City of Edmonton officials said the results had come in from a citizen survey to determine whether a pilot project to close Whyte Avenue to traffic for certain occasions had support, and it appears the idea is one the majority of respondents supported.
Officials said Wednesday that the survey had 2,040 respondents, with 57 percent ‘highly supporting the proposal’, 20 percent supporting the idea in theory, while wanting more information, six percent of respondents were unsure and the final 17 percent did not support the idea.
The pilot program would make a section of Whyte Avenue car-free, from midnight to 2:30 a.m. on busy nights – officials said only emergency vehicles and ETS buses would be allowed, private vehicles would not be allowed on the roadway.
North and south access would be maintained on certain streets, officials said, and taxi stands would be set up outside of the road closure.
The project will move to phase two of public engagement, officials said, including a follow-up survey and direct engagement with community leagues of nearby neighbourhoods: Queen Alexandra, Garneau, Strathcona, King Edward, Ritchie, Bonnie Doon, McKernan, and Belgravia.
After that, officials said an open house is expected in late fall for residents in those neighbourhoods to learn more.
