This week's batch of calls for public engagement includes a call for photos of snow on roads, an invitation to provide input on several Edmonton playground renewals, and a survey about budget priorities in Leduc.
edmonton.taproot.news
The
Edmonton Bike Coalition wants your pictures of “sneckdowns,” a snowy phenomenon that reveals road space that isn’t being used by vehicles.
The term “sneckdown” originally described a neckdown, or curb extension, that is created by snow, but the definition has expanded to include any underutilized road space. “When snow falls and gets packed down, it highlights unused or excess road space that could be re-allocated for safer crossings, traffic calming, bike lanes, or wider sidewalks — often without impacting drivers at all,” the coalition
said in its newsletter. “In other words: snow becomes a free urban planner.”
The coalition asks those out walking, biking, or rolling to snap pictures of sneckdowns and send them via email or by posting on social media with the hashtag #YEGSnowStories. Aaron Budnick, a volunteer with the coalition, told Taproot the photos will be used for public education and advocacy around street design. For example, when the city rebuilds roads through the neighbourhood renewal process, the coalition will use the photos to show specific locations where road space could be allocated to pedestrians.
The updated Complete Street Design Standards, which council approved in July,
call for traffic-calming measures on all local and collector roads. The standards will be applied in new neighbourhoods and through renewal projects in established neighbourhoods. A report on the changes said it costs significantly more to install safety features after a street or road is built than to build them during initial construction. For example, a curb extension can cost up to $100,000 to install after a street is constructed, but as little as $9,500 if included in the initial design of the street.
