Planners look to shorten walks to LRT stations
Idea to buy easements from residents would certainly be contentious: official
Blue Quill residents could shave 10 minutes from their walk to and from Century Park LRT station if they could just cut through a neighbour’s backyard.
Good luck with that, say city officials.
Peter Ohm, Edmonton’s head of planning, said he’s never seen anyone willingly sell the city a slice of land to help their neighbours, even though they’d be compensated. Still, it’s an option on the table.
With new LRT stations planned or under construction across the city, officials told council’s urban planning committee Tuesday they are trying to take a more databased look at how long it takes for people to reach the stations on foot. They’re tracing pathways through all publicly accessible sidewalks and alleys, demonstrating access is a challenge in many older suburbs.
Neighbourhoods such as Blue Quill, just west of Century Park, have so many curving streets and cul-de-sacs, someone can live within 100 metres of the LRT station as the crow flies and yet be forced to walk more than 10 minutes (800 metres) to get there.
In Blue Quill, officials will ask neighbours if they want the city to find a slice or an entire lot of land
Even if we were to buy up a 50-foot lot, how would the neighbours feel about the increased pedestrian traffic?
to buy during neighbourhood renewal discussions. For other LRT stations, they’re still measuring the problem.
“Even if we were to buy up a 50foot lot, how would the neighbours feel about the increased pedestrian traffic?” Ohm said, concerned any option could be contentious.
But this has to be a focus for the city when planning LRT, he added: “We have to consider trip times for pedestrians and trip times for cyclists.”
City officials are doing the same analysis for LRT stations on the proposed west LRT, and are hoping to report back to council this summer with all LRT stations ranked in terms of least to most accessible, said city planner Erin Toop.
The Blue Quill study has Ward 10 Coun. Michael Walters disappointed.
“I’m not OK with waiting (until neighbourhood reconstruction), but there’s not a lot of options,” he said.
It’s in the city’s best interest to ensure people can walk to the train, but “you would take an easement off someone’s yard. Who’s going to give that up?”