How do you calm traffic in car-oriented communities?

CBC's Kory Siegers is spending time digging into stories just like this one that explore issues affecting neighbourhoods around the Anthony Henday ring road. We'd always love to hear your ideas. You can email us atedmontonam@cbc.caorkory.siegers@cbc.ca

Thirteen years ago, Matthew Slabysz was among the first 10 residentsin McConachie, a newer neighbourhood near 66thStreet and 167th Avenue in northeast Edmonton.

Now, more than 2,000 people live in the busy community and as it grows, so dothe traffic issues.

Speeding, poor signage and acts of desperation are just some of the things Slabyszis concerned about.

"There's a person on my block, when his kids are outside, because there's no speed bumps or rumble strips to slow people down, they throw two-by-fours on the street just to start slowing them down." Slabysz toldCBC News.

"It's getting to that point where people are getting worried about their kids so they start taking matters into their own hands."

Slabysz is the traffic committee lead for the Horse Hill community league. Horse Hill, other community leagues, the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Police Service are allworking to findsolutionsto the growing concerns.

"I'm scared for my child to go outside and go bike riding by himself,"Slabyszsaid. "He's six, but even a ride around the block, I'm nervous."

Residents in Rosenthal, in the city's west end, have similar concerns to Slabysz.

With noschool in the neighbourhood, kids walk or ride their bikes some distanceto the nearest school,saidcommunity league president Paul Andrews.

"And to cross [215thStreet], you're taking your life into your hands during rush hour traffic," he said. "A lot of cars don't stop."

Andrews has been working with police and the city to tackle some of the major concerns.

While some progress has been made, like plans for traffic lights at Rosenthal Boulevard and 215thStreet, the community feels it'sin a holding pattern.

'Eye-opening experience'

Crews working on the Trans Mountain pipeline, which runs through the neighbourhood, had tohirea crossing guard to help workers cross safely.

"We found from talking to their traffic people that one of the guards actually had to physically remove three kids from the crosswalk at separate times," Andrews said.

"Either resident traffic vehicles or delivery trucks were not stopping. And so it became a real eye-opening experience that we had a problem with the crosswalks in general, that people just weren't slowing down."

After learning the community was getting$250,000from Trans Mountain in compensation forthe impact ofconstruction, there was discussion about using it for crossing lights.

But that's not necessarily the route the league wants to take.

"Our philosophy has been that this is really something that the city should be providing,"Andrews said. "And if not, it should be something that the city should require of developers as they build out new areas, is to provide this proper infrastructure."

• Read more stories from The Henday Project here.

Safety upgrades in the city should be equitable, said Jessica Lamarre,director of the city's Safe Mobility Strategy.

Even if a community could afford to purchase and install the infrastructure, it still takes planning and labour and approvals on the city's part, which could delay the infrastructure in an area that really needs it.

"What I often find is that we're feeling a lot of growing pains,"Lamarresaid.

"And sometimes it takes a bit to get the infrastructure pieces in place to support the growth of that community."

More than enforcement

In February 2020, Edmonton police launched a new traffic safety unit. A couple of officers are now designated to dealing with complaints from communities.

The unitgets about 2,500 complaints each year, mostly fromthe newer communities around Anthony Henday Drive, with the majorityaboutschoolandplayground zones.

The officersdecideif enforcement is the answer. They alsoflagthe citywithengineering or infrastructure issues.

"Enforcement, it's not the answer overall," said Sgt. Kerry Bates with the EPS traffic safety unit. "It's like seatbelts way back when, where you can enforce all you want, but that's not going to fix this. The drivers have to buy into those components of safe driving."

"Invariably a good percentage, like 75 to 90 per cent of the drivers that we intercept, are residents," Bates said.

"It's their neighborhood, like it'stheir initiative to make it safe for everybody."

Officersalso attendcommunity league meetings to talkabout issues and offer advice.

Vision Zero Street Labs launching this month

The city is also calling on residents to get involved.

"We know that permanent infrastructure upgrades are very costly and they can take a long time to help realize on our streets,"Lamarresaid.

"But one of the things that we found out through COVID was that there are lots of different kinds of materials that we can use on our streets to help create change without a lot of money and a lot of time and effort."

The city is launching a new project this month called Vision Zero Street Labs, which is aimed at engaging residents to come up with their own creative, albeit temporary, solutions.

The city will support community groups in planning and executing their projects.

The projects could includecurb extensions,flex posts often seen in bike lanes andeven a pop-up community garden in a shared street.

"I think that gives us an opportunity to really explore with a community what it is that they're concerned about,"Lamarresaid.

Paul Andrews says the proof will be in the pudding.

"I do know it's not really for the infrastructure that we're looking for, but it might provide us with some potential traffic calming solutions. I guess we'll just have to see."