Missed connections: Unexpected closures plaguing Edmonton pedways
CBC
Ryan Williams found himself stuck in Edmonton's pedway system on Tuesday night as he tried to get from a restaurant on 103rd St. to his car in a nearby parkade.
He encountered a blocked staircase, due to escalator repairs, then closures near the Central LRT Station and locked doors between shopping and office buildings.
"I could understand if it was super late at night, but it was 7:00 p.m. on a game day and I have honestly never had a lot of trouble getting through there back to my car before," he said.
Williams isn't the only person who spends a lot of time downtown and has had problems with pedways lately.
Andrea Travas has also encountered pedway closures downtown, with and without signs, and recently had to call security to find out how to get out of the tunnels.
She said there's no way to know what will be open on any given night.
"You kind of are at the mercy of whoever is managing those areas," she said.
According to the city and professional organizations that represent business owners and managers downtown, closures came in response to a rise in social disorder and discussions about increasing access are underway.
Williams said the closures are more than just a minor inconvenience for pedway users.
"It's a symptom of a much larger problem in our downtown core," he said.
The pedway system of underground and above-ground walkways dates back to 1968, when city council approved the idea of a "downtown pedestrian circulation system."
According to a concept plan from 1977, pedways would reduce conflicts between pedestrians and vehicle traffic, link destinations, shelter pedestrians from the elements and create a safe and stimulating pedestrian environment.
The report said cost-sharing agreements had been set up with property owners and that the city had made "substantial investments" to encourage construction.
Private and public investments continued over the years and today approximately 13 kilometres of walkways link more than 40 buildings and parkades.
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