On May 30, 2022, Paths for People wrote to City Council regarding updates to the City’s approach to sidewalk maintenance. This is an important opportunity to update our communities approach to ensuring our transportation system works for all modes in all seasons.
Council will contemplate moving forward with process changes in June 2022. We will keep you updated!
Good morning members of Committee,
My name is Stephen Raitz and I am writing to you on behalf of Paths for People, a non-profit organization working to make Edmonton a more multi-modal transportation city and a friendlier place to get around actively, be it walking, rolling, gliding, or cycling. Although we are not able to attend in person, we are thankful for the opportunity to submit comments via writing.
We were thankful for Administration connecting with our organization early in the process. We are very impressed with the level of nuance and detail that went into the analysis of this project. The approach employed should be lauded for its focus on effectively integrating a GBA+ lens.
To our understanding, final results on the update to the sidewalk maintenance renewal process are planned to be presented in January 2023 with adjustments being brought forward in the Spring Budget Adjustments, if directed by Council. We will take this moment to strongly advocate to Committee members that we do fund this work to be implemented, and try to fast-track it if possible. Locking in sufficient resourcing for sidewalk renewal within the 2023-2026 budget is a key way to build the City we envision within City Plan, where everyone has safe, reliable transportation options within their communities.
In the meantime, it will be really vital to ensure that there is consistent funding for active transportation projects set within the 2023-2026 budgeting process this fall. The reports note that the Sidewalk Maintenance Strategy team will continue to work with other City Departments regarding integrating direction from both the City Plan nodes and corridors network and the Bike Plan. We want to stress the importance of the connection between Sidewalk Renewal and Bike Infrastructre expansion. Much of the cycling infrastructure, especially in more suburban areas of the City will come in the form of shared-use pathways. There are immense opportunities to partner the work being undertaken to turn currently crumbling sidewalks into new shared-use paths that provide better mobility options for people.