Building Great Neighbourhoods: Garneau - Just Bikes

This online engagement is now closed. 

This is a map image of the Garneau neighbourhood and the Bike Plan for Garneau. It contains highlighted areas of existing and proposed bike plans. Proposed bike lanes are included along 110 Street, 111 Street, 84 Avenue and 88 Avenue.

Garneau’s Just Bikes Plan

The Garneau Just Bikes engagement is now closed. You still have an opportunity to provide feedback on the Community Feedback on Draft Design page, which is available until July 15, 2020. You also have the opportunity to send an email directly to the project manager at becky.redford@edmonton.ca.

We are currently looking for input on Just Bikes in Garneau until June 30. In a few weeks we will also share the Draft Design for all proposed changes to walking, biking, driving and playing for the neighbourhood. There will be more opportunity to provide feedback on

Garneau’s Just Bikes Plan

The Garneau Just Bikes engagement is now closed. You still have an opportunity to provide feedback on the Community Feedback on Draft Design page, which is available until July 15, 2020. You also have the opportunity to send an email directly to the project manager at becky.redford@edmonton.ca.

We are currently looking for input on Just Bikes in Garneau until June 30. In a few weeks we will also share the Draft Design for all proposed changes to walking, biking, driving and playing for the neighbourhood. There will be more opportunity to provide feedback on all areas at that time.

light green button white text and an image of two documents one in front of the other that says "Please review the plans here. Just Bikes Detailed Designs" and if the button is clicked a webpage with a flipbook of the bike designs for Garneau is opened in a new browser tab.


The proposed Garneau bike plan will provide a consistent bike connection north-south along 110 Street from 76 Avenue to Saskatchewan Drive, and provide east-west connections to and from 109 Street. It will also connect the 83 Avenue bike lane to 112 Street. Infrastructure for each bike lane varies depending on usage and purpose.

Opportunities for Input

Bike lanes can change how residents live and use their streets. In some locations, residents will experience public parking removal and/or raised medians near their properties. To help accommodate these changes the City is considering adding parking bays, loading zones and mid-block crossings. Residents can suggest where these additions may be most beneficial on the following maps below:

110 Street - Parking bays, loading zones, mid-block crossings

111 Street - Parking bays, loading zones

84 Avenue - Mid-block crossings

88 Avenue - Parking bays, loading zones

Definitions: Parking bays, Loading zones, Mid-block crossings

Click here for definitions of Parking bays, Loading zones, Mid-block crossings.

Click on the maps to show us your suggestions for parking bays, loading zones, and/or mid-block crossings.

How to use the Bike Maps Tool

This online engagement is now closed. 

You can:

  • Ask a question directly to the Garneau Neighbourhood Renewal project team.

  • Search and view community-submitted questions and official responses.

  • Type your question in the box below and click "Submit". Answers are provided within 5-7 business days of receipt. 

  • Frequently Asked Questions from previous engagement sessions have also been provided below. See questions tagged as #FAQ.

  • I live on the north side of 80 Ave between 109 and 110 street. According to the info on this website, your bike-lane and traffic flow proposal would mean that I cannot park my cars on the street directly in front of my house. Is that correct? If so, that will be very inconvenient, because I always park on the street, and need to be able to plug in my car on very cold days. Many of us on 80 Ave park on the street, because we live in old houses without garages at the back. And, again, in winter, we need to plug in our cars, so we need to park right in front of our own houses. If we are not allowed to park in front of our houses, and have no garage or plug-in at the back, what do you expect us to do with our cars in the winter? And, if we have guests, where are they to park? Are you going to make it illegal for non-residents without permits to park in our neigbourhood during weekdays as they do now? That would be okay with me, instead of having U of A hospital staff and students getting free parking on our north-south streets. Since you are reducing street-parking for those of us who actually live here, it seems unfair to allow non-residents to continue parking here. Why are these painted bike lanes and traffic disruptions necessary? There are not that many cyclists on my street, and there is not much traffic, so it is not really hazardous. Why change what already works, at great inconvenience to those of us who live here and pay exorbitant property tax, while having our former parking rights taken away? Not happy about this!

    Residents First asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your comments. Here are the answers to your questions: 

    Parking on 80 Avenue

    Parking on the southside of 80 Avenue is retained and there are no barriers on the bike lane to prevent people from crossing mid block as they can currently do now. Visitors and residents without on site parking may need to look for available parking on streets close to 80 and 81 Avenue if all the on-street parking on those streets is occupied. If you require accessible parking, please refer to the City webpage on how to apply for a new accessible parking stall.

