With $100 million in designated funding and a road renewal program that includes wheel infrastructure, Edmonton is gaining momentum as Canada’s cycling capital.
Since 2009, the City of Edmonton has been rebuilding and upgrading transportation infrastructure across the city through the Neighborhood Renewal Program. Its latest projects include major improvements to the city’s livability, as well as repaving dilapidated roads and sidewalks.
“We allocate more than $600 million a year to overall neighborhood renewal,” says Ryan Kirstyk, director of neighborhood planning and design for the City of Edmonton. Neighborhoods participating in the program are selected based on factors such as existing road conditions, alignment with strategic goals such as the city’s Vision Zero initiative, and availability of funding.
To update roads in poor condition outside of the Neighborhood Update Program, the City of Edmonton created the Collector Update Program. Currently, four projects are underway: 132 Avenue, 127 Street, 95 Avenue, and 97 Street.
“The city is looking to build an infrastructure that provides a full range of transportation options,” Kirschuk said. “So whether you want to drive a car, ride a bike, walk, take transit, ride a scooter, we’re going to provide these transportation options to people as we renovate. I’m interested.”
The latest project to break ground as part of the program is the 132 Avenue Renewal in northwest Edmonton, which will transform a 50-block stretch of “overbuilt” collector road into a mixed-use street that will serve the needs of a variety of users. . Including pedestrians and bicycles.
“132nd Avenue is an important east-to-west corridor, and there will be bike lanes the entire length of that corridor,” Kirszczyk said. “It’s also recognized as an urban greenway, which is basically more green space.”
After three years of public engagement, planning, and design, the 132 Avenue renovation will reduce the width of the road from four lanes to two lanes as a traffic calming measure. The space freed up by the removal of two lanes will allow for wider sidewalks, increased green space and landscaping, as well as separate bike lanes in each direction along this roadway, which will serve the 11th and 127th Avenues adjacent to 132nd Avenue. Improved connectivity between Street and Fort Road.
Because the road connects schools, parks, churches, community centers, and shopping areas, the 132 Avenue Renewal Project includes significant public realm enhancements, including continuous sidewalks, elevated intersections and medians, and curb extensions. I am. In addition, trees, landscaped areas and seating will be added along the entire length of this collector road for a more comfortable experience.
“This project has come to a good point in its lifecycle, because now we can update it.” We can green it. You can modify it to build an active transportation network. [and] We can do it end to end,” Kirschuk said. “So this is a significant change in the hallway.”
But in a car-dependent city like Edmonton, neighbors don’t necessarily see the project as an improvement.
The first phase of the project, which broke ground in June, borders Roslyn and Lauderdale, two neighborhoods that were developed in the late 1950s and whose residents still rely on private cars for transportation.
Lauderdale resident Dwayne Robertson said the collector’s renovation doesn’t meet the needs of his neighbors.
“The problem is that the city gave us three options. The plan was already established,” he said, adding that the city ignored concerns raised by neighbors, including increased traffic congestion and less on-street parking. I pointed out what I was doing. road.
“I think the city’s mission is zero carbon emissions, and the city’s plan is to do everything we can to disrupt traffic flow,” Robertson said, adding that the city’s goal is to have zero carbon emissions. It pointed out that walking, cycling or cycling should be encouraged. When it comes to transit, none of these options are viable options for Lauderdale’s blue-collar residents.
“Where are you now? [people] We work and live far away from each other,” he says. “And it’s just too much of a hassle to take transportation.”
Lauderdale’s location just south of major highways, the Yellowhead Trail, and the CN rail yard poses challenges for alternative transportation connections, but the long-term benefits of Edmonton’s Neighborhood Renewal Program are clear.
In Inglewood, an Edmonton neighborhood north of downtown and south of Yellowhead Trail, two collector renewal projects have been completed since 2019 at 127 Street and 124 Street, and results are already being seen.
“We’ve seen really great improvements,” said Inglewood resident Chad Orman. “No. 1 is the livability and walkability of the neighborhood.
“There’s a nice linear park that runs from 118 Street north to south all the way to Oliver,” he says. “It’s a really good connector for people who ride bikes and people who drive or walk. It’s a great way to get to downtown because you can ride a bike faster than get in a car and drive. It’s a success story.”
Despite the tensions arising from Edmonton’s aspirations and its reality as a car-centric city, improving Edmonton’s transportation network is key to promoting livability across the city, says David, a real estate professor at Stan Melton University. Professor Dale Johnson says: Alberta. And as the city moves forward with updating its zoning ordinance, projects like 132nd Avenue and 124th Street will ensure the success of the city’s 15-minute district and encourage greater density.
“Any effort to make neighborhoods more livable, such as landscaping or introducing different modes of transportation, is the right thing to do,” Dale Johnson said, adding that upgrades can add value to existing properties and support redevelopment. he added.
“When a neighborhood’s livability improves, residents and new buyers are more likely to consider upgrading their homes,” he says. “And as these areas become his 15-minute communities, we’ll probably see even more density.”