The Pulse: Feb. 15, 2024

More than a year after Edmonton's city council voted to invest $100 million to build active transportation infrastructure, the city has announced 10 routes spanning 17 kilometres that it will build in 2024 as part of the project.

Each of the 10 new routes will be a shared-use path that's three metres wide. A majority of the planned construction is focused on the north side of Edmonton, with stretches of 66 Street, 50 Street, Fort Road/Manning Drive, and 153 Avenue all set to receive pathways. Several streets south of the river are included, too. More details about the 10 routes are on the city's website.

Northside resident Bethel Alemu uses a bike to run errands around her neighbourhood and occasionally cycles downtown, often having to bike unprotected on roads with drivers in vehicles. She said she was delighted and surprised when she saw the planned routes.

"I feel like I have been shouting into the ether a little bit, like no one has listened," Alemu said. "I'm just glad to see some of these missing gaps being filled."

Alemu said she thinks the new routes will encourage people to choose a bike over a car for neighbourhood trips. "It's great that there will be continuous active transportation routes between four transit hubs in the north side — Castledowns, Eaux Claires, Clareview, and Belvedere," she added. "The path connecting (Belvedere and Clareview) LRT stations is particularly overdue."

Some future shared-use paths will replace existing sidewalks, while others will add a path where there was no sidewalk or path before, said Christopher Wintle, supervisor of transportation planning and design at the city.

Wintle said the city considers many factors when choosing what active transportation infrastructure to build on a route, including traffic speed and volume, and the volume of cyclists.

• Edmonton city council voted unanimously to send a proposed new public spaces bylaw back to administration for more research and revisions following hours of debate. The public hearing drew more than 50 speakers, the majority of whom opposed the changes, citing concerns such as punishing vulnerable people and introducing restrictions on protests. University of Alberta School of Public Health associate professor Elaine Hyshka questioned the introduction of fines for public drug use, saying evidence shows fines for minor drug offences don't deter use in public spaces. Supporters of the bylaw included Edmonton Chamber of Commerce CEO Doug Griffiths and Downtown Business Association executive director Puneeta McBryan. Meanwhile, Taproot managing editor Tim Querengesser appeared on Alberta at Noon to discuss the proposed changes.
• A few hundred Civic Services Union 52 members rallied outside city hall on Feb. 14 after members voted 91% in favour of a strike. Union president Lanny Chudyk said members are not "asking for the moon" and want a fair negotiated settlement that "does not impact taxpayers severely." Michelle Plouffe with the City of Edmonton said the city applied to the Alberta Labour Relations Board to hold an employer proposal vote to "ensure every eligible union member can vote directly" on the city's offer of 7.25% over five years. Plouffe said this "extraordinary application" and other steps are being taken to minimize disruptions to city services. Political analysts note that CSU 52 has never before gone on strike, and it's common for parties to come close to a strike or lockout before reaching an agreement.
• The Edmonton Downtown Business Association announced plans to bring back the Edmonton Downtown Farmers Market, which will run outdoors on Saturdays along 104 Street from May to October this year. The market closed in January after struggling to survive inside its 97 Street building. "The overwhelming sentiment was that the community wants to see a downtown farmers market restored on 104 Street," said association director Puneeta McBryan, although she noted the outdoor market will be smaller than in the past, with limitations due to LRT construction in the area. Vendors have until March 15 to submit their applications.
• GraceLife Church, an Edmonton-area congregation that made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic for refusing to adhere to public health restrictions, is planning a major expansion of its facility in Parkland County, just west of Edmonton. The church wants to add 50,000 square feet, which would allow Sunday service capacity to rise from 800-900 people to 1,200-1,500 people. GraceLife needs to complete public engagement for its permit application to be reviewed. The church held an information session on Feb. 12, but the county has not yet issued a permit for the expansion.
• BGCBigs is running a campaign to recruit 100 male mentors over 100 days. "We're posing this challenge to men in our community, specifically, because so many men have the capacity to be awesome mentors, but they don't even realize it," said Ian Amundson with BGCBigs. The organization has a waitlist of more than 700 young people looking for mentors, including 400 boys, who in some cases wait up to two years for a mentor. The campaign ends May 15.
• The Mawji Centre for New Venture and Student Entrepreneurship at NAIT ran its 2024 Innovation Challenge, which invites student groups to develop creative solutions to problems identified by community partners. This year's challenge, which focused on how to accommodate Edmonton's ecological impact as it grows to two million people, drew its largest number of entries. The four winning entries are featured on NAIT's website.

Here are opportunities to help inform city planning, including the active transportation network, transit and recreation centre services, and the renewal of an important collector street in Ritchie and King Edward Park.

• Active Transportation Network Survey — The city is looking to learn about how people view active transportation and the Active Transportation Network Expansion project, and their preferences for communication and education about active transportation. An online survey is open until Feb. 20.
• February Mixed Topic Survey — The city is gathering information this month about transit and recreation centre use. The survey form also invites residents to opt into two upcoming engagement opportunities: a survey in February about recreation centre memberships and a survey in March regarding the Old Strathcona Public Realm Strategy, which is entering its final engagement phase before being presented to council in spring. The February Mixed Topic Survey closes Feb. 20.
• Element Park Planning (St. Albert) — The City of St. Albert is designing a new park in the Erin Ridge North community, which will be the northernmost park in the city. The project team is holding an open house at Servus Credit Union Place on Feb. 21. Residents can also complete an online survey until Feb. 25.
• 76 Avenue Renewal (explore) — The City of Edmonton has started engagement about the renewal of 76 Avenue between 75 Street and 99 Street, through the neighbourhoods of Ritchie and King Edward Park. Residents can meet the project team at an open house at the Ritchie Community League hall on Feb. 22 or complete an online survey about their experiences using the street until March 3.

More input opportunities

• Until Feb. 16: Public Washroom Strategy (interactive map, survey)
• Until Feb. 19: Winterscapes photo contest (nominations)
• Until Feb. 25: Mill Woods Town Centre Land Development Application
• Until Feb. 25: Hillview Neighbourhood and Alley Renewal (refine)
• Until Feb. 26: Voter Engagement Initiative (survey)
• Until Feb. 26: Housing Strategy (City of Leduc)
• Until Feb. 29: Northeast River Valley Park Strategic Plan

Photo: An Edmonton bike lane in early fall. (Mack Male/Flickr)

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Coffee with the Chamber starting at 9am at the Canadian Icehouse, Brewhouse and Banquet Ice District
• Plug & Play — Education Session starting at 10am online
• Women Breaking Glass Ceilings in STEM starting at 11am online
• Communities of the Medicine Wheel starting at 2pm at the Alberta Avenue Community Centre

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Feb. 24: Chasing Ubuntu at Metro Cinema
• March 7: Distiller's Symposium at CKUA Radio Network
• March 9-10: Pet Expo at the Edmonton EXPO Centre

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.