Edmonton city councillors to debate rapid transit on Whyte Avenue

Should city buses get to go first on one of Edmonton’s busiest streets?

City councillors are set to discuss how to move transit more efficiently on Whyte Avenue.

And while business owners on the avenue support the decision, they hope infrastructure work doesn’t drag on.

Potential bus measures could include special turning signals, advanced lights at intersections, or dedicated bus lanes. That last option would lead to a loss of street parking.

Mark Wilson, the owner of Whyte Avenue mainstay Vivid Print, says despite the road being a major east-west thoroughfare for traffic, taking a transit-first approach won’t hurt businesses on Whyte Ave.

“During the pandemic, we had a great opportunity to experiment with removing parking on the avenue, and we found overall there was an increase in customers coming into our shop because people had to walk to our store,” Wilson told CityNews. “Transit lanes will allow emergency vehicles to get through quickly.

“Really, the traffic build-up is 10 hours of rush hour traffic a week. Why are we sacrificing a pedestrian-friendly community for the convenience of people for 10 hours a week?”

Last month, city council voted to remove zig-zag pedestrian scrambles from crosswalks on the avenue, partly to remove delays for both buses and vehicles.

Those representing business owners on Whyte say it doesn’t have to be “car versus bus” on the busy road.

“I don’t think the intention is ever to lose the ability for people to travel through here by car,” said Andrea Donini, the executive director of the Old Strathcona Business Association.

Donini says while transit is a key part of bringing people to the area, she’s hoping councillors will choose to spend more on upgrades to the Avenue.

“Being able to have furniture, being able to have different kinds of amenities, to make sure that lighting is considered, and that we have the right electrical infrastructure that will support it,” she said. “To make sure there’s space for vehicular traffic, there’s space for pedestrians, there’s safety for everybody involved.”

Wilson hopes Edmonton city leaders will choose to get all the necessary public infrastructure work needed on the avenue done in one swoop.

“As we’ve seen on Stony Plain Road, that slow drip of construction does hurt business,” the business owner said. “We know the work needs to be done here; our infrastructure is well past its best before date.”

Councillors will talk buses Wednesday.