Bike lane battle: Some downtown residents unhappy after promenade parking spaces removed

Some residents who live on the western edge of downtown Edmonton are upset with the city after about 20 parking stalls were removed to make way for a bike lane.

New flexposts and curbs were added in July to 100 Avenue between 116 and 121 Streets.

That's the road that runs parallel to Victoria Promenade, a popular walk overlooking the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

"Are disabled people supposed to walk three blocks to get to the buildings? It makes no sense," said resident Bob Walker.

An even bigger concern for Walker is what happens when an ambulance is called to the one-way road.

"When the emergency vehicles stop. All the traffic stops. Nothing can happen behind. So now they're holding everybody up. Before, when we had parking, (ambulances) could park out of the way," Walker said.

"What the city has done is now forced a solution, where there was no problem."

Edmonton's Director of Safe Mobility and Traffic Operations says the previous painted bike lane on the other side of the road didn’t meet new standards for the city's bike network.

"The road’s not wide enough to accommodate a bi-directional (bike) lane on one side of the road," Jessica Lamarre told CTV News Edmonton, arguing that removing parking was the best option.

The city also states that there are 300 free parking stalls within a five-minute walk of the new bike lane, and every apartment building but one has parkades for residents and visitors.

But resident Stacey Kuehn isn't happy either.

"You’ve actually made this area more difficult to navigate for those with limited mobility," she said of the city's changes.

"I'd say the majority of the residents were totally caught off guard by it, very disappointed in the lack of consultation."

The city is defending its approach by saying flyers were distributed in the spring and an online survey attracted 600 responses before the lanes were installed. There is also a feedback website and paper forms at a kiosk located on-site.

"I think the concerns raised are very valid," said area councillor Anne Stevenson, who thinks the city could have done a better job distributing pamphlets before the change.

"I would also say that a pilot is in itself a huge piece of engagement."

The city has made adjustments based on resident feedback and added parking to side streets

Officials want to see how things go in the winter, so there won’t be any major changes until the spring at the earliest.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson