The City of Whitehorse has received plenty of feedback on its transportation master plan study – not to mention some innovative ideas.

According to a report released Friday afternoon, residents want many things, from improvements to active transportation to a better transit system.

The report is a compilation of the feedback, perspectives and insights provided by participants throughout the engagement period. That included two webinars, an open house and survey conducted over the last two years.

Responses centred on the following themes:

• A desire for active transportation improvements;

• Concerns with traffic safety; and

• Concerns with growth, traffic and development.

Some of those who participated in the project had some intriguing urgings that would blaze new trails in the city.

Respondents provided ideas that could be implemented in Whitehorse. Notable concepts include:

• Convert limited parking spaces on Main Street to bicycle parking;

• Vehicle-free streets;

• On-demand transit;

• Narrower streets;

• Park-and-ride facilities for downtown and Riverdale; and

• Upgrade the waterfront trolley to a tram/streetcar.

(The trolley has not operated for several years, after the Yukon government withdrew funding from the private sector organization that had managed it. It used to take residents and tourists alike between the Jim Smith Building and the Quartz Road area.)

“The Whitehorse Transportation Master Plan (TMP) is our long-term vision and strategy for transportation decision-making and investment over the next 20 years,” the report summary reads.

“The Transportation Master Plan guides how people and goods move around our city and sets our vision and priorities as a community in shaping a multi-modal transportation network.

“How people and goods move affects residents, businesses and visitors alike, whether you walk, cycle, take transit, drive, or ship products or have them delivered.

“All the choices we make moving forward will require some give and take, compromises, and trade-offs.”

The city last completed such a study back in 2004. According to city officials, that study was progressive for its time, but things have changed since then.

“The most recent population statistics indicate that between June and September last year, Whitehorse grew by over another 400 people, and about 50 per cent of that occurred entirely in Whistle Bend. With more growth planned in that neighbourhood, it is time to look at improving how people can commute in and out.”

Ted Laking was the first city councillor to comment on the study.

“What stood out to me were two major items that directly relate to that reality,” he said Friday.

“First, the need and desire to improve public transit through increasing frequency and regularity to make it a more accessible option for residents.

“Second, the need to make road improvements for traffic in and out of Whistle Bend and Porter Creek to accommodate the massive population growth that has occurred in those neighbourhoods,” Laking said.

“I believe practical improvements like these will help make growth in the north of Whitehorse more sustainable for the long term,” he added.

“Indeed, the lead developer for the housing development in Whistle Bend, the Yukon government, needs to start thinking about how it can contribute to these necessary improvements if it continues to put the vast majority of the territory’s growth in only one location.”

According to the report, the following key themes emerged:

1. Increasing transportation options for all ages, abilities, incomes, and seasons;

2. Improve traffic safety;

3. Focus on the core transportation services;

4. Complete streets;

5. Climate action and sustainability.

The report includes detailed feedback on what was heard from 20 stakeholder and interested party interviews, 180 survey submissions, and nearly 100 attendees to virtual and in-person engagement events.

Participants were asked what are the biggest changes they have noticed with the Whitehorse transportation network.

Respondents indicated a significant desire for more improvements to sustainable forms of transportation, particularly cycling and transit.

Participants were also asked about their ownership and usage of gear and equipment for different modes of transportation that may pose a barrier for them using that mode of transportation (e.g. ownership of a bicycle, a fat bike, adequate winter clothing, usage of a transit pass).

Respondents indicated they are generally well-equipped to walk, cycle, or take transit.

“They said the availability of personal transportation-specific gear or equipment was less of a key barrier for them to choose their desired modes of transportation,” the report said.

It was fairly clear as to what the priorities of the residents were in the report.

“Respondents indicated significant preference for active transportation, pedestrian crossing, and transit capital improvements ranging from bike lanes, sidewalks, enhanced pedestrian crossings, and bus shelters.”

Respondents indicated significant preference for more winter maintenance on active transportation routes, improved bus service, frequency and coverage, and increased winter maintenance on roadways.