Financial assistance has been provided to Alberta's small municipalities (populations 10,000 or less) for the construction of vehicular and pedestrian traffic systems since 1967. This Government funding has assisted towns, villages and summer villages by sharing the capital costs of their transportation needs in a manner which is designated to provide an economic stimulus for these communities while recognizing local autonomy. The Province of Alberta has been able to maintain an effective street improvement grant program to meet the needs of the municipalities, while revenues and budgets have been reducing. In 1989, a six-year, $75 million Street Improvement Program was announced for the construction of transportation systems in towns, villages and summer villages, a total of some 284 communities. The program also includes a community safe streets component which provides cost-shared funding for safety-related projects such as traffic lights, pedestrian signals, barrier free sidewalks and improvements to streets and sidewalks provided the work is undertaken by the private-sector forces. The paper examines the performance of this popular grant program by assessing the local and provincial benefits such as employment, economic activities and facilities provided. It identifies methods of forecasting requirements for maintenance and new road work in these municipalities. Program administration is reviewed by addressing the system of prioritization of applications, technology transfer, provision of advisory services to small municipalities and planning and implementing capital works. (A)
Abstract