    We recognize that there are varying stages of on site parking along 80 Avenue and 81 Avenue, including newly redeveloped properties, modern garages, concrete/gravel/ grass parking pads and original garages that cannot accommodate modern cars. However, the City does not guarantee parking availability for all on-street parking directly in front of homes and is required to utilize the public road right-of-way in a fair and equitable manner for all users of the roadway. 

    As for winter concerns for private vehicles, the City does not authorize extension cords across the sidewalk as it can create a tripping hazard and interferes with public access. The use of aerial power sources may be permitted through Bylaw 12846, which regulates the conditions around what installation would be allowed. Residents would request a permit with a waiver from their power supplier accepting liability for power that is not monitored or protected from public access. Without a valid permit, any extension cord used for private vehicles should be kept on private property.

    Residential Parking Program

    Parking Services is currently undertaking a review of the residential parking program as well as how parking permits are issued and managed throughout the City. 

    The residential parking program manages the availability of parking by restricting parking to residents or visitors with a pass to certain hours. Although this can prioritize resident parking and deliveries, the program does not eliminate non-resident or public parking and it does not guarantee residents an on-street parking space.

    When this review is complete, if required, specific areas in Garneau will be evaluated and discussed with the community as to where resident or visitor parking may be best suited, or where dedicated loading zones should be implemented. More information is anticipated to be shared in the fall with the public.

    Proposed Bike Lanes

    Biking is an option for some people, but for others, it's their primary mode of transportation, whether by choice or by economic circumstance. The bike lanes are an important part of our city's transportation system that strives to provide access to all Edmontonians, during all seasons.

    1 in 6 people who bike in Edmonton do ride in all seasons, based on the eco counter bike counts, and we're hearing more and more stories about people continuing to ride in the winter because the bike lanes are cleared. 

    The Bike Plan, which is a strategy document that guides how we plan and design for bikes going forward, aspires for Edmonton to be a place where biking is safe and inviting for people of all ages and abilities, for all reasons, in all seasons. That aspiration was developed through extensive engagement and reflects the feedback provided by Edmontonians of varying perspectives including people that bike, walk, roll, take transit and drive. Vibrant communities offer people options, including options for how people move around their community and city. 

    Planning for Garneau’s Future

    Although some elements appear to work fine right now, we also need to consider how Garneau may look and function in the future.  Renewal projects only come around every 35-50 years, and we want to ensure that the Garneau we rebuild today preserves the community’s Vision and Guiding Principles long into the future, even as the City changes and grows around it.

    parking,winter,bike lanes
    parking winter bike lanes

  • Is there going to be a distinction made between parking for residents and parking for visitors along 110st? I live on 110st and parking can be quite congested for visitors though there appears to be parking easily available for those with parking passes. Has the planning committee included the number of regular applications for residential parking passes in their calculations for how much parking will be necessary in the area for residents? I would also assume some uptick in applications for passes as I can anecdotally attest that some residents don't bother to apply for passes and park in the areas for visitor parking. Thank you!

    Brenna asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question and comments. 

    Parking Services is currently undertaking a review of the residential parking program as well as how parking permits are issued and managed throughout the City. 

    The residential parking program manages the availability of parking by restricting parking to residents or visitors with a pass to certain hours. Although this can prioritize resident parking and deliveries, the program does not eliminate non-resident or public parking and it does not guarantee residents an on-street parking space.

    When this review is complete, if required specific areas in Garneau will be reviewed and discussed with the community as to where resident or visitor parking may be best suited. More information is anticipated to be shared in the fall with the public.

    parking
    parking

  • Speeding and shortcutting through our neighbourhood is a serious problem, so I like the proposal for a two way bike lane on 110 Street. I welcome more cyclists (and less cars) into the neighbourhood. The video mock up of the 110 Street bike land is helpful. I appreciate that the policies support a network for “all ages and abilities”. I am grateful that Council accepted the feasibility study’s report and agreed that 109 St was too dangerous. But several cyclists say that they prefer the raised bike lanes to the “protected, on-street” lanes that are currently proposed. The danger of curbs is that folk, young and old, crash into them. The raised path on 79 Avenue (running east from the Strathcona Community League Bldg) would be an alternative. Can you explain why the curb version was chosen? I too feel much safer on a raised lane. Thank you.

    asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your comments and questions. During our previous public engagement sessions we heard that there was a preference for a raised facility between University Avenue and Saskatchewan Drive. We also heard that there was a preference for an on-street protected facility between 76 Avenue and University Avenue. People also told us that keeping the 110 Street bike lane one consistent facility type was important. 

    With keeping all of this in mind, the Project Team reviewed both options and found that since there are alleys and some driveways on the east side of 110 Street from 76 Avenue to Saskatchewan Drive, a raised bike facility would have a drop at each of these locations as well as at the intersections. People who bike have told us that when the raised facilities have drops in them consistently, it can be difficult to maneuver, especially when riding with bike trailers or smaller children. 

