Brander Gardens Safe Routes to School One-Way Pilot

The Safe Routes to School program is aimed to improve road safety on the immediately surrounding and adjacent roads, to encourage students and parents to use active modes of transportation to travel to school such as walking, biking or rolling. Through the Safe Routes to School program, the City works with schools, organizations and stakeholders to identify schools and implement road safety upgrades. This program supports the City’s Safe Mobility Strategy theme of Safety at Every Step by providing safe crossing locations, improving safety around school zones, enforcing speed limit compliance, and promoting mode shift.

In the Summer of 2023, the City completed the planning, design and implementation of numerous adaptable measure upgrades in Brander Gardens before the start of the school year including:

One-way Streets

Brander Gardens School and Tempo School - One-Way Streets conversion on 56 Avenue east of Riverbend Road are now eastbound only, and 148 Street is now northbound only up to 58 Avenue. The one-way streets are a pilot and were made using adaptable curbs and signage. 

One-way streets:

• Alleviate congestion during school pick up and drop off 

• Allow for better traffic flow as buses can better navigate the street 

• Improve the safety of pedestrians when crossing the street 

Curb Extensions

Nine adaptable curb extensions were added on 56 Avenue and on 148 Street. These narrow the street, slowing vehicles, calming traffic, shortening the distance that people have to cross and prohibiting parking close to the crosswalk, creating clearer sightlines.

Speed Table 

A permanent speed table was installed on 148 Street south of Riverbend Road to curb excessive traffic volume, calm traffic and reduce driver speeds. 

Centre Median 

The centre median that was on Riverbend Road at 148 Street was converted from adaptable materials to being permanent. This change increases opportunities to cross, reduces crossing distances, and reduces  the speed of turning vehicles.

The City of Edmonton would like to hear from you about your experience with Brander Gardens Safe Routes to School project. The survey will take approximately 5 - 10 minutes to complete depending on how much feedback you would like to share. Your feedback will be used to help us evaluate the project and make improvements for future Safe Routes to School projects. The survey will remain open until  April 29, 2024.