Building Great Neighbourhoods - Garneau

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• Edmonton City Plan

• Complete Streets Design and Construction Standards

• Edmonton Bike Plan

• Mature Neighbourhood Overlay

• Active Transportation Policy

• Winter Design Guidelines 

• Vision Zero 

• Safe Mobility Strategy

• Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design 

• Checklist for Accessibility and Universal Design

This list is not exhaustive.

Funding for the Neighbourhood Renewal program has come through a combination of City-wide property taxes and provincial funding over the past decade. To be approved for construction, the cost for the design must fall within the renewal budget for the neighbourhood. Some elements proposed may not receive funding, however efforts will be made to partner with other City programs and initiatives to leverage additional funding opportunities.

Garneau has waited for its renewal and the roads and sidewalks in this neighbourhood deserve the same support as other neighbourhoods renewed in previous years. The upgrades planned for Garneau are to support the community now and for the next 30-35 years in the future.

The Neighbourhood Renewal Program has been recognized as being the most cost effective way to add missing infrastructure into an area as significant construction work is already underway.

The Edmonton Southside Bike Network, determines the locations of future bike routes as part of a city-wide Bike Transportation Plan. A north-south connection on 110 Street has been identified for the Garneau neighbourhood as well as east-west connections from 109 Street to 110 Street.

Public input received during the engagement process, along with project technical information, informed the location of the 83 Avenue to 112 Street connector, as well as other connectors between 109 Street and the new 110 Street bike lane.

The type of biking facility for the north-south route and the east-west connectors were determined using public input, city policy and technical considerations.

As Edmonton continues to grow, congestion on the streets does too. As part of the City’s Transportation Master Plan, the City is committed to supporting a transportation network that supports all modes of travel. Part of this is the implementation of dedicated bike lanes, which are designed to be all ages and abilities, as well as all seasons. A dedicated bike lane will be cleared in the winter (unlike a shared roadway) to encourage all season use.

Bike lanes and infrastructure is generally built for the “Interested but Concerned” and “Enthused and Confident” groups, with the aim of shifting their attitudes into higher comfort groups with biking. Building safe infrastructure provides options for those who may start to think about biking, or are currently not riding their bike because they do not feel comfortable to do so.

In order to improve the commutes for Edmontonians, our goal is to provide people with a variety of transportation options – including choices for walking, biking, driving and taking transit. The safety of citizens is our priority, no matter what mode of transportation they choose - in any season.

There is only so much space in the roadway that can be allocated to driving, bikes, parking and sidewalks, and we also heard that trees were really important to residents. Wherever parking has been removed it is because it was not possible to fit all of the elements into the road area without also removing trees.

The City is committed to providing a safe and integrated mobility network that is not just for people who drive. Sidewalks provide linkages to key destinations  such as schools, businesses, shopping and transit within and between neighbourhoods. 

By providing routes for people to use that are not just a road, there are other potential benefits which include reduced road maintenance (potholes and snow clearing), reduced greenhouse gas emissions, ability to age in place, better public health, safer and more vibrant streets.

The sidewalks also support the City’s The Way We Move goal of making active transportation a preferred choice for more people making it possible for the transportation system to move more people more efficiently in fewer vehicles.

In addition the design adheres to the Complete Streets Guidelines which promote a network that provides travel options for users of all ages and abilities that are safe, universally designed, context sensitive, and operable in all seasons (including winter). These options accommodate the needs of the present and future and contribute to the environmental sustainability and resiliency of the city.

Other neighbourhoods may only have sidewalks on one side of the road due to different and unique technical challenges of the time, and older City Design and Construction Standards. Garneau will be built with the most recent standards, to ensure the infrastructure remains current and relevant for the next 40 years.

E-scooters within the city are currently permitted to travel along bike lanes, shared pathways, shared streets, and roads with a posted speed limit of 50km/hr or less. E-scooters cannot be used on sidewalks, park trails not maintained by the City or vehicle lanes designated for patio use on Jasper Avenue, Old Strathcona, or 124 Street.

Stop signs are installed based on traffic volumes and are not considered traffic calming devices. If a stop sign is installed where there is little or no cross traffic (a reason for people to stop), then compliance becomes an issue and there can be problems with safety such as people running the stop sign.

All of these design elements work together to reduce speeding and discourage shortcutting:

• One-way streets

• Bike lanes

• Enhanced crosswalks

• Curb extensions

• Narrowing of intersections (111 Street and 81 Avenue)

• Chicanes (84 Avenue)

These features bring attention to other road users and make it less convenient for people who drive to shortcut through the neighbourhood.

One of the more aggressive ways to prevent short cutting is road closures, however those also have an impact on area residents. Road closures were not included as it may redirect the traffic to other avenues rather than work to prevent shortcutting.

The project team has been out in the community on design walks, looking for locations to plant new trees in all areas of the neighbourhood, including gaps in the boulevard. We look for opportunities to plant new boulevards trees and also to diversify the tree canopy with a variety of species.