In a very close vote of 7-6 Monday, Edmonton councillors voted in support of closing the traffic lane on 102 Avenue (from 99 Street to 103 Street) to make a “pedestrian-friendly corridor” for one year.
The amended motion asks city administration to implement the pedestrian road pilot project as soon as possible.
The pedestrian avenue would still provide access for emergency services.
The motion asks administration to: “prepare a road closure bylaw for the full closure of the traffic lane on 102 Avenue between 99 Street to 103 Street for a one-year pilot, and that activation projects be considered as part of the downtown vibrancy grant program that administration work with local stakeholders for implementation.”
City committee narrowly approved the idea at the end of May, pushing it to council as a whole.
Paths for People has been advocating for a pedestrian-only corridor since November 2021, when the group was approached by a community member.
“The Valley Line LRT will be opening soon, so we’ll be seeing hundreds of folks getting off the LRT at this location and descending into our downtown,” chair Stephen Raitz said. “We wanted to ensure that on that entry, it’s a really awesome experience and vibrant space.
“We see the current bike lane becoming an extended sidewalk and then the vehicle lane being turned into the bike lane, so that we have a vibrant civic backbone that connects different destinations within our core and really great space for programing for community organizations.”
The avenue has been closed for the last three and a half years for Valley Line LRT construction. It was set to reopen — with sidewalks, bike lanes, LRT tracks and a single eastbound lane for drivers — before councillors discussed a pivot.
“There’s been, I would say, considerable interest from a lot of Edmontonians to sort of reimagine what this street could be — turn it into more of a vibrant, walkable area,” explained Ward Metis councillor Ashley Salvador.
She put forward a motion for a one-year pilot project that would see pedestrians and cyclists – not drivers – rule the downtown corridor between 99 Street and 103 Street when it reopens.
Representatives of the Don Wheaton YMCA raised concerns with the idea. Staff and members of the downtown location have been dealing with traffic congestion and parking issues for nearly four years — nearly twice as long as the LRT project was supposed to take.
“It’s quite frustrating for our members and our parking customers,” said Kent Bittorf, vice president of fitness, health and aquatics, on May 31.
The rec facility has also faced safety concerns, locking some doors for security.
“We’ve seen a dramatic increase in social disorder in and around our facility with the closure of 102 Ave.,” Bittorf said.
The YMCA was not thrilled with the last-minute change of plans.
“We were in meetings years ago around what was to be, at the end. And now, at the end, it’s being proposed to change again,” explained Ken Muggeridge, vice president of assets and capital projects. “So I just don’t think that was fair.”
Salvador believes the LRT road closure presented a timely opportunity.
“This street has already been closed for four years due to construction, so this is about a reimagining of a space to create that more vibrant, walkable downtown where people want to spend time,” she said on Monday.
“I think this is really a good moment to try this out. If we were to open it up to car traffic, I would be concerned that it would be really hard to go in the other direction.”
Salvador said she was happy with the outcome of the vote on an idea that came from the community.
“The idea bubbled up from interested Edmontonians who live work and spend time in our downtown and they want to see it happen now… The beauty of a pilot is that it’s about testing it out. If it doesn’t work, we have options to try alternatives.”
She added there are no additional funds required for the pilot outside of the existing budget.
Coun. Tim Cartmell was worried about the timing and process of this decision.
“This is not about whether it’s a good idea. This is about the process to actually examine that idea, and that’s where I have some reservations.
“We heard in private that there’s some potential for unintended consequences for some of the contracts that we have open right now, particularly with respect to LRT,” he said.
“A more prudent way would be to… ask administration to do a corridor assessment about changing how this corridor is used in a more deliberate and engaging way.”
With files from Sarah Ryan, Global News
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