This is a fantastic project IMO. I think it should be extended across the entire Cranbrook Hill crest with bridges across the canyons and lookout points at places like 5th avenue, and blue rock... connecting to the Moores Meadow trails and eventually along the river to the Otway ski club. This IMO would be a world class trail system capable of rivaling anything any other city could acquire.

I also think the city should see to it that they acquire the lands needed to extend the Cottenwood Island river trails across the new Nechako bridge to the McMillin Creek trails, and also across the highway along the North Nechako Ridge from the Hart scales to Foothills where it could eventually tie in again with the Moores Meadow/Wilson Park trails.

From my perspective PG isn't a city and hasn't matured until this trail system is in place. PG has so many crown jewels other places would be envious of and yet it all lays undeveloped and hidden, because to often the view is taken that parks should be built on undevelopable land, and should be all high maintenance type of designs... rather than low maintenance trails that utilize the natural beauty of the surroundings.

My concern is that this trail development at the university is all good, but what is really needed is a well lit stair case like what we have at Connaught Hill... from the end of Massey where the apartments are located nto the university at the top of the hill... a trail is still kind of creepy especially in the winter dark months, and a stair case would be in addition to a excellent piece of infrastructure for students, it would also be a great place for people to get exercise climbing the stairs and enjoying the view of the city. I bet more people would use this for exercise alone, than would use the hypothetical new skating oval.

Also I wonder what ever happened to the new trout pond at Rainbow park? Haven't heard much about that lately....

Good ideas and suggestions, Eagleone.

If the trail in the article costs $444,000, then everything you are proposing could probably be done for $1.5 million. Seems like money well spent IMO.

Also connect to the trails along the fraser in College Hts., off the end of Dommano, behind Westgate subdivision. Those can link up with the Cranbrook Hill trails. The city could easily be encircled

Ah yes, Dan Rogers' pet project. In these economic times, we should be tightening our belts and postponing spending money on these sorts of non-essential things IMO. People are cutting non-essential items out of their own personal budgets, governments should be doing the same thing.

I love the idea of "official" trails. So many people bike, walk and run along these areas now as it is, many times not safely. I like the idea of lights! Even now at the end of summer, early mornings are dark.

As far as I heard last, the trout pond is still waiting for funding, but I'm not sure a location had been decided.?

"In these economic times, we should be tightening our belts and postponing spending money on these sorts of non-essential things IMO. People are cutting non-essential items out of their own personal budgets, governments should be doing the same thing."

While normally I agree with this, I believe that these trails would be a good investment regardless of the economic situation.

#1 - The government (at some level) would be paying these unemployed forestry workers one way or another. If it weren't for building trails it would be through EI and/or welfare. Better to get something of lasting benefit for the city than pay someone to stay at home. It also gives them something for the resume and maintains skills that might otherwise get rusty.

#2 - It is really a small amount. Let's assume that the trail in the story and the trails proposed by Eagleone total $2 million. They will be used for at least 20 years (a very conservative estimate I'd say), making the effective cost $100,000 per year. Peanuts. Especially if you consider that it will save a bit (not saying it'll have a huge effect) on health care costs if it encourages people to exercise more, and it will save people gas money who would otherwise drive to FFTW, Otway or wherever to do their walking.

it will be nice to have additional trails. it will be even nicer if they were to have the people using the temporary off leash dog park to clean up after their animals

"It is really a small amount. Let's assume that the trail in the story and the trails proposed by Eagleone total $2 million."

Only $2 Million? Well in that case...

But seriously, this is not something we should be doing now, much like the PAC and the new RCMP building.

I highly doubt a trail system will encourage people to exercise. It just gives another option to the people who already use that sort of thing.

$2 million! Wow! Multiply that by 26-??? and we could have an arts centre whereby tens of people could enjoy sitting around.

$2 million for a potential ring trail that connects the various trail systems in the city is a small amount considering things like the other municipal facilities like the Multiplex, swimming pools, civic center, hockey rinks, and such cost many multiple times more then the entire capital cost of a trails system in yearly ongoing operational costs. A trail system has minimal operating costs, no user fees, and is accessible by anyone in the community regardless of income level.

A community trail system is always available for use by those that work shift work or otherwise that preempt them from being able to use all the other 'sports and entertainment' facilities that our tax dollars are paying for. Discounting a city trail system is to discount the people that work shift work in this community and want to see their tax dollar spend on infrastructure that they can have access to in regards to their funny work schedules. Not everyone works 9-5 and has the flexibility to utilize the big ticket items in this community.

Furthermore a community is defined in large part by things like community trail systems and a community that ignores this, or worse yet botches the attempt at utilizing its natural resources.... is a community that gets a bad name (ie Prince George), and thus suffers economically and socially, as people leave the community to move to other places where quality of life is considered part of building the community for a livable place where opportunities to engage in free entertainment are part of the community infrastructure. To say nothing of the importance a world class trail system like PG is capable of having would do for the tourism aspect of our economy.

IMO a community trail system, of the world class type PG has the natural surrounding to implement... would do far more to attract tourists and future potential residents than all the money currently spend to market this city, which in one year costs more for marketing than a permanent trail system would cost to build in total.

Any money spent from my significant property tax bill on a community trail system is money well spent from my perspective.

"IMO a community trail system, of the world class type PG has the natural surrounding to implement... would do far more to attract tourists and future potential residents..."

I completely disagree. Trails are not going to make PG a tourist destination or make people want to live here... let's get real. This is a another pet project that serves a small special interest group, and something we should not be spending hard-earned tax dollars on.

Wow!!! I agree with MrPG!

I look at that trail and what I see is a trail running alongside a road. Why on earth would anyone in this city want to walk on a "trail" like that? It is no more than a sidewalk with a bike lane next to it and a strip of grass between the two. There is nothing pleasant about it. Certainly nothing pleasant enough that everyday people all over the world will jump out of bed and say to themselves that today is the day they are booking a flight to PG so that they can wander along its wonderful trail system.

Most resort towns in the world have such "urban" trail systems. However, it is the quaint little hotels, restaurants, shops, sitting areas, vistas, canals, creeks, ponds, etc. that are the attraction, not the trails and the cars driving by them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28432918@N04/3884496412/sizes/o

That picture shows the kind of trail people will flock to from the world over. Notice the people walking?

One more picture from the same resort town in the Bavarian Alps.
http://www.brauneck-bergbahn.de/uploads/media/Webcam_-_header_-_Alpenplus_01.jpg

BTW, we have a heritage river walkway which is a shambles and is not being maintained. Make some decisions about the flooding in the area and get on with it to get a trail system which has some nice vistas associated with it back up and fucntional.

"Wow!!! I agree with MrPG!"

Gus, don't act so surprised!

;)