Installing more lighting and trimming back wild shrubbery are among initiatives the Town is taking on to make Sheep River Park safer for pedestrians.
After hearing concerns from the community, Okotoks council and the Public and Safety Security Committee approached the Town’s protective services and requested a report on visibility and safety issues in the park.
Municipal enforcement officers Sam Burnett and Peter Stapley undertook a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) study in October, which looked at problem areas and identified solutions. They visited the pathway between the Laurie Boyd bridge behind the Okotoks Public Library and the top of the stairs in Woodhaven.
“When it comes to CPTED we’re looking at four basic principles: surveillance, access and control, territorial enforcement and maintenance,” said Burnett.
Based on those principles, the officers determined more lighting was necessary along the pathway, he said. There is very little light between the bridge and the stairs, and no lighting on either structure, which can pose safety concerns, he said.
“With our active transportation plan and our downtown rebranding plan, we want people to be able to use that pathway to community from the south side of town to downtown,” said Burnett. “We also want people feeling safe doing so.”
His recommendation was to illuminate the entire pathway. To ensure there isn’t a negative impact on wildlife, the Town’s parks department is undertaking a study to see whether more lights would have any affect on animals in the area, he said.
The report also found grass and shrubbery at either end of the pathway was blocking sightlines, making it difficult for pedestrians to see what lies ahead on the stairs or bridge, he said.
“We want people to see what’s going on at the bridge or on the stairs when they’re approaching it, so everyone gets a good view of what’s going on in the general area before they get there,” said Burnett. “So, if there’s a group of teens hanging out, or a dog that looks scary, because some people are afraid of dogs, anything people might have a fear of, they can make an educated decision going to that area whether they continue down that path or not.”
He said cleaning up the shrubs doesn’t mean getting rid of them, but trimming them back to make sightlines clear, and keeping the grass short adjacent the pathway.
Okotoks protective services director Scott Roberts said items like trimming back wild vegetation at either end of the pathway are improvements that can be made at relatively low cost, and will be undertaken this year.
Other items, such as removing or relocating the washroom facility along the pathway and replacing the footbridge, are now on the Town’s radar but will have to wait due to budget, he said.
“We didn’t anticipate this in our budget for 2017 so we have to look at it somewhat pragmatically,” said Roberts.
There are plans to replace the footbridge – the Town currently has a line items in its capital budget for a design study – and Roberts said it’s important the new structure is built with safety in mind.
It should be wider than the current bridge, without such a high pitch to improve visibility from one end to the other, he said.
“Cost is a determinant here, but in some municipalities bridges are built to a standard that will accommodate a vehicle, something like an ambulance for example,” said Roberts. “Those are very expensive, but if we could access it with an ATV of some sort, that allows us to provide a better level of emergency response if needed.”
A wider bridge also accommodates foot and cycling traffic better, making it easier for people to pass.
He said CPTED also includes an element of education, and municipal enforcement and the RCMP are going to begin teaching people about being aware of their surroundings and not putting themselves at risk. There will also be enhanced patrols in Sheep River Park to keep people safe, he said.
The area hasn’t been crime-riddled in the past, but he said preventative measures are always beneficial.
“In five years we’ve had eight crimes against people and 12 crimes against property, and then four drug-related crimes,” Roberts said. “In the big picture, it’s a relatively small number. Any crime against a person is a bad thing, but there certainly isn’t an epidemic of crime in this area.”
