琉璃神社 city council has endorsed the goals of a new transportation master plan being prepared by city staff.

On Monday, council approved the 12 goals, which will now allow staff to move on to the second phase of the plan, identifying the challenges that lay ahead as it tries is to provide more transportation options for city residents.

The plan is de-emphasizing the original desire cut the number of vehicles on local roads, with a change of wording.

The new master plan includes a reworded the vision statement that says the city is using diverse transportation options to help it 鈥渟hift away鈥� from its car-centric culture, rather than 鈥渕ove away鈥� from it, as stated in an earlier version.

鈥淯ltimately, this vision is intended to articulate the community鈥檚 aspirations for the future of transportation in 琉璃神社, and was written to align with Imagine 琉璃神社鈥檚 (vision),鈥� says city transportation engineer Gordon Foy.

He told council shifting away from 琉璃神社鈥檚 car-centric culture does not mean banning private vehicles altogether.

鈥淢any trips will always be more convenient in a personal vehicle,鈥� said Foy, adding not everyone has to make the switch from private vehicles to other forms of transportation, such as buses, cycling and walking, to benefit from less congestion.

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A staff report on the master plan says 59 per cent of the trips 琉璃神社 residents make are short enough to walk of ride a bike.

鈥淚t鈥檚 about giving more choices to as many people as possible,鈥� says the report.

The 12 goals鈥攗p from the original 10 in the preliminary plan鈥攔emain largely the same, but were revised slightly to reflect public and stakeholder feedback and provide more clarity, said Foy.

One goal, however, was totally renamed. Ensure Value For Public Investment replaces To Reduce Capital And Operating Costs.

The 12 goals include:

鈥� Improve safety鈥擱educe the frequency and severity of collisions involving people who are walking, biking and driving.

鈥� Foster a growing community鈥擲upport the city鈥檚 growing economy by ensuring the transportation system connects people to jobs and promotes the efficient movement of goods.

鈥� Optimize travel times鈥擶ork to ensure optimized and predictable travel times for all modes of transportation (ex: driving, walking, biking, transit).

鈥� Improve travel sources鈥擡nsure residents and visitors have access to multiple means of getting around so they can choose what best meets their needs for a given trip.

鈥� Promote inclusive transportation鈥擡nsure the transportation network serves everyone, including all ages, incomes and abilities.

鈥� Enhance urban centres鈥擡nsure the transportation system supports and encourages sustainable, efficient growth within urban areas.

鈥� Support livable communities鈥擡nsure the transportation system helps support overall neighbourhood livability, quality of life and builds a strong sense of community.

鈥� Be innovative and flexible鈥擜dapt to emerging technologies and a changing climate by creating a transportation system that is resilient and responsive to future change.

鈥� Enhance travel affordability鈥擱educe the cost of travel for individuals by ensuring a wide range of affordable transportation options are available in 琉璃神社.

鈥� Improve health鈥擨mprove resident health by making it easier for people to be physically active (e.g. biking and walking) and reducing exposure to air pollutants caused by vehicles.

鈥� Protect the environment鈥擱educe the impact of transportation on our agricultural land, sensitive ecosystems, water, and air.

鈥� Ensure value for public investment鈥擬ake efficient use of public funding by maximizing benefits and reducing the costs of transportation infrastructure.