In fact re the transformation of Jasper Avenue here are some ideas that will bore some of your to tears (you know who you are) and will captivate the imagination of a smaller collection of others. Let's start with the premise that Jasper Avenue could be the jewel of the City and that there is a kind of affinity there for Edmontonians, partly steeped in history, partly borne of a sensibility that Jasper Avenue is a primus contender for "First Main Street" and partly for a desire to see Retail and Hospitality blossom along the route. So the 3-lane "style" has perfectly acceptable rationale if you consider this -- auto traffic can only go forward or it can turn right at a given intersection (and, at that, only at specific intersections) -- there is no left turning snarl; there is no parking/un-parking snarl; right turns will occur only at 1. designated parking streets, or 2. neighborhood access streets. What do neighborhood parking streets look like? Well, one could be 123rd Street North of Jasper -- we eliminate the actual street from Jasper Avenue to the alley north of Jasper Avenue and in its place we have two lanes ingress and two lanes egress to and from an underground automated parking structure that can manage 3,000 cars and 500 bicycles (that ratio might change in future scenarios in a more progressive society). From this parkade, people traveling westward along Jasper and cognizant of the Planning meme that "people are willing to walk 4 blocks in any given direction from a starting point to access services, retail and hospitality." The City gains the benefit of parking rentals -- short-term; mid-term; and long-term and, thereby, can easily cover the cost of build-out (parking bond issue, conventional mortgage, or some hybrid of the two). Intersection lights at 123 and Jasper keep traffic moving at a measured speed. All pedestrian intersections have raised crosswalks that also act as "speed-bumps" and the entire 123 intersection is a "scramble" pedestrian way (true of others as well).
That is ground level -- we now have completely separated bike lanes; wide, wide sidewalks loaded with pedestrian appurtenances and thronged with urban plant life; and interplay vis-a-vis expanded, street-fronting retail and hospitality.
Up one level above the street level and covering only the three traffic lanes below, we have the first segment of an LSM-propelled tram that connects nodal points of interest along the Avenue. This tram turns Jasper Avenue into a very lengthy but accessible shopping/entertainment district, linear in form but interesting in that it also activates "second storey" space of adjacent buildings by way of pedestrian bridges, elevators and stairways. Ridership is free because we have lease-able digital signage and gamification possibilities that not only illuminate the platform but provide income sustainability beyond the "travel tax" customary to payment means for transportation projects (have you ever wondered why you don't have to pay for riding an elevator?).
Again up one more level we have a "roof-top" linear park with all kinds of amenities -- sports courts, playgrounds, dog parks, picnic areas, and (your imagination comes into play here). Again, this park can tie into upper levels of adjacent high rises. Lots of trees, lots of group plantings, lots of unpolluted air.
A three level Jasper Avenue that serves all of the people all of the time. Plenty of outdoor space; greatly reduced polluters; and people friendly.
We build another underground automated parking station at 120th street, the terminus of the first leg of the new Jasper Avenue. Our sky tram in the first instance only traverses 4 blocks, waiting to expand in the second phase. 121 street and 122 street are right-turn only streets for neighborhood access. If you are traveling east on Jasper and want to access north-of-Jasper neighborhoods or the generous parking provisions located at 120th and 123rd then you have to turn right on 119th street and again right on 100th Avenue and again right at 121 street.
The same kind of build-out occurs simultaneously on the east end of Jasper between 94th street and 97th street. Once these two elements are completed at either end of Jasper avenue, Phase 2 kicks in -- an extension on the west end from 120 to 116 street; an extension on the east end from 97th to 101st street. After that only 15 blocks to go, covered in two more sequential phased build-outs.
