Red Mile rethink urged by advocacy group

A Calgary advocacy group wants to rethink the way the city thinks about the Red Mile.

Red Mile Complete Street Advocacy Group spokesperson Jeff Binkssaid in a Friday interview with CBC News that his group has a fourpoint plan he hopes will start a conversation with Calgarians about the 16-block stretch of streetthat became famous during the Calgary Flames' 2004 run to the Stanley Cup finals.

The plan features a call for more off-street parking, including city-run parkadesthat would make the area more friendly for motorists.

The Red Mile runs along 17th Avenue between Fourth Street and 14th Street S.W.

Bike lanes

The group also calls for a cycle track along 17th Avenue, and calls for a three year longpilot project bike share program.

The final point is that in order to accommodatethe increased traffic density a cycle track would create, the group would like to see lane reversals during rush hours.

In 2017, a $44 million re-construction of 17thAvenue got underway. It's scheduled to be completed in 2019.

Binksdid acknowledge that with extensive road construction well underway, his group is a bit late to the debate.

"Although we are a little late in terms of trying to guide what happens with this road reconstruction, it's never too late to have a conversationabout what 17thAvenue can be to Calgarians," Binkssaid.

"What we had hoped would happen and never did happen was a conversation withCalgariansabout what 17thAvenue should and could be."

'Unbelievable amount of engagement'

Coun.Evan Woolley, who represents the Red Mile district, disputed that statement.

"There's been an unbelievable amount of engagement on this project," he said."We've had a stakeholder group made up of all the community associations , and the BIA's [Business Improvement Areas]. We have a stakeholder group of businessowners."

Woolley said he is unfamiliar with the group.

"As far as I know, the gentleman leading it doesn't live in the neighbourhood,nor does he own a businessin the neighbourhood- and I don't know who he represents. Never heard of them before," he said. "And remember, this project has been planned andengaged in for the last fouryears.

"Never heard of them before. Who are they?"

Woolley also questioned the notion of building a cycle track on 17th Avenue.

"We have done the design. The construction project is underway," he said. "And we have bike lanes along 14th[Avenue] and 15thAvenue, so Idon't know what this is about."

'Are they driving, are they walking?'

While acknowledging the City of Calgary is examining its street design through thingslike the Main Streets Program, Binkscalled for more studies to be done.

"We're asking the city to follow the lead of other major cities," he said."Salt Lake, Ottawa, and Toronto places like that, who have had similar streets andtaken surveys about how people are arriving there, are they driving, are they walking, how much time they're spending while they're down there andhow much money are they spending while they're down there?

"We're hoping people do see is the value of having this conversation, and meanwhile, we hope people will go down to the 17thAvenue and spendmoney. Support those businesses, but also look at the finished product and ask, is this good enough for 17th Avenue?"

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