I wanted to provide an update on the recent discussions that have taken place at City Hall regarding playground zones and lowering of residential speed limits.

At the April 18 Community and Public Services meeting, and again at the April 24 Council meeting, playground zones and lowering of residential speed limits were discussed in conjunction.

Thank you to all of the Ward 9 residents and other Edmontonians who took the time to complete my survey on playground zones in our city ahead of the Community and Public Services committee meeting.

I wanted to reach out to as many residents as possible to get your feedback on the unintended consequences that have come with playground zones, as well as your thoughts on some solutions.

In total, almost 1,200 individuals completed the survey in a little less than a week, showing that this is an issue that Edmontonians care deeply about.

At the next Community and Public Services meeting on April 18, 2018, Committee Members will discuss playground zones, as well as residential speed limits.

I'd like to share my thoughts on a report (Item 6.5) released on Thursday that has gained media attention and is causing some concern and confusion about future transportation plans for Southwest Edmonton.

I am thrilled that my motion related to the Terwillegar Corridor received unanimous support at the February 27, 2018 Council meeting:

Back in the 1990’s, the residents of what is now Ward 9 used Keillor Road as the most direct route between home and downtown.  Because the north end of Ward 9 is an island, bounded by the river and the Whitemud Creek Ravine, Keillor Road was the most direct vehicle route.  But the road was woefully inadequate, was falling into the river, all that peak hour traffic was profoundly unfair to the residents of Belgravia.  Keillor Road was closed, and residents of the southwest were directed to make their way downtown by way of Stony Plain Road, 102 Avenue-Jasper Avenue, 111 street / 109 street or Gateway Boulevard.  The “end of the world” is actually the remnants of a retaining wall meant to hold Keillor road on the river bank. 

To say that transportation is an issue in Ward 9 is a tremendous understatement.  Residents of our Ward must continually adjust for our deficient transportation network as they consider how to get to and from work, how to get their kids to school, how to get to those extra-curricular activities, or whether to participate in those activities at all.

I am thrilled that my motion related to a comparative study between Bus Rapid Transit and LRT passed unanimously at City Council yesterday.

On Tuesday January 23, a motion that I developed related to the future of mass transit in our city will be debated and voted on at City Council.

The notice of motion concerns Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, and the need for comparative capital cost estimates related to the build out of our transit network respective to both BRT and LRT.

For those of you who haven’t had a chance to meet me, I’m Tim Cartmell, your Ward 9 Councillor.  I am humbled to have been chosen as the Ward 9 representative for City Council.