Local Friends of Rails with Trails riding on a sunny Railside Trail on Vancouver Island
Friends of Rails with Trails
We will have a trail along the entire Island Rail Corridor a lot faster if we chose Rails with Trail
We are Friends of Rails with Trails
We're creating projects to build on the 68km we already have alongside the corridor. A change of use would take forever; instead, for between $50,000 and $200,000 per km, Railside Trails can be built to interconnect with other existing community trails, creating an expansive network of interconnected trails on the South Island.
For example, the Shawnigan Lake Railside Trail interconnected Old Mill Park to 3 other parks and many community spaces like the community centre and Shawnigan Lake museum. Continuing to extend that trail toward Cobble Hill would connect to other important community space like the bike park at Cobble Hill Station, and the new Cobble Hill Commons Bandshell being built as well as the cenotaph.
The recent E&N Rail Trail extension announcements in Nanaimo show it can be done inexpensively and research has shown there are ways to address everywhere, including where bridges and trestles are by building pedestrian bridges, but only if it's necessary for the trail to cross at that same location.
The Vancouver Island Rail Corridor "Rail with Trail Design Guidelines" is a document built to allow interested people, Regional Districts, or Municipalities to plan train extensions.
Rails with Trails is the solution that fits Vancouver Island
Rails with Trails is perfection
Trails running alongside Light Rail Transit creates a synergy of carless travel known throughout the world to be one of the most effective ways to boost ridership, improve public health, and connect communities seamlessly without relying on cars.
Here's a paper from the International Transport Forum that spells out the synergy created from combining transit and cycling:
Abstract:
"Improved integration of cycling and transit has the potential to overcome the fundamental limitations of each mode by combining their opposite strengths of flexibility and action radius. The benefits of such integration potentially extend beyond user benefits and the trip level. We present seven conceptual mechanisms that lead to synergies, understood as benefits not attributable to cycling or transit in isolation, but to their integration only. As an illustration, we analyse and allocate such synergies by a case study of the Dutch cycling-transit system. Where the practical absence of cycling has limited such potential in many locations elsewhere, the recent resurgence in cycling practice and culture, especially in urban agglomerations, enables new opportunities for improved cycling-transit integration. Urban agglomerations are also the locations where land-use and mobility related issues seem particularly pressing and where we claim cycling-transit synergies are strongest. The article concludes with a discussion of implication and application. "
https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/improved-cycling-transit-integration-synergies.pdf
Community and Connectivity
Trails are one of the simplest ways to improve quality of life. They get people moving, reduce stress, and create safe, social spaces that connect communities without the noise and danger of traffic.
Trails provide a reliable route for commuting, training, or just clearing your head. On Vancouver Island, pairing cycling trails beside the rail corridor takes this idea even further, offering long, continuous routes that link towns and regions while preserving space for rail. It’s a win for active transportation today and smart infrastructure planning for tomorrow.
Cross connect with existing trails
Existing sections of trails beside rails along the E&N interconnect with other recreation and access trails. That helps create a cohesive network of community trails in the regions that have built them. As more trails are built to extend the 67km along the tracks we have today, connections are made to existing trails. For example, the Trans Canada Trail that runs from Victoria to Nanaimo can be connected in Shawnigan Lake!
Bridges built for purpose
Using a bridge built to carry heavy trains as a pedestrian bridge comes with high conversion and maintenance costs, and would only serve to prevent trains from running on the corridor. Instead, like this bridge near the rails in Haslam Creek, a pedestrian bridge can be built for much cheaper and that retains the rail bridge for future trains!
Connect travel modes
Connect travel modes
Modern trains can carry bikes, many more than a bus can. By having multi-use trails built alongside the tracks, extending the 68km we already have, travel on Vancouver Island becomes an integrated and pleasurable experience.