How could Strathcona Centre Community Be Better For Walking?

Making Strathcona Centre more walkable generally means introducing design elements to cut the volume and speed of cars throughout the neighbourhood. This can be achieved using various design elements.

Here are some possible design elements, taken from a paper by called “Urban Design White Paper – Local Street Design Ideas for Strathcona” by Lucas Sherwin, that could be employed:

• Chicanes: this street element “consists of meandering a driving lane horizontally as it moves down the street”. Some examples:
  

  

  

• Curb Extensions: Curb extensions “are extensions of the sidewalk into what would be space used by vehicles.” In Strathcona Centre these could be put near any/all intersections to eliminate illegal parking (too close to the intersection) and shorten crossings for people walking. Examples:
  

  

  

• Neighbourhood Roundabouts: Some of these mini traffic circles have already been installed at the intersections of 96, 97 and 98 streets and 83 avenue. They slow down vehicles and provide a visual cue that an obstacle is in the upcoming intersection, thereby slowing mid-block speeds. Here is an example:
  

  

Many other design features could be used to change how safe and comfortable walking in Strathcona Centre feels. Some examples of these are neckdowns, pedestrian lighting, raised crosswalks, woonerfs and diverters.