Tri-City residents and visitors will have no excuse for getting lost in Coquitlam if the city's wayfinding plan comes to fruition.
Beginning this year, the city will be identifying locations that need signage to help people find Evergreen Line stations, public parking, cycling routes and parks.
Wayfinding is a system of information elements that help people connect with key destinations. Signs can incorporate neighbourhood themes and public art, and information kiosks can help people navigate their city on foot, by car or bicycle, said Catherine Mohoruk, the city's manager of transportation planning.
"The users of wayfinding are often folks that are new to the area and we do have a large number of folks that are moving here - we are one of the high-growth areas. I think people want to have more information about where they want to go," she explained.
The coming of the Evergreen Line is the catalyst for implementing a wayfinding strategy. TransLink and various groups, including cyclists and seniors, will be consulted, with the goal of having the new signs in place for 2016, when the line opens.
Now, the city wants to figure out which destinations should be featured and will be looking at various designs that can be used to reinforce the city's brand. Some examples the city is looking at range from heritage signage incorporating public art in Sapperton in New Westminster to stylish kiosks with maps and transit information used in False Creek in Vancouver.
"It is an opportunity to utilize public art and those are some of the pieces we can talk to council about - (how) to incorporate public art in the process," Mohoruk said.
