BC Powersports Coalition Trails Best Practices Guide
2023 | British Columbia, province-wide
The BC Powersports Coalition (BCPSC) was formed in 2014 to support the ongoing maintenance, management, safety, and development of off-road vehicle (ORV) trails in British Columbia. They participated in the development of the Off-Road Vehicles Act and the creation of the ORV fund in BC. With these notable projects in the rearview mirror, the logical next step was the development of a best practices guide to inform trail infrastructure planning, authorization and development in BC.
While the government and many independent agencies continue to do great work toward establishing a consistent standard and direction across the province and North America, BCPSC was keen to develop a best practices document to expediate and ease the process of getting approval for recreational infrastructure. The BCPSC engaged McElhanney to produce a best practices guide that addresses planning trail infrastructure, applying for trail infrastructure, as well as trail and trail infrastructure standard drawings. But to strategically develop this best practices guide, McElhanney and BCPSC first undertook a multi-step discovery process.
The first step of the discovery focused on client and user engagement. An engagement plan was developed, followed by a targeted survey, semi-structured focus groups with club directors, and interviews with key stakeholders. These engagement activities, conducted by International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) certified McElhanney team members, revealed valuable experiences, user group frustrations and needs, and quantifiable metrics.
The second step of the discovery focused on a document and jurisdictional review. McElhanney identified processes and documents that are currently being used by powersports groups across North America and reviewed what other states and provinces are implementing as best practices and processes. A “gaps and needs” report illustrating these findings was produced.
Finally, a work plan and budget for the best practice guide production phase was generated. This proposed work plan broke the future project into discrete chapters with cost estimates and recommended phasing. Potential grant funding and partnership opportunities were also highlighted.
McElhanney provided:
- Engagement
- Schedule management
- Scope management
- Cost management
- Quality control
- Communications
