A temporary traffic-calming measure aimed at improving walkability and safety along 101st Avenue near the Capilano Mall is already having a positive effect according to area residents.
Drivers heading into downtown from the east side of town or those coming into the city via Baseline Road may have noticed the barricades that went up last month blocking off a section of 101st Avenue near 50th Street. The change is a test by the city that will guide future traffic changes in the area.
The city hosted an open house Thursday at the Capilano Library to give those that live and work in the area a chance to provide feedback, with most respondents approving of the change.
Miles Barry lives in the area and works with the Greater Hardisty Coalition — a collection of community groups from the area that are working together to advocate for improvements to their mature communities. He said the group had heard from several residents who felt unsafe walking or biking along the roadway.
“People it seems would come from the east, they’d see the downtown in the distance and naturally take 101st Avenue thinking that that’s the best way to go downtown,” Barry said.
Barry said his commute time has improved since the closure.
“I’ve been able to find a route that is actually better,” Barry said. “I think the reason for that is because I have less competition from traffic in the morning coming from the east. I can get out using my local streets and get on to my main thoroughfare and get to downtown in a timely manner.”
Marco Melfi, a planner with the City of Edmonton, said the closure came after the city completed a 101st Avenue corridor study and the community raised concerns about the safety and walkability of the roadway.
“One of the recommendations was that the small portion of 101 Avenue could potentially be closed, directing traffic to Terrace Road,” Melfi said. “Closing that little portion brings the truck traffic to Terrace [Road]. It reduces the volumes on 101 Ave, they’re not that high to begin with, and that allows for the rest of the vision for 101 Avenue to take effect.”
The 101st Avenue plan aims at making the area into a safer, more pedestrian-friendly space that can serve as a main street for the community, Melfi said. He added the community has also actively worked with the city and highlighted the area’s potential.
Melfi said Terrace Road is the intended route for drivers to travel west through that area and into the downtown core, as it is designed to handle the additional traffic being diverted from 101st Avenue.
The city plans to do traffic counting in the area to determine how the closure has affected other roads. The roadblocks are expected to be in place until October 21st.