Council pledges eyes open approach to sidewalk hazards
Pedestrians recount horror stories of Edmonton walkways blocked for years
Edmonton officials got an earful from people struggling to navigate the city’s sidewalk hazards Monday.
It’s “pretty miserable right now,” senior Robin Inskip told council’s community services committee.
Complaints included construction companies who leave sidewalks blocked for years, city officials who put temporary or permanent signs on sidewalks when there’s lots of space on a boulevard, and residents who don’t clear their snow.
“There are many stories about people with (wheelchairs, power chairs and walkers) getting completely stuck,” said Inskip, frustrated at the piles of snow city plows leave halfway up sidewalk ramps.
It earned a mea culpa from city officials. Branch manager Gord Cebryk said the city hasn’t traditionally focused much on pedestrians in traffic operations: “We realize we need to get there.”
CONSTRUCTION FEES
Mayor Don Iveson prompted Monday’s debate by asking about developers, construction companies and road crews blocking sidewalks unnecessarily or for extended periods of time.
“I’m not convinced we’re really thinking about the impacts on pedestrians,” said Iveson, adding he didn’t think about the effects on people using wheelchairs or walkers until he started pushing a stroller.
Often, road signs are set in the middle of the sidewalk, and Edmonton doesn’t charge developers a fee to use a sidewalk as Calgary does. If they charged based on the amount of time the sidewalk was closed, companies would be motivated to reopen faster.
“101 Street has now been impassible for two years. There’s no incentive to take (the barriers) out,” said Coun. Ben Henderson.
He urged a change in city policy so that the first option would be to create a secondary sidewalk beside the closure, rather than first looking to redirect pedestrians to the other side of the street.
The people creating the detour route need to calculate the time it adds for pedestrians or motorists, he added: “The pedestrian is not going to go around an entire block. They’ll either jaywalk or do something else that is unsafe.”
CHANGE COMING
City officials promised to consult with the building industry and people who have mobility challenges. They’re scheduled to report back to committee with recommended policy changes July 6.
“I was really surprised at the yield sign in the middle of the sidewalk; can we be assured that will be part of this?” asked Coun. Bev Esslinger, commenting on images that have grown common on social media. Other photographs included light poles, benches, even fire hydrants cutting shared-use pathways in two.
“We’ve heard you. We’ve heard the frustration on this,” Esslinger added. “There is a culture shift happening.”
The pedestrian is not going to go around an entire block. They’ll jaywalk or do something else unsafe.