Red Deer streets could be friendlier says a consultant specializing in pedestrian and bicyclist access.
Michael Ronkin, owner and principal of Designing Streets for People and manager of Oregon Department of Transportation from 1989 to 2006, said during his first brief visit Red Deer he saw some positive qualities.
“On the plus side, it’s relatively compact with moderate connectivity (streets that connect). You preserved a fair amount of your downtown core, I would say,” said Ronkin spoke to about 30 people who came out to his presentation Beyond Complete Street: Creating Complete Communities at the Scott Block Wednesday night.
But Ronkin said the city also has some negatives.
He said there’s way too many wide one-way streets, and too many one-way streets altogether. The city should also look at whether it really needs so many lanes dedicated to vehicle traffic.
