Let’s Talk Brand & Reputation

[Coldrsx]

Random neighbourhoods with little to no pedestrian traffic complete and yet a very busy Heritage Trail outside of a museum on 99 Ave looking like this a couple of days ago. Priorities!

[Cloud 9]

Agreed but I have another concern, why is that amount of dirt, sand and grit necessary? We need a more efficient way of keeping out streets and sidewalks clean.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Random neighbourhoods with little to no pedestrian traffic complete and yet a very busy Heritage Trail outside of a museum on 99 Ave looking like this a couple of days ago. Priorities!

random neighbourhooods are just as important as your random neighbourhood. The picture is just that, a random neighbourhood.

There's many 'random neighbourhoods' that get pretty decent foot traffic. Urban life can happen outside of the core.

We are all taxpayers. Playing favorites isn't the answer.

I'd like to know why the dumpster is out on the sidewalk across the road though. That should be in alleyway somewhere else.

I also had a solid chuckle out of 'very busy' and heritage trail. Most of the foot traffic in the area is just people walking from their residential housing in the area, to starbucks or elsewhere. Not much different than other 'random neighbourhoods'

[Black Star]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Random neighbourhoods with little to no pedestrian traffic complete and yet a very busy Heritage Trail outside of a museum on 99 Ave looking like this a couple of days ago. Priorities!

Agree....I love Downtown. This has always been My mistress. The rest of the city deserves the same love and dedication. But we don't have a mayor or council that can deliver. Why? Because they are absolutely inadequate to the job. Period!

[Coldrsx]

Saturday's letters: Downtown Edmonton far from its heyday

Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:May 07, 2022 • 1 day ago

You perhaps are not old enough to know what a vibrant downtown Edmonton looks like. What we have now is nowhere near vibrant. You would have had to have grown up in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s to see that our downtown currently is a ghost town.

The downtown core was the place to go shopping, eat and for entertainment. The buses were full of people heading downtown. The parking lots were full as they would only charge a couple of dollars for the day. Stores lined every street and restaurants were bustling. The streets were full regardless of the time.

Also, the premier is not to blame. The provincial government has nothing to do with the design and development of our downtown core. Our city council is very lost and confused when it comes to knowing where to spend the money to revitalize it. Wider sidewalks do not bring people downtown. Expensive parking and unreliable, expensive transit also do not bring people downtown. All the nice boutiques and stores are gone so why would I go downtown and pay 20 dollars to park when everything including restaurants/entertainment are at a local mall where I can park for free?

J.T. Syrnyk, Edmonton

[Glenco]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Saturday's letters: Downtown Edmonton far from its heyday

Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:May 07, 2022 • 1 day ago

You perhaps are not old enough to know what a vibrant downtown Edmonton looks like. What we have now is nowhere near vibrant. You would have had to have grown up in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s to see that our downtown currently is a ghost town.

The downtown core was the place to go shopping, eat and for entertainment. The buses were full of people heading downtown. The parking lots were full as they would only charge a couple of dollars for the day. Stores lined every street and restaurants were bustling. The streets were full regardless of the time.

Also, the premier is not to blame. The provincial government has nothing to do with the design and development of our downtown core. Our city council is very lost and confused when it comes to knowing where to spend the money to revitalize it. Wider sidewalks do not bring people downtown. Expensive parking and unreliable, expensive transit also do not bring people downtown. All the nice boutiques and stores are gone so why would I go downtown and pay 20 dollars to park when everything including restaurants/entertainment are at a local mall where I can park for free?

J.T. Syrnyk, Edmonton

Blah blah Blah. Typical conservative talking points.

[JSS1974]

Originally Posted by Glenco

Blah blah Blah. Typical conservative talking points.

Maybe, but let’s dispute his taking points

[Hallsy's Toupee]

Ever been down to ICE District during the Oilers playoffs?

[Hardhatdan]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Saturday's letters: Downtown Edmonton far from its heyday

Edmonton Journal
Publishing date:May 07, 2022 • 1 day ago

You perhaps are not old enough to know what a vibrant downtown Edmonton looks like. What we have now is nowhere near vibrant. You would have had to have grown up in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s to see that our downtown currently is a ghost town.

The downtown core was the place to go shopping, eat and for entertainment. The buses were full of people heading downtown. The parking lots were full as they would only charge a couple of dollars for the day. Stores lined every street and restaurants were bustling. The streets were full regardless of the time.

Also, the premier is not to blame. The provincial government has nothing to do with the design and development of our downtown core. Our city council is very lost and confused when it comes to knowing where to spend the money to revitalize it. Wider sidewalks do not bring people downtown. Expensive parking and unreliable, expensive transit also do not bring people downtown. All the nice boutiques and stores are gone so why would I go downtown and pay 20 dollars to park when everything including restaurants/entertainment are at a local mall where I can park for free?

J.T. Syrnyk, Edmonton

If parking was a couple bucks for the day in the 60s well... That's about $20 now.

All the rest has nothing to do with the downtown and every thing to do with how society flocked to burbia.

Downtown has a long way to go, it's not going to get there on the backs of people like him, just keep building housing and amenities.

[JSS1974]

Originally Posted by Hallsy's Toupee

Ever been down to ICE District during the Oilers playoffs?

What about other than playoffs?

