Jasper Avenue to slim down for summer in move to attract pedestrians

Edmontonianscan expectfewer traffic lanesand more space for pedestrians along Jasper Avenue this summer.

For July and August, city staff plan to turn the curb lanes on both sides of Jasper between 109th Street and 115th Street into extensions of the sidewalk.

A report going to city council's executive committee on Tuesday explains that the purpose of the pilot project is to showpeople what the city's main drag wouldbe likeif redesigned.

For the past two years, city staff have been gathering feedback about permanently reducing astretch ofJasper Avenue between109thStreet and124thStreet from seven lanes of traffic to five, including turning lanes.

The sidewalks would be built out andadorned with trees and more lighting. Restaurant ownerscould potentially take advantage of the space to create patios.

Of the 4,650 responses received, 78 per cent expressed support for the $19-million project, city staff said.

• Jasper Avenue: A 2nd chance to get Edmonton's main street right
• Jasper Avenue on road to becoming pedestrian destination

While the additional budget for the project has not yet been approved by council, constructionis tentatively scheduled to take place between 2019 and 2021.

Coun. Scott McKeen, who represents the ward, said it's about striking a balance between downtown residents and commuters.

People who live downtown, particularly in the Oliver neighbourhood just north of Jasper Avenue, want to be able to walk to the store, to work, to where they need to go, he said. But people who commute, particularly from the west end, don't want to be stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

"Do wewant to do what we can here to ensure that it's notgridlockedduring rush hour? Absolutely,"saidMcKeen, adding that traffic along Jasper Avenue is "relatively light"mostof the day.

"It would be a shame to lose the opportunity to make this a great street with trees and lights and wider sidewalks and that sort of thingfor two to three hours of the day."

Guidelines for main streets

The recommended changes to Jasper Avenue fall under the city's main streets program, which provides guidelines for refurbishing arterial roads as urban streets.

Coun. Ben Hendersonrepresentingthe ward in whichEdmonton's other major street, Whyte Avenue,runs said this isn't the first time the city has had to balance urban and suburban needs.

But he noted that the city's urban demography is changing.

As the downtown core of the city becomes more populated, Henderson said there's anincreased recognition that pedestrians come first.

Henderson questions whethertraffic will move much slower sincethe curb lanesare currently used for parking or bus stops.

"I think some people would like it to go further," Henderson said of the redesign. "I think they know that they run the risk of getting in a fight with people in the west end that use that as a commuter route. Somehow or another, we have to work that one out.

"There's a lot of other cities that are way out ahead of us on this. I don't think that it's anything that people have to be scared of or afraid of,but I think it will be different."

roberta.bell@cbc.ca

@roberta__bell