    Therefore, the Project Team pursued an on-street bike facility for 110 Street similar to 83 Avenue’s bike lane.

    bikes,bike lane
    bikes bike lane

  • Strong connections between 110 St and 109 St was an important factor in Council choosing 110 St as the bike route. Why are there no connections along 85 Ave

    BGN Garneau asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. Connections from the bike lane on 110 Street to 109 Street are not added on every avenue but at regular intervals. The connections were chosen to align with destinations to the east of 109 Street.. 

    Since the primary east / west route  exists on 83 Avenue and the school is connected to the bike lane via a shared-use path on the north side of 86 Avenue, the major destinations are connected.  Other connections were not considered as there are connections within a few blocks north or south.

    bikes,bike lanes,connections
    bikes bike lanes connections

  • t was mentioned that this neighbourhood redevelopment project is 'funded'. That said, given the rather dire financial situation that the City now finds itself in, is this redevelopment, and the bike lanes in particular, really the best near-term use of the limited funds now available to the City?

    BGN Garneau asked almost 4 years ago

    Funding for the Neighbourhood Renewal program has come through a combination of City-wide property taxes and provincial funding over the past decade. To be approved for construction, the cost for the design must fall within the renewal budget for the neighbourhood. Some elements proposed may not receive funding, however efforts will be made to partner with other City programs and initiatives to leverage additional funding opportunities.

    Garneau has waited for its renewal and the roads and sidewalks in this neighbourhood deserve the same support as other neighbourhoods renewed in previous years.  The upgrades planned for Garneau are to support the community now and for the next 30-35 years in the future.

    funding
    funding

  • As you are taking out a significant amount of permit-free parking, can the City implement an online system for residents to print their own visitor parking passes?

    BGN Garneau asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. At this time we don't have the ability to allow residents to self manage their permits.

    parking
    parking

  • Are the size and number of parking bays on 110 St informed by the number of residential parking passes issued by the city? Is there going to be designated spaces for residents and visitors?

    BGN Garneau asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. The size and number of parking bays will largely be determined based on the feedback received in the online pin map and emails to the project team. Once the locations of the parking bays are known Parking Services will review how the residential parking program is applied to the spaces. 

    parking,110 street
    parking 110 street

  • Are you considering minor bike facilities long 109 st (i.e. wider shared sidewalk) to allow cyclists to legally and safely access businesses on 109 street. I know this might be out of scope, but this is vital for a functional and connected bike network.

    Daniel asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. The quality of the areas for pedestrians along 109 Street will be improved over time through the implementation of the Envision 109 project. However, those improvements do not include bike accommodation. 

    On April 23, 2019, Council Report 6322 Cycling Facilities and Cycling Connections: 109 Street was presented to Urban Planning Committee. The report provided further information on the feasibility of building separated cycling facilities, or improving cycling connections to 109 Street, including possible alignment and conflicts with Envision 109, the Bus Network redesign and Infill Roadmap 2.0, and return in second quarter 2019. The outcome of the meeting was that the Committee acknowledged that a bike lane could be developed on 109 Street but it was decided that a bike lane on 110 Street, with frequent connections to 109 Street, is more appropriate.

    In regards to a shared walking-biking facility being provided on 109 Street, shared facilities, such as a shared pathway, are not appropriate in the context of 109 Street because:

    • higher pedestrian volumes which can compromise the safety of people biking and the safety of people walking

    • gridded street networks and shared paths are generally not compatible due to the conflict characteristics at intersections and the frequency of intersections

    • adjacent land uses are street-oriented and the public realm space is suited towards access and lingering rather than through movements


    To view the Council Report and the Urban Planning Committee minutes and video, please visit edmonton.ca.

    bikes,bike lanes,109 street
    bikes bike lanes 109 street

  • For housing that loses street parking, what remains is of course on-property parking accessed from the alley. However, weather conditions in recent years have resulted in freeze thaw cycles that produce very deep icy ruts that make it almost impossible to turn into driveways. Will the alleyways be ploughed during the winter?

    BGN Garneau asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. There is no change to the frequency in which alleys are ploughed in the winter. The snow removal follows the current City’s snow and ice policy (C409). Residents can also call 311 to request  snow clearing when the area becomes difficult to navigate.

    parking,snow clearing
    parking snow clearing

  • What is the definition of a "protected on-street bike lane"?

    TJ asked almost 4 years ago

    Thank you for your question. Protected bike lanes are on-street bike facilities protected from moving and parked cars by a physical barrier. These lanes make driving and cycling more comfortable by creating a dedicated space on the road for people to bike. Protected bike lanes may allow for travel in one or both directions.

    bikes,bike lane
    bikes bike lane