Fixing 'missing links' in Edmonton's sidewalks starts at $10M

Some of the missing linksin Edmonton's sidewalk networkcould be addedin the coming years if council approves the money andstrategy presented at a meeting on Tuesday.

City administration estimates it will cost $10 million to work ononly 20 per cent of the city'ssidewalks that either come to an abrupt end or are missing sections.

A report in front of city council's urban planning committee shows more than 100 kilometresneed a designated space forpeople to walk.

Marcel Huculak with the group Paths for People urgedcouncillors to investin filling the need.

"Such missing links are incredibly frustrating for pedestrians," Huculak told the committee. "People travelling on foot are made to feel like second-class citizens. Every missing connection beside a roadway sends a message that vehicles come first, pedestrians come second."

Paths for People launched an initiative called "Missing Links," which has gatheredsome 200 submissions from the public.

• Where the sidewalk ends: Filling in the cracks on Edmonton's missing sidewalks

Huculak, a traffic engineer by profession, said the public feedback was telling.

"It just floored me how many missing links were here that I didn't know about."

Huculak notedabout 500 metres of missing sidewalk on the east side of Gateway Boulevard from 83rdAvenueto Saskatchewan Drive, even though Old Strathcona has been undergoing revitalization.

"Desire lines indicate people are already using this space to walk," the Paths for People website says.

Priority list

The city added 53 locations to its existing list, which equalsabout 14 km of missing sidewalk,from information collected throughthe Paths for People initiative.

Thelist is separated into high, medium and low priority areas as well as industrial locations.

The work identified45 high priority spots, including the following locations:

• The stretch of23rd Avenue from 119th Street to Magrath Road
• 23rd Avenue between Terwillegar Drive and Rabbit Hill Road
• 88th Avenue from 170th Street to West Edmonton Mall where a pedestrian bridge used to be

• West Edmonton Mall to appeal responsibility to replace 170th Street footbridge

Huculak said buses go to industrial areas, only toleave people to navigate on "do it yourself" paths.

"So we're dumping people off on the industrial area and they can't get around," he said.

He suggested the city starts filling the deficit in walkable areas like downtown, Oliver, Whyte Avenue and areas where people connect at bus stops.

Many of his constituents in the city's northeast are frustrated with the lack of safe sidewalks, Coun. Aaron Paquette said.

"The only option they have to get anywhere is to drive," he said. "For literally billions we spend on roadways, we should be allocating some small percentage of that to make sure that people can actually walk."

Moreseniors are giving up their vehicles or choosingto walk to get to appointments andrun errands, Paquette said.

"Not only is that more healthy but it saves them money," he said. "There's a whole segment of the population that needs these sidewalks and we're just not providing them, and that should be the basic thing that a city gets right, is getting around."

Mayor Don Iveson noted that sidewalks have fallen offcouncil'sradar.

"We take our eye off the ball and I admit we took our eye off the ball on sidewalks for a couple of yearsit leaks out of the budget and all of a sudden, you're back to zero and falling behind," he said.

The city plans to prioritize the missing sidewalk links according to proximity to seniorfacilities, commercial developments, schools, parks, recreation centres, public spaces, and how they can connect to river valley trailsand transit centres.

Administration will submit a request for$10 million toadvanceplanning, design, and construction of the majority of high priority missing links,approximately 20 kilometresof sidewalk, by the end of2022.

The city has already approved a $2 million "Active Modes" program in the2019-22 capital budget, which will be used to install missing curb ramps.

@natashariebe