[Glenco]

Originally Posted by JSS1974

Maybe, but let’s dispute his taking points

The problem I have is it did not add anything to the conversation just a bunch of old cliches and conservative talking points. Don’t blame the premier he said the same one who refuses to address social issues that are plaguing our downtown. How does this further the conversation? This letter could have been written by Matt Wolf.

[Coldrsx]

It also could have been written by about 25-50% of Edmontonians.

[JSS1974]

Although I don't live downtown, I personally would like to see only two items addressed in downtown:

1) Cops monitoring and enforcing downtown
2) Enforcement of cleanliness downtown by ensuring the core is cleaned up and swept

Personally don't really care about new parks and new construction downtown to beautify the look, until items 1) and 2) are fully addressed and sustained...once 1) and 2) are good, then the rest can happen...

[Glenco]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

It also could have been written by about 25-50% of Edmontonians.

I doubt 25% of Edmontonians would vote Kenney.

[Coldrsx]

National news!
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022...and-an-opioid-crisis-in-plain-sight.html

[zahav]

Is the decline in street safety and general decline just happening to Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg? These cities certainly get singled out, but is it jjust restricted to these three of are Calgary, Toronto, or anywhere dealing with it? I am asking to hear the opinion of people actually living in these cities. I live in Vancouver and have seen the decline first hand, just curious if this is happening in most cities? It is bad regardless, but if Calgary and Toronto are somehow escaping this, I'd like to know how..

[JSS1974]

Originally Posted by zahav

Is the decline in street safety and general decline just happening to Vancouver, Edmonton, and Winnipeg? These cities certainly get singled out, but is it jjust restricted to these three of are Calgary, Toronto, or anywhere dealing with it? I am asking to hear the opinion of people actually living in these cities. I live in Vancouver and have seen the decline first hand, just curious if this is happening in most cities? It is bad regardless, but if Calgary and Toronto are somehow escaping this, I'd like to know how..

It’s unlikely Toronto and Calgary are escaping the same crime issues.
A lot of the news media is based out of Toronto and to some extent Calgary, as their satellite office in the West.
These cities want to make themselves look stellar by knocking down other Canadian cities, like Edmonton and Winnipeg.
If the oilers continue to advance through the playoffs, they will ramp up the negative news.
I’d take news from rags like the Toronto star with a grain of salt. Just wipe and flush.

[Rogie]

Originally Posted by JSS1974

It’s unlikely Toronto and Calgary are escaping the same crime issues.
A lot of the news media is based out of Toronto and to some extent Calgary, as their satellite office in the West.
These cities want to make themselves look stellar by knocking down other Canadian cities, like Edmonton and Winnipeg.
If the oilers continue to advance through the playoffs, they will ramp up the negative news.
I’d take news from rags like the Toronto star with a grain of salt. Just wipe and flush.

Toronto Star's Western bureau is - and has for quite some time been - in Edmonton

[Coldrsx]

Very encouraging!

City releases 2021 Vision Zero Annual report; crash-caused fatalities down 50 per cent since 2015
May 17, 2022

Today, the City of Edmonton released the 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report on edmonton.ca/VisionZero.

The report highlights Edmonton’s progress toward Vision Zero, the goal of zero crash-caused fatalities and serious injuries by 2032. Since adopting Vision Zero in 2015, fatalities have decreased by 50 per cent, serious injuries by 32 per cent, and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries by 27 per cent.

Featured in the report are two significant 2021 milestones: a safer speed limit on residential and downtown streets and the launch of three new programs for Edmontonians to get involved in safe and livable streets.

The new 40 km/h default speed limit was implemented August 6, 2021, and after four months of implementation, automated enforcement data showed that the percentage of drivers in compliance rose steadily until it reached 88 per cent in December. The vast majority of people are complying with the new, safer speed limit on residential, downtown and high pedestrian activity streets.

Through the new community activation programs, five Vision Zero Street Labs were imagined and installed, 3,541 community signs were delivered, 315 requests for portable driver feedback signs were fulfilled, and 31 schools participated in activities to creatively learn and talk about safe streets.

“The support and interest in these new programs show how much Edmontonians truly care about safe streets,” said Jessica Lamarre, Director of Safe Mobility for the City of Edmonton. “We all want vibrant and healthy communities where streets are for everyone.”

Alongside the Annual Report, the City of Edmonton is releasing the Safe Streets Map, a new tool for Edmontonians to explore projects and programs making our streets safer. Navigate planned and completed safe crossing improvements, community-led Vision Zero Street Labs, speed and red light enforcement sites, high injury intersections and more.

“While the 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report celebrates many accomplishments, 16 people lost their lives and 259 were seriously injured on Edmonton’s streets last year,” said Lamarre. “We have much more work ahead to reach our goal of Vision Zero. Together, we can make sure that everyone gets to where they are going safely.”

The City of Edmonton would like to thank Edmontonians, community groups, and businesses who have been working hard to make our streets safer and more livable.

Visit edmonton.ca/VisionZero to read the 2021 Vision Zero Annual Report and explore the new Safe Streets map.


For more information:
edmonton.ca/VisionZero

Media contact:
Sarah Giourmetakis
Communications Advisor
Communications and Engagement

[CMD UW]

Originally Posted by Hardhatdan

If parking was a couple bucks for the day in the 60s well... That's about $20 now.

All the rest has nothing to do with the downtown and every thing to do with how society flocked to burbia.

Downtown has a long way to go, it's not going to get there on the backs of people like him, just keep building housing and amenities.

Agreed.

This letter is soooo 'Old Man Yells at Cloud' for me.