affordable means of exercise and recreation."

Ward 1 Councillors James Caicco and Steve Butland as well as Ward 2 Councillor Susan Myers said they thought McConnell's report with its recommendations from Marshall Macklin Monahan (MMM) Group didn't really address safety issues and said they couldn't support it as it is.

"I would never ask my son to use the trail because I don't want him to cross in the middle of Shannon Road," said Caicco, who lives near the area under discussion. "It creates a bottleneck at the middle of Shannon Road and we all know what people do at a bottleneck - they race to secure their position."

Pat McAuley, the City's commissioner of public works and transportation, told councillors that staff believe it would be perfectly clear to pedestrians that they have to yield to traffic.

"We do not have a concern with that crossing," McAuley said of the Hub Trail's proposed crossing of Shannon Road at Shingwauk Street.

Ward 2 Councillor Susan Myers said the crossing was not the issue, but safety of people entering and leaving driveways was.

"Safety is the issue, not the Hub Trail, not the geography of it," Myers said.

Ward 3 Councillor Bryan Hayes said there's been a awful lot of research done on the issue and the experts have recommended a solution.

"We are not the experts," he said. "This is the spot that the Hub Trail needs to go and all the arguments point to it. Safety isn't the issue at all. It's a perceived issue and has no merit." STAC member Gayle Phillips wrote a letter of support for the Shannon Road Hub Trail leg.

"Some of us attended the meeting with the residents of the Shannon Road area and heard their concerns," said Gayle Phillips, on behalf of STAC. "We can appreciate their viewpoint, but we don't think their concerns should derail the professional consultant's report as to the route of the Hub Trail in the area."

Dr. Allan Northan, medical officer of health for Algoma Public Health, also wrote a letter of support for building the Shannon Road leg this summer.

"It is important that the City of Sault Ste. Marie value an active environment for its residents by developing trails to support safe cycling, walking and many other forms of active transportation," said Northan. "An active community is created when community stakeholders, decision-makers like yourselves, interest groups and residents place value on, and work towards, health, safety, quality of life and equal access for all individuals."

The issue is due to return to Council's next meeting with safer alternatives to the proposed route and design.

Meanwhile, Mayor Rowswell says that $2.9 million of other planned road and bridge work will be on hold, await word on what Council will do and whether the City can still get funding for the Shannon Road reconstruction if there is no Hub Trail on it.