City of Dauphin active transportation strategy and action plan

Dauphin (population: 8,457) is at the centre of Manitoba’s Parkland, a largely agricultural and rural region. The Mayor and City Council have set goals for 2018–2022 that include Dauphin becoming a sustainable/green community through actions such as developing active transportation facilities to lower fossil fuel consumption and developing a community energy plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With the recent completion of the Community Energy and Emissions Plan (March 2020), the city is now focusing on reducing motor vehicle usage with an Active Transportation Strategy and Action Plan.

The feasibility study aims to encourage walking and cycling as viable modes of transit versus motor vehicle use. The purpose of the study is to plan for policies, programs and projects that will help make active transportation options safer and more comfortable for Dauphin’s residents and visitors. The plan will identify and prioritize future work based on what will make the greatest difference to residents and what will have the greatest impact on GHG emissions. The study will lead to the development of community-supported strategies and actions to be implemented over the short, medium and long terms. These will result in meaningful future projects in the areas of policy, programming, promotion, education and infrastructure that will encourage more cycling and walking and less motor vehicle use in Dauphin.

Innovative aspect(s):

Few cities in Manitoba with a population of less than 10,000, if any, have an active transportation strategy.

Replicability:

The outcome of this project will provide a template for small cities across Manitoba to develop their own active transportation strategies.