I bike year round and 95% of trips downtown are by bike. But let me say this, which I think is Ian’s point.
Ideologically, of course there are good arguments to be made to close certain streets, restrict cars, all that stuff. I listen to the war on cars podcast weekly
BUT
We have to contextualize to our city, or highest priorities, our constraints and opportunities, our political environment.
I’m not saying “this is just how Edmonton is”. Not at all. However, Edmonton also isn’t Philly, Chicago, Montreal, Vancouver, or even Calgary in a lot of the characteristics that will help make pedestrianization successful.
Most of our roads downtown need a road diet. Full stop. But few need pedestrianization imo. I’d rather see wider sidewalks (that aren’t crumbling), great boulevards and planters, trees and art installations, maintained (asphalt, snow, gravel, paint) roads, and activations through storefronts and development.
Aside from jasper and 104th ave, most of our streets aren’t unpleasant because of an over abundance of cars/traffic. Most of our streets are actually dead, crumbling, and without buildings/active fronts.
So why spend the money, stir up the politics battle, and take the time to pedestrianize 102ave when it’s fine for biking/walking as it is and wouldn’t much nicer without cars. I’d rather rebuild 103st to not have broken wood planks 1 block from the ice district and in front of one of our main restaurant strips. 109st as Ian mentioned. The unfinished parts of jasper, etc.
We need a lot more pedestrians before we pedestrianize and roads/cars aren’t the primary issue for downtown in that case.
Now whyte ave, I’d push you on Ian
I think we should aggressively redesign for buses and pedestrians. People are magically good at finding new routes when they have to. It’s too good of a street to concede to cars. 61/63ave needs to be the alternative for personal vehicle traffic. And we have to prefer imo, more traffic on some nearby side streets because patios/pedestrians/shops deserve less cars than mostly quiet side streets with apartments. The “About Here” guy from Vancouver has actually talked a lot about how Vancouver has a more dispersed traffic system because of their lack of freeways and arterials, so more people spread out and use all roads vs filtering just from residential onto arterials. I think we should treat south central that way. (With appropriate traffic calming on all streets of course).
