The City of Williams Lake will conduct a feasibility study to improve safety along Western Avenue, a key school‑zone corridor that currently lacks adequate active transportation infrastructure and poses risks to children and other road users. The study will identify cost‑effective interim safety measures and provide the technical foundation for future active transportation improvements.
The City of Williams Lake will undertake a feasibility study for a key section of Western Avenue, a priority corridor identified inthe recently developed Active Transportation Network Plan (ATNP). The section, between Midnight Drive and Pigeon Avenue, lies within a designated school zone and directly serves the city’s middle school, an elementary school, two childcare facilities, a university campus, a public park, and adjacent residential neighbourhoods. Despite its importance, the corridor lacks adequate active transportation facilities and contains roadway characteristics—wide, straight, and used as a key conduit route—that encourage higher vehicle speeds and create safety risks for children, youth, families, and other road users.
The study will assess infrastructure opportunities,constraints, and traffic calming options to improve safety and enable phased implementation of ATNP recommendations. Long-term ATNP goals include a multi-use path or protected bike lanes, but these exceed current municipal budgets. A feasibility study will identify lower-cost, high-impact interim measures that can be implemented sooner while building momentum toward long-term AT improvements.
This project will also support parallel collaborative initiatives between the City of Williams Lake and the Fraser Basin Council to engage youth in active transportation planning, including hands-on involvement in design, public art, rapid-implementation features, and school-area traffic calming. The study will provide the essential technical foundation needed to align, coordinate, and maximize the impact of those forthcoming investments.
This grant will be used to hire a qualified consultant to complete the Western Avenue Corridor Feasibility Study.
