Planned changes for Old Strathcona include dedicated bus lanes, more parks
Change is afoot in Old Strathcona, where the city is proposing new parks, transit upgrades and other ways to make the area around one of Edmonton's most popular roadways more inviting to pedestrians.
City planners are looking for feedback via public engagement on plans for the area that have been around in one form or another since 2016.
Coun. Michael Janz, whose ward includes Old Strathcona, says this vision for the district's future is long-term as well.
"As Edmonton grows to two-million people, we know that we’re going to need more cool public spaces, and we want to look for what that will be, where will the parks be, where will the festivals be, where the attractions are," Janz told CTV News Edmonton.
Based on years of previous feedback from Edmontonians on improving the Old Strathcona experience, city planners have put together the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy.
It aims to make the district more pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists through environmental design such as wider sidewalks with more spaces in which to sit and hang out and a major overhaul to the corridor along Gateway Boulevard from Whyte Avenue to Saskatchewan Drive.
That would include replacing a car dealership with an urban plaza and turning the Old Strathcona Farmers' Market parking lot into a park.
It would also include dedicated bus lanes on Whyte Avenue itself, reducing traffic to one lane each way.
Cherie Klassen, the executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, says Edmontonians have been calling for these changes and that most business owners are excited about them, too.
"We know most of our customers, our most valuable customers, take transit, they ride bikes and they walk here," Klassen told CTV News Edmonton.
"Yes, people drive as well, but our most valuable customers who come and spend the most time and the most money take that form of transportation."
Both planners and business owners realize that any change comes with trade-offs. The biggest impact of this 10-to-20-year plan, which is not yet funded, would be on parking and traffic flow.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump delivers rambling response to his hush money conviction
A day after a New York jury delivered a historic guilty verdict in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee held a press conference Friday where he spoke publicly about the conviction and his White House bid.
Mediterranean diet helps women live much longer, a large new study finds
Women who closely followed a Mediterranean diet lived much longer than those who did not, according to a new study that followed more than 25,000 women for 25 years.
How did Ontario's bankrupt 'Crypto King' travel the world on Scene+ points?
Newly released documents suggest Ontario’s so-called ‘Crypto King’ paid for months of world travels with $13,000 worth of Scene+ points while bankrupt – but how?
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Solutions coming for piled-up bodies outside Newfoundland hospital
Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador say they are only weeks away from a solution to move unclaimed human remains out of roadside freezers and into a nearby hospital.
Jurors weigh death penalty after finding Chad Daybell guilty of killing his first wife and second wife's 2 children
A day after delivering a guilty verdict in Chad Daybell’s murder trial, an Idaho jury will reconvene Friday to weigh whether he will face the death penalty.
Actor Nick Pasqual charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing estranged girlfriend
An actor who has appeared in film and TV projects like 'Rebel Moon' and 'How I Met Your Mother' has been arrested and charged with stabbing his estranged girlfriend multiple times.
'Unprecedented': Human smuggling from B.C. to U.S. soars, using train, Uber and foot
American prosecutors and law enforcement officers say they're dealing with a huge increase in human smuggling from British Columbia.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.