People-Centered Infrastructure: Update on 102 Ave

Today Council voted on implementing a pilot project for the full closure of the downtown traffic lane on 102 Ave between 99 Street and 103 Street. Back in February, Councillor Stevenson moved a motion to assess the viability of keeping 102 Ave closed for vehicle traffic. I absolutely supported this motion as people-centered (pedestrian friendly) corridors offer so many benefits to our City. 

The report generated from that motion recently came back and highlighted many concerns around the closure of vehicle traffic based on the stage of the project. 102 Avenue was designed and built for multiple modes of transportation; vehicular traffic, LRT, bikes, pedestrians, and more. 

Council also heard additional concerns during the private portion of the meeting that solidified for me that while this is a fantastic idea, this is not the right time to change the planned use for 102 Ave.

Here are a few items that went into my decision: 

1. Pilot Projects - Pilots are great for testing, engaging, learning, and more. I’d like to see the roadway being used as designed and get a baseline before implementing a pilot.

2. Purposeful design - Changing design and infrastructure plans right after completion of planned infrastructure , does not allow for adequate assessment of how the changes impact the area, and has cost implications for switching gears. While I didn’t support the pilot, I did vote in favour of the subsequent motion today that called for the development of a strategy for people-centered infrastructure and non-vehicle roads within downtown, and I was happy to see this motion pass. 

3. Emergency access - There were concerns expressed about emergency access in this area should it no longer allow vehicular use. Access to buildings was highlighted, as the roadway was designed with vehicular access in mind, and could result in further capital infrastructure costs in the long term to allow for appropriate access and creates risks during the pilot. 

4. Extensive engagement - The current project on 102 Ave involved an extensive  engagement process. Aside from the dollars, the feedback provided by the public and stakeholders is imperative to how we build, which is why the City does engagement in the first place. Those who participated in the engagement process for the current project deserve to see their feedback incorporated, before we look at doing a different project for this area. 

5. Cost & Timing - I have learned in my time on Council so far, that pilots do have costs, even when they claim to be cost neutral. We’ve seen this play out already during this Council’s term. Resources are needed to engage the space and ensure it’s a success. People-centered infrastructure is a good investment in our community - I want to see it designed and implemented with City-wide connectivity so we can avoid constantly changing infrastructure. We are facing high budget constraints in our City and the 4-year 2023-2026 budget will see Council make major budget trade-offs. I don’t want to prescribe to the narrative that budget constraints means we can’t make investments in critical infrastructure, like people-centered corridors, but we need to be extremely mindful of how, when and where we build. 

With regard to my comments about Edmonton’s weather - I was responding to discussion in Council comparing other European cities to our City. I don’t believe it’s fair to compare the cities as they have different climates and conditions. In highlighting this, I should have also noted that while Edmonton’s weather is not without its challenges, we know that biking, rolling, walking, year-round is absolutely a reality and a completely tangible mode of transportation, and creating the necessary infrastructure to promote more active modes of transportation is a smart investment - even in our times of extreme temperatures. 

While I voted no, I respect the overall Council decision to move forward with this pilot. I made my decision  balancing context, information, risks, and budget forecasting. 

As my closing remarks indicated, I absolutely believe that having people-centered corridors and more active-pathways are critical infrastructure that EVERYONE benefits from. 

I look forward to a more comprehensive plan for creating people-centered infrastructure (shared-use paths, bike lanes, pedestrian-focused design), and want to see our City do more than look at one-off areas in order to make the most forward thinking strategy and make the best use of our dollars for Edmontonians.