If you've driven, walked, or biked around Edmonton lately, you've probably experienced our city's approach to street design firsthand – whether you realized it or not. 

This week at Urban Planning Committee, administration presented a verbal update on the Complete Streets Design Standards revisions. Now, if you're wondering what that even means – you're not alone!

I want to share some thoughts with you about this important issue that affects how our neighborhoods are built, maintained, and ultimately, how much you pay to live here.

What's This All About?

For those unfamiliar, Complete Streets is the City's approach to designing roads that work for everyone – whether you're walking, biking, taking the bus, or driving. It sounds straightforward, but the way these standards are implemented has significant impacts on our communities and city finances. 

These standards affect how much your home costs, how your neighborhood functions, and even how easily the city can clear snow from your street in winter. 

Why I Requested This Report

A few weeks ago, I made a motion asking administration to provide an update on these standards because I've been hearing serious concerns from residents and industry partners about how they're being implemented.

After hearing administration's update earlier today, my concerns remain. Let me explain why this matters to all of us.

The Concerns I'm Hearing

Our industry partners (the folks who actually design and build most of our roads) submitted over 800 comments during the latest review. That's not a typo – 800 comments. When that many professionals raise concerns, I believe we need to listen.

Here's what they're telling me:

• Reality check needed: Some of the new requirements like wider sidewalks, separated bike lanes, curb extensions, and raised crosswalks sound great on paper, but fitting them into existing neighborhoods isn't always possible without significant land acquisition or losing features like tree-lined boulevards.
• Cost implications: These standards increase costs for new developments, infill projects, and city maintenance – and guess who ultimately pays for that? All of us, through higher housing prices and taxes. We need to build infrastructure that delivers real value while being fiscally responsible with your money.
• Practical challenges: Think about snow clearing in Edmonton (we all know what that's like). Have we fully considered how these new designs will work when we've got two feet of snow to deal with?
• Community input: The recent example in Dunluce shows that sometimes what works in theory doesn't match what communities actually want or need.

Finding Middle Ground

Don't get me wrong – I'm all for streets that work for everyone. I want safe routes for kids to walk to school, accessible paths for seniors, and efficient ways for all of us to get around. I want to build a network of streets that accommodate vehicles, transit and active transportation.

But we need to be practical. We can't just pile on endless requirements without considering the real-world impacts and costs. That's not building it better – that's just building it more expensively.

We need standards that:

1. Can flex to fit different neighborhoods
2. Consider the full lifecycle costs
3. Truly involve both industry experts and community members
4. Provide clear guidance without creating endless hurdles

Where Do We Go From Here?

After hearing the update this week, I'm more convinced than ever that we need to take a second look at these standards. We need:

1. Guidelines that make sense and are easy to follow
2. A real conversation about what these features cost
3. Flexibility for different types of neighborhoods
4. Better collaboration between everyone involved

And we need a full stop on Neighborhood Renewal until we get these standards right.

I'll keep pushing for a balanced approach that creates great streets without breaking the bank or ignoring the unique character of our neighborhoods. This is part of my commitment to building it better for Edmonton's future.

I'd like to hear your experiences with street designs in your neighborhood. What's working? What isn't? Have you noticed changes that seem impractical for Edmonton's climate or your community's needs? Your feedback helps me advocate effectively on your behalf.

Tim