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Curbsides—the space between the sidewalk and vehicle traffic—are important to how we move and gather in Edmonton. Our curbside space is an important asset—one that The City Plan calls on us to diversify to create vibrant urban spaces that help us reach our economic prosperity and climate resiliency goals.
The Curbside Management Strategy bridges Edmontonians' vision in The City Plan with the operational changes needed to use our curbsides more equitably and strategically to benefit more Edmontonians.
Traditionally used for parking, curbsides are transforming into valuable space for people and businesses for many different uses, such as: transit, food trucks, seasonal and year-round patios, parklets, electric vehicle charging, events, commercial loading zones, accessible parking zones, active transportation and more.
The strategy contains 7 actions. Actions 1, 2 and 3 will be implemented first.
This action examines different methods for prioritizing competing uses for curbside space, such as parking, patios, parklets, electric vehicle charging stations and more. This action will develop clear guidelines for determining where, when and how public curbside parking should be prioritized in relation to these competing uses based on The City Plan goals. This will help put all modes of transportation on more equal footing and provide a wider range of uses of our public curbside space to support resident, business and overall community outcomes.
The City has finished consulting with other North American cities to better understand best practices and how to apply them to the Edmonton context. We are now in the process of analyzing existing data on curbside activity in Edmonton.
Next steps involve considering best practices and the Edmonton curbside activity data analysis outcomes in relation to relevant City plans and policies (such as The City Plan) to ensure we are taking a data-driven approach to developing the curbside prioritization guidelines. These guidelines will include a hierarchy outlining which curbside uses (for example, parking, transit, loading zones, patio space, active transportation, etc) should be prioritized in different geographical areas and contexts (for example, residential areas, main streets, etcetera). The guidelines are expected to be completed in 2024.
This action will make it easier to find parking by using pricing to encourage more frequent turnover in high demand areas and, in doing so, provide more parking availability. Pricing can and should be reduced where and when parking demand is low. Increased revenues will offset the tax levy and ensure Edmontonians continue to have a sustainable tax rate.
Effective May 1, 2023, the City implemented changes to the EPark program to be responsive to current parking demand and the needs of our growing city. The changes were made at the direction of City Council as part of the 2023-2026 budget and include new operating hours and hourly rate changes in some areas based on demand. See EPark for more information on the changes.
Future updates to the parking pricing framework will support Action 1 - Curbside Prioritization Framework to ensure alignment with goals outlined in Edmonton’s City Plan.
Edmonton’s Residential Parking Program (RPP) manages busy street curbsides in residential neighbourhoods next to popular destinations like main streets, attractions, and major institutions. The RPP was established in the early 1970s and is now being updated to better prioritize the growing and competing demands for the space.
An online survey was conducted from April 5 to May 2, 2023 to learn the public’s perspectives about the current Residential Parking Program. More information is available at Engaged Edmonton.
Feedback will be used alongside industry best practices and road design standards to inform updates to the new program.
The City uses many tools to educate and share information about parking in the city and manage curbside assets. This action will make it more convenient to find a parking space by better leveraging parking management technologies and best practices to improve parking wayfinding, pricing and availability information.
Work on this action is expected to start in 2024.
This action will explore opportunities for Parking Benefit Districts, which would allow the City to reinvest parking fee revenues back into the area from where they were charged to facilitate local improvements. These improvements could include things like enhanced sidewalks, secure bicycle parking, and local amenities like benches, lighting, plants, trees and public art.
A timeline for work on this action has not yet been finalized.
The City Plan envisions a well-connected city that is welcoming to people of all ages and varying mobility capacities. This action will implement changes to improve curbside and public parking accessibility per : Accessibility for People with Disabilities
Work on this action is expected to start in 2024.
This action, in conjunction with the City’s Active Transportation Plan, will explore opportunities to help reduce parking demand by encouraging active transportation through the provision of end-of-trip amenities in both public and private developments. These amenities could include, but are not limited to, things like safe and secure bicycle and scooter storage, personal lockers and washrooms.
Work is already underway as part of the City's Active Transportation Plan and accelerated active transportation network expansion to add public bike parking in transit centres and major commercial centres, such as downtown and the business improvement areas (BIAs). Updates to bike parking requirements for private development, including the number, design and location of bike parking spaces required, are also currently underway as part of the Zoning Bylaw Renewal project. This action will expand on this existing work and is expected to start in 2024.
The Curbside Management Strategy was informed by extensive research. Four overlapping themes emerged that were common across each area of background research and provided the foundation for each of the actions identified in the strategy.
The strategy was created using the following public input and research:
Four overlapping themes provide the foundation for each strategy action:
An extensive review of previously-published public engagement reports containing feedback about parking preferences, priorities and their associated trade-offs, on-street parking, mobility needs and other relevant city-building considerations helped to inform the actions in the Curbside Management Strategy.
This approach aligns with the City’s direction to use The City Plan as a guiding document, leverage previous engagement data to inform decision-making, and be more efficient in our operations. Opportunities for public participation and engagement on specific actions will be assessed as they are implemented.