Many people who live along the Victoria Promenade on the north side of Edmonton’s river valley have had a difficult summer.
Stacey Kuehn, a local, believes that despite the city’s best efforts to make the region more accessible and welcoming for everyone, it has actually accomplished the reverse.
As part of a pilot project along the popular road, the city added a new bike lane on the north side of the road, ultimately taking away the street parking.
Along with the shock of it, inquiries regarding whether or not this was safe arose. Where was the consultation? said Kuehn.
“There is some parking, though not a lot. On this stretch, there are some buildings without guest parking.
Residents noted the lack of parking is a major issue for people with accessibility issues and there’s nowhere convenient for homecare or food delivery services to park.
Additionally, emergency vehicles are now required to halt on the road.
Local homeowner Bob Walker observed, “When the fire engine and ambulance are stationed there, it holds up all the traffic on 100 Ave.”
“It has caused a significant disruption in the neighbourhood right from the start.”
Many residents believe consultation for the project was nowhere near good enough.
When you’ve lived here for years and someone suddenly moves in to completely alter the local dynamic without anyone’s knowledge, it’s frustrating.
There is a petition to remove the pilot floating around with hundreds of signatures.
“What we really want to see is just real engagement, really listening to the feedback of the residents and working with us to put together a better plan,” Kuehn said.
We all support bike lanes strongly.
We want this space to be used, beautiful, and open to everyone, but that’s just not possible right now.
Coun. Ward O-day’min Anne Stevenson stated that the issues are legitimate and that she welcomes the comments.
There are individuals who value the infrastructure, but the majority of people have worries, according to Stevenson.
She claimed that the pilot’s ultimate goal is to serve as a process for involvement.
According to Stevenson, this clearly shows the need for more efficient outreach in greater density regions to ensure that citizens are properly informed and not taken off guard.
Stevenson stated that in order to determine the measures for the pilot’s effectiveness, she will be meeting with city employees in the following weeks.
Till the winter, no decisions will be taken on the project.
The city staff has scheduled engagement meetings for October 15 and October 21 to gather comments. A survey can be found online as well.
Pilot project on Edmonton’s Victoria Promenade is raising concerns.
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