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The bike lane debate in Edmonton switched gears Tuesday as city council agreed to change the plan for new protected one-way lanes on 50th street from 102nd Avenue to 109A Avenue.
Administration was planning to remove street parking along this stretch in east Edmonton to put in the new active transportation infrastructure, at a cost of $2.4 million.
Coun. Ashley Salvador put forward a motion for the city to consider an alternative plan that would retain about half the existing curbside parking from 106th Avenue to 109A Avenue.
That $4.9-million plan would reallocate about a metre or two of the 10-metre-wide centre median.
“I’ve become quite accustomed to navigating the necessary trade-offs that come with retrofitting existing roadways to accommodate safe cycling infrastructure,” Salvador said.
To prepare protected bike lane infrastructure, Salvador noted that it’s sometimes necessary to alter the configuration of roadways, which end up eliminating parking.
“I continue to support those,” she noted. “50th Street, given its width and significant right-of-way, presents a different context and a different opportunity to accommodate all modes.”
On Monday, about a dozen residents in the affected neighbourhoods protested that plan, arguing that taking away parking areas was also a safety issue when trying to get taxis or ride shares.
A city memo to council says approximately 30 vehicles currently park along that stretch.
Councillors Erin Rutherford, Jo-Anne Wright and Jon Morgan voted against the alternative plan, mostly because of the higher cost.
“Spending an extra $2.5 million for 30 stalls of parking in a couple blocks with laneway access — with all the other priorities? We got limited funds,” Morgan said.
Mayor Andrew Knack called it a ‘win-win’ scenario.
“We could keep parking lanes, driving lanes and add dedicated infrastructure by shrinking a median,” Knack said. “So we’re literally not picking one mode of transportation over another.”
WATCH | Residents sucessfully call for change to planned bike lane:
City council votes to change 50th Street bike lane
Edmonton city council has voted to change the design of an upcoming bike lane on 50th Street between 102 and 109A Avenue.
The change comes after residents complained the bike lane would cut off access to the front of their properties
Knack added that the more expensive option would reduce the kilometres of active pathways built in this budget cycle, but not necessarily into the future.
City Manager Eddie Robar said adjustments can be made but he’s hearing concerns about bike lane plans around the city.
“I’m getting more challenges right now with multiple bike lanes across the city from different councillors and feedback on that,” Robar said.
“We can make adjustments to the plan to limit impact on community and some of those spaces, but that comes at a cost of some of the designs that we’ve already done.”
Street parking vs garages
During the council meeting, Ward papastew coun. Michael Janz said the main concern he’s heard about the original plan was removing curb-side parking.
“So do those homes have garages or parking pads in the back or something?” Janz asked city staff.
Pascale LaDouceur, the city’s branch manager of infrastructure, planning and design, said there are some front driveways but most of the houses border alleys.
“They are served by an alley and have garages,” LaDouceur said.
In response, Janz asked, “so under the existing design, those properties that are fronting 50th Street would need to just park on their own property or park on an adjacent road. Is that correct?”
“That’s correct,” LaDouceur said.
The added lanes on 50th Street are meant to form a connection between the existing shared pathway south of 101st Avenue, the existing River Valley shared pathway and the Capilano Footbridge to the north.
The 50th Street project is one of several in the works for Edmonton neighbourhoods this year and next, as part of the city’s $100-million active transportation program that council approved in the four year 2023-2026 capital budget.