Glorious glorious paths

I was able to go back to my home town, Lethbridge for some holiday time. The unique thing about this visit was it not being rushed. Normally I am running around visiting people and then hustling back up to Edmonton.

The nice thing about taking the extra time is I got to explore some of the changes that have been happening in the city- especially in the area of town I grew up in as a teenager, which is the west end. For those of you familiar with Lethbridge you know the city is divided in half by the river valley, the west end being on one side and the rest of the city on the other.

When I was in high school and did not have my drivers license (and even after I got it too) I heavily relied on my bike to get me to my friends house. We would often bike to each other’s house, or bike to the university (we liked to pretend to be university students- bizarre I know). We would bike to get slurpes and bike down into the river valley and even all away across the big bridge to downtown. I have very fond memories of scooting along the streets and paths in the west end of Lethbridge.

So on one beautiful day, when I had not much planned I borrowed a bike and off I went to retrace some of my youth. First- I was shocked by how much the area I grew up in has grown. New schools, tons of new houses and shopping centers. I was sad to see the farmers fields replaced with cul-de-sacs and condos. I became fearful that my hometown has fallen into the trap of urban sprawl.

Those concerns aside my real reason for this blog today was to talk about the glorious path system I encountered on my bike ride. I was blown away with the trail system they have built for pedestrians, cyclist, dog walkers and skateboarders to use. It was one of the best bike rides I had gone on in a very long time. The trails kept going... and when needed allowed you to loop back… no cars to content with. Just smooth sailing for as long as I wanted. Wonderful.

Honestly a-round-of applause-goes to the Lethbridge planners for including this in their plans. The new paths seemed to play an integral part in the new neighborhoods, and well integrated with the paths I used when I was a kid. Not only did I hardly have to go near streets or have to stop at street lights, I got to enjoy some of the aesthetics that Lethbridge has to offer.

The one key thing I liked about the path system is the multiple entry/exit points to get on it. I also liked how it was wide and, for the most part, well paved. The fact I was able to go from the north end all the way to the south end with little disturbance made the trip a pure joy.

Paths like this don't happen. They take foresight and planning. It also takes a lot of work on those who are advocating for these kinds of changes. Planning for this type of infrastructure should always be mandatory with new communities. And expansion of path an trail systems should be part of the municipality's long term planning. So hats off to the folks in Lethbridge who made the path system happen in the west end.

What I don’t know is how well this system is on the other side of the river or even down in the river valley. Hmmm... perhaps something to look forward on my next visit home.