Many abandoned rail lines have been converted to multi-use trails, however there are only a few trails in Canada adjacent to active rail systems. Extending from the east side of Downtown, Edmonton's Light Rail Transit (LRT) right-of-way includes a parallel, 3.0 kilometre long multi-use trail. Edmonton's Transportation Master Plan (1999) highlighted the importance of providing a mix of travel options. A ten-year goal was to develop non-motorised facilities along rail and utility rights-of-way. City Council has since approved a 62 kilometre Multi-use Trail Corridor Network that will service all quadrants of the city. The trail corridors are equivalent to the arterial roadway system for vehicles, and form the backbone to the citywide trail system for year round use. The Rail-with-Trail along the LRT is the primary link to northeast Edmonton. This project was nominated for the 2004 TAC Sustainable Urban Transportation Award. For the covering abstract of this conference see ITRD number E211426.
Abstract