Misc. Parks and Greenspace Projects

[Gronk!]

Do you know what Kinsmen Park needs? A paved and widened MUP from the Menzies LRT MUP to west of the Walterdale Bridge. I find it disheartening that I had to use a vehicle road with no sidewalks but cars whizzing by, then a narrow gravel path to the Walterdale. Let's make this happen, Edmonton!

 

[IanO]

That roadway has very little traffic and is well used by cyclists, pedestrians and gophers alike. It is the de facto MUP.

 

[Gronk!]

There were quite a few cars whizzing by when I did my constitutional this afternoon. So no, I don't want a de facto MUP when a real MUP is possible.
More importantly, the gravel trail to the Walterdale Bridge needs to be replaced by a MUP, preferably as a riverside promenade.

 

[cliffapotamus]

Do you know what Kinsmen Park needs? A paved and widened MUP from the Menzies LRT MUP to west of the Walterdale Bridge. I find it disheartening that I had to use a vehicle road with no sidewalks but cars whizzing by, then a narrow gravel path to the Walterdale. Let's make this happen, Edmonton!

gonna agree with this 100%. I use that path a lot. It's never really bugged me too much personally, but i'm confident on my bike and often ride on streets with light traffic passing. I can totally see how the traffic aspect, particularly when there's traffic from a game on one of the sports fields (often) or a late-night tailgate (occasional) is disconcerting to people. The battered asphalt, lack of curb cuts connecting the gravel to the pavement (an issue for anyone riding a fully rigid bike) and poor drainage also make the riding situation unwelcoming. lack of signage is also an issue for newbies to the area.
Given that is the tail end of a trail connecting Hawrelak, Groat Road, U of A, and Kinsmen/Walterdale, there really ought to be some kind of proper SUP connecting the Walterdale Bridge stuff with what's West of the High Level. The have enough friggin' space out there. the one thing that road has going for it is that it's wide as heck and it's easy to dodge errant traffic without hopping a curb. I think a SUP here is a fair ask. I have no clue the extent of the parking lot repair happening rn, but maybe we can hope for something when the park is renewed sometime in the future?

On a side note, there is a lovely little bit of singletrack that starts by the little log service cabin building just East of the High Level, and dumps you out right at the Old Walterdale Bridge. If you haven't tried it already, i strongly suggest you do. it's pretty easy, as long as your bike has normal-sized wheels and doesn't have a hinge in the middle it can handle it! a nice little jaunt through the trees!

 

[northlands]

Not sure where it falls under but I had a major GC reach out for their bid on the Coronation Park & Rec Centre, which per https://www.edmonton.ca/projects_plans/parks_recreation/coronation-district-park-development is waiting on council decision for funding this fall.

Hopefully it moves forward!

 

[Gronk!]

Do you know what Kinsmen Park needs? A paved and widened MUP from the Menzies LRT MUP to west of the Walterdale Bridge. I find it disheartening that I had to use a vehicle road with no sidewalks but cars whizzing by, then a narrow gravel path to the Walterdale. Let's make this happen, Edmonton!

Some pictorial proof of the need for a MUP thru Kinsman Park. I'm forwarding this to the new Mayor and City Council.

Where is the MUP? I would hate to walk thru this after it rains or during a snow melt.

No MUP for pedestrians, cyclists or e-scooter riders, not even a sidewalk. Just a wide road for cars and trucks.

 

[itom987]

They didn't even paint lanes on the road.

 

[IanO]

I'm all for a MUP but that road is well used by bikes, scooters and people with limited vehicular traffic.

 

[Rebourn]

If you choose to take the single track along the waters edge, you may notice the remnants of the old John Walter Ferry marooned in the bush about 100 meters west of the Walter dale bridge.

 

[Rebourn]

 

[Rebourn]

 

[itom987]

A replica of that ferry should be built and be used to allow pedestrians cyclists to cross the river.

 

[Rebourn]

A replica of that ferry should be built and be used to allow pedestrians cyclists to cross the river.

I first noticed it about 20 years ago, and initially it was almost completely intact. But it’s sad because with each passing year it disintegrates a little further into obscurity, and now it’s almost unrecognizable.

 

[_Citizen_Dane_]

Interestingly, although it is a century old, the ferry likely didn't belong to John Walter. The Let's Find Out podcast has a really, really interesting piece on it. In short, it almost certainly came from the Stony Plain area and was brought to Edmonton in 1960s to give the fledgling John Walter Museum a representative example. The plan would've been to restore it — obviously, that never happened. A super neat curio nonetheless.

Pertinent section starts at about 30:00:

Episode 15: The Sign of the Ferry

Raymond Matthias asks if he’s found the remains of John Walter’s ferry. In this episode, we took a live history walk into the river valley to examine the debris he found and get to the bottom…

letsfindoutpodcast.com

 

[Airboy]

I remember seeing it a year or so ago when we were doing trail maintenance in that area with the Edmonton Mountain Bike Alliance.