City councillors will give their final say over using taxpayer cash to fix Edmonton’s crumbling back alleys, but Coun. Andrew Knack thinks a couple more million could go a long way.
“I think our alleys are terrible,” said Knack during a phone interview Friday. “It’s no surprise because our policy always treated them as gravel.”
City councillors will debate Tuesday on deciding whether or not to increase funding for back alley repairs, as two-thirds of the city’s 1,175 kilometres in alleys have potholes and slumping pavement.
The push for smoothly paved and clean back streets comes as residents continue to raise concerns over the issue.
The enhancements could also play a large role in laneway housing, according to Knack, as city planners move forward on determining how to best accommodate developers looking to build homes that face the back roads.
“We would have to treat them similar to how we treat front streets in our communities,” he said.
