Added to City Hall, the Art Gallery, Winspear (especially with the planned expansion), the Citadel and RAM in public and public Arts space and with the Federal Building, the Westin Hotel, the Grand Old Macdonald Hotel, and the renovated Alberta Hotel, this part of Edmonton is garnering interest and excitement. Now it is time to upgrade the streets that interlace this area.
I proposed to the City that, with the City and the Province working in partnership with the Edmonton Radial Railway Society, the street tram network be extended north from the existing Grandin terminus to 105th Avenue and then west to the Brewery District and east to the interstitial space between RAM and the CN tower then south along 99th street between the Art Gallery and City Hall to connect with the LRT station on 102nd Avenue. I also suggested eliminating auto traffic on 99th Street (downtown) all the way to 101A Avenue. Along 99th Street there are some amazing locations for public parks (some already developed) and the street enhancements that could occur in the public domain would make this area very desirable for all manner of events. In order to make the tram concept effective, I suggested that the relevant portions of 105th Avenue also eliminate auto traffic in favor of a continuous tram right-of-way, a revitalized "freezeway", a major pedestrian thoroughfare and a bike path -- linear public park, if you like. All cross streets could be eliminated along the entire route except for Jasper Avenue (111th Street Vicinity, 104th Avenue (twice), 109th Street, 105th Street and 102nd Avenue (adjacent to the Library). The potential park expansion areas from there are endless.
Edmonton needs more than anything to start knitting its communities together. We got to this state from the years when car was king and the suburbs ruled -- the automobile is still a viable and necessary from of travel and commuting -- but, like Los Angeles is currently instituting, there is more to downtown than car access. Getting there could be fun! Being there could be amazing!
