The city is removing the red crosswalks on 124 Street.
The crosswalks were installed last summer between 102 and 111 Avenue at a cost of just over $100,000.
The intent was to bring attention to crosswalks and increase aesthetic appeal
The city says the material used in the design of the crosswalks is deteriorating more quickly than expected and must be removed for safety reasons.
“The product that we placed on 124 Street, we’re not quite satisfied with the performance,” said Olga Messinis, Director of Traffic Operations for the City of Edmonton.
“It should be performing at a certain level and it’s not so we’re removing it.”
Messinis says they’ve had complaints from some residents.
“Some of the feedback we’ve gotten form citizens under certain environmental conditions it has become slippery and we do recognize that and we are addressing that ahead of the winter season.”
The city says the crosswalks didn’t change driver behaviour as much as they had hoped, but aren’t ruling out another intersection project.
“There is still that desire from 124 Business Association to explore another decorative cross walk idea so we will be working with them in the future, likely using a different product,” said Messinis.
The red crosswalks were installed in eight intersections, a total of 14 crosswalks. Officials initially believed the red product could be removed in about a week, but crews are finding it difficult to remove and now say it could take weeks.
The cost of removing the red is expected to be about $40,000. The city may look at trying to get some money back from the vendor that sold the product.
