How well do you know downtown Edmonton's pedway system?
Edmonton AM crew races to find features, businesses within the pedway network
They walked, they ran and they were tired. Edmonton AM community reporter Tara McCarthy and associate producer Clare Bonnyman raced through downtown Edmonton's pedway system on Tuesday in hopes of ticking items off their must-seelist.
The friendly scavenger hunt pitted the colleagues against each other as theyexplored the network both above and below street-level.
The challenge came after Downtown Business Association executive director Ian O'Donnell shared a photo on Twitter in January explaining the different signage found in the city's pedway system. The tweet was shared widely on Twitter, with hundreds of likes and comments.
Whether you love them or loath them, you have to admit that this was quite ingenious. That said, did you even know? Come on now, be honest. #yegdt #YEG #Edmonton #pedway #Downtown #walkable #urban #graphicdesign #wayfinding pic.twitter.com/W9m0XWjsek
—@IanOyeg
Mountains, Refineries, Riverboats and a Star. Did you know about these and that they are directional icons? Come on now, be honest!#yegdt #YEG #Edmonton #yegwayfinding #pedway #graphicdesign #walkable #urban #wayfinding pic.twitter.com/e4ycfhHeBp
—@IanOyeg
That's whenEdmonton AM'schallenge began.
Bonnyman and McCarthy were each given a list ofseven items they needed to take selfies withsuch asa piece of art, some greenery and a unique store.
Things didn't start off well for McCarthy, who lost the list and had to have a digital copy emailed.
"I fear that this pedway experience is showing my flaws," McCarthy said on Edmonton AM Thursday.
Although she kept a firm grip on her list, Bonnyman hit a wall halfway through the challenge.
"It just came to my attention, that to everyone else, I look like a mall walker, who is talking to herself, not in great shape, and is looking like I'm listening to a Walkman," she said.
Evidence of the confusion @CBCradiotara and I experienced this week in the name of @EdmAMCBCs inaugural pedway challenge. Ignore the huffing and puffing- just know that I won, and Ive got the blisters to prove it. pic.twitter.com/EGmV8zpTPX
—@namynnob
But she persevered and managed to find all of the seven items on the list. McCarthy lost with a respectable 5.5 items.
Changes to pedway system
Edmonton's pedway system is in the process of an upgrade to itssignage, originally created in the 1980s. The city is targeting a more cohesive look withguidelines, according to the city's website.
The upgrade will include public feedback from a pilot project launched in 2014. Signs were installed in the downtown core to help navigate people street-level and in the pedway system.
Tim Querengesser, co-founder of Edmonton Wayfinding Society, told Edmonton AMThursday the wayfinding groupstarted because he "wanted people to explore."
"I think we need to start thinking about our streets as living eco-systems that we really need to feed, get people to discover and explore. A unified wayfinding system that the city is trying to roll out, that's step one."
The city is in the process of discussing signage changes with business owners beforeimplementing the system on private property,according to the city's websiteon the project.