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“There has been a pent-up demand for these connections,” the city councillor said.

Photo by Darren Brown / Postmedia

Even though the emphasis of the new pathways is on recreational use, commuter cyclists could theoretically use them to reach a transit station and take advantage of OC Transpo’s rack-and-roll service or head north to the pathway network along the Ottawa River.

The work currently underway on the Avalon north-south pathway, which Blais admits might yet be given a catchier name, fills a critical missing link. Paved pathways are already in place on either end of this one-kilometre stretch, expected to be complete by the fall.

The new routes will also connect to an established path that runs southwest from Innes Road near DuPlateau Street.

For people who live in the heart of the dense suburb, the new pathways will mean they don’t have to rely a car to run simple errands or walk several kilometres out of their way to reach amenities.

“If you’re going to the drugstore to pick up a prescription, you don’t want to have to get in your car if you can walk or bike in 15 minutes,” Blais said.

The lack of quick and easy connections is a common complaint among some suburb dwellers, but Blais said the new pathways will make it much simpler to reach parks, recreation centres, schools, shopping and rapid transit stations.

And they make good use of an unused hydro corridor and land set aside by the city for future transit expansion.

“The hydro corridor is wasted space if you don’t put something there people can use,” he said.

Most people who filled out an online questionnaire about the Trans-Orléans pathway support the project, but many requested the installation of benches, trash cans and lighting. The city said “yes” to benches, but additional garbage cans and pathway lighting aren’t part of the plan.

mpearson@postmedia.com

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