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
'Looking over our shoulders': A killing looms large in a little B.C. town
Something shifted in the pretty little village of Lumby, B.C., after Tatjana Stefanski vanished. It used to be the sort of place where parents let their kids roam free or play in the local creek, but everything has changed.
Toronto man falls off his chair after seeing $70M Lotto Max win in his bank account
A Toronto man who won $70 million in a recent Lotto Max draw literally fell off his chair when he saw the funds in his bank account.
Montreal-area high school students protest 'sexist' dress code
Students at Curé-Antoine-Labelle High School near Montreal are protesting after they say their school's administration started pushing what they call a 'sexist' dress code.
Officer who arrested Scottie Scheffler is being disciplined for not having bodycam activated
The Kentucky police officer who arrested top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler outside the PGA Championship is receiving 'corrective action' for failing to have his body-worn camera activated.
'I won't stop,' Celine Dion says in trailer for upcoming doc about her health woes
Celine Dion's fans are getting a first glimpse of the superstar's struggle with a rare neurological disorder in an emotional trailer for an upcoming documentary about her career and life.
Air travel is expensive. WestJet wants the government to do more to change that
WestJet is asking the federal government to put measures in place to lower ticket costs for travellers, but questions remain on who would foot the bill.
Hundreds have applied for this 'adventurer' job in Banff National Park
Coined as Banff's 'ultimate summer job,' the Moraine Lake Bus Company says hundreds of people from across the world have applied for its adventurer position.
Ottawa police investigating death of a gosling in Kanata
Ottawa police are investigating after someone allegedly stomped on a gosling in Kanata. Police say it appears that Canada geese laid eggs in the area, 'and on May 21, a suspect stomped on one of the hatched babies.'
Treasury Board president urges managers to be flexible on exemptions for new 3-day office mandate
The president of the Treasury Board is standing by the federal government's new hybrid office mandate for federal public servants, but is urging managers to be flexible for staff requiring exemptions.