The Active Transportation Advisory Committee
The Active Transportation Advisory Committee (ATAC) and its Subcommittees are what links citizens, local organizations, and the City together. These Committees facilitate communication from grassroots concerns to City Council. This communication ensures that as our Active Transportation Plan continues to be implemented, it grows and changes according to the needs of the community.
The ATAC is our vital link to the municipality. When an AT Subcommittee decides to do something, they bring their idea to the ATAC. The ATAC is like the meeting of the minds. This Committee consists of City division managers from Parks, Roads, Engineering, Planning, Transit, and others, as well as citizens.
This Committee reviews the ideas and figures out how to make them happen. They present possible roadblocks, realistic costs, and the processes necessary to make something happen.
The Sub-Committees:
Partnerships, Education, and Programs Committee (PEP):
The PEP Committee focuses on Active Transportation outreach and education.
For instance, Thunder Bay is having its first 5 Km’s of bike lanes installed this summer. What do cyclists do in a bike lane? What are drivers supposed to do when they see a bike lane? What’s the difference between a bike lane and a shared lane?
The citizens of Thunder Bay need a core group who will organize an education campaign to answer these questions. That’s where the PEP committee comes in.
The Committee also actively seeks out partnerships with organizations promoting active transportation – these partnerships can range from funding opportunities to organizing events.
Policy and By-Law Committee (P&B):
For every new idea that is adopted by the City, there needs to be a Policy or By-Law accompanying it. For example, with the new bike lanes being installed, the City’s Traffic By-Laws need to be modified to make it illegal for drivers to drive in a bike lane.
It’s this committee who works in the background researching new ideas, standards, and policy. They are the backbone of any new infrastructure that you will see.
Infrastructure Development Committee (ID):
The Active Transportation Plan is a living document. A ‘living document’ is a document or plan that isn’t set in stone. It’s a plan that is continually changing to meet the needs of who it was written for. Because Active Transportation is so new to Thunder Bay, everything we do is a learning process.
The Infrastructure Development Committee is the group of folks who are continually figuring out how to improve the city, in a realistic way, for Active Transportation.
Page last updated on Friday, June 04, 2010
