Complete Streets
Last Friday I put forward the following motion on continuous sidewalks (also known as pedestrian through zones), with a focus on complete streets:
That Administration provides a report on expanding the use of pedestrian through zones as identified in the Complete Streets Design and Construction Standards to enhance accessibility in our city. This report is to include the following:
An overview of how expanded pedestrian through zones and accessibility enhancements are currently considered as part of improvements to our mobility network.
An analysis of where increased use of pedestrian through zone enhancements would have the greatest impact (including GBA+ considerations).
An analysis of any impacts, considerations and costs associated with an increased application of pedestrian through zones (drainage, maintenance, etc).
Something I have been passionate about and particularly interested in for years has been upgrading our transportation infrastructure to better support accessibility, active living, and safety. Whether you’re going on a 5 minute walk/roll or 50 minute walk/roll, there are design changes to help make that experience safer, more enjoyable, and accessible.
While issues that people walking or rolling come across on their daily commute may seem miniscule, they serve a wide population and we have the opportunity to provide straightforward, high-impact solutions.
Paths for People Missing Links Initiative
(https://pathsforpeople.org/initiatives/missinglinks/)
Having a complete, accessible community is integral to the implementation of our City Plan and would serve residents better as our city continues to develop. It’s important for us to always ask ourselves how we can make the experience of our city better. A key part of that is how we get around our city.
Our spaces and the way we get to them should have the same level of safety. Encouraging safe mobility will encourage residents to explore our city and gather within their communities.
With that in mind, we have the opportunity to look at creative solutions that people who walk/roll are currently experiencing. Below I have included a link to a video by Not Just Bikes called the Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks.
Not Just Bikes: The Dutch Solution for Safer Sidewalks
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OfBpQgLXUc)
At some point we all may have experienced walking down the street, about to cross at an intersection with a stop sign but had a car not completely stop and roll right through. A contributing factor to this is that there is no clear delineation between which space is built for cars and which is meant for pedestrians.
One solution to this is continuous sidewalks. Instead of sidewalks ending at the curb to give way to the street, the sidewalk continues across the roadway and the roadway yields to it. The sidewalk maintains height and uses different surface materials. This helps remind people driving to slow down and yield to those using the sidewalk. While this solution is common in the Netherlands, it is rare in other countries. However, we have a few examples of this right in our city at Unity Square (pictured below).
As you can see from these pictures, people walking or rolling have a more accessible and safe way to cross the street.
The motion I made is meant to help inform what it would take to have these become a standard on many roads. To answer a question some may have, this wouldn’t be a tool used on an arterial road but it could be used for the sidewalk running parallel to an arterial road so that when people are turning onto the local road, it would serve as a reminder that we are entering a residential community.
I would also be interested in seeing this at alleys within communities. Currently, our alleys often are the most challenging area to cross, especially in the winter because they are filled with snow and ice. Having the alley at the same level as the sidewalk would allow those walking and rolling to more easily get to destinations within or around their homes.
This motion won’t trigger a change to our design standards but it will allow us to better understand the impacts if we were to make this change. Based on some earlier discussions, I don’t believe this would result in higher costs as long as we are planning for it at the beginning of a road reconstruction project or neighbourhood renewal.
Council will vote on this motion during the week of March 14th and I hope it passes so we can explore making our city safer and more accessible for all.
