City, Capilano residents at odds over footbridge closure
Construction on the Capilano footbridge means the bridge is temporarily off limits to pedestrians – but some are choosing to ignore closure signage.
Nicole Wolfe, director of Open Space Infrastructure Delivery at the City of Edmonton, said Capilano Park, located on the south side of the river near 50 Street, is undergoing construction to improve lighting, benches, parking and underground renewal.
The closure of the popular Capilano footbridge— which a quarter of a million people used last summer — has left Edmontonians frustrated with the lack of trail detours.
“It would have been awesome to see the city place signage on top of the hill so people don’t need to descend all the way down,” said pedestrian Stephen Raitz. “The detour to the west would be about a 7-kilometre walk or bike ride.”
Following the suggested detour would take anywhere from 50 to 80 minutes. Raitz said there was not enough notice.
“We would hope to see the city add some way finding signage further up and do some outreach with community leagues or community organizations,” he said.
But Wolfe said the lack of signage is largely due to people removing them.
“We’ve had quite a journey with signage actually. There has been lots of signage put out and we have increased the amount of signage but a lot of it seems to be removed, damaged, vandalized and thrown in places that we can not get it,” she said.
Wolfe explains workers are having a “heck of a time” getting people to obey closure signage. She said the active construction site is not safe for pedestrians.
“We are really having some significant issues with behaviour,” she said. “At this point, we're trying to do our best by asking people to remove themselves from site.”
Wolfe said the construction workers do daily fence checks to make sure people are not pushing through.
The project is expected to end July 31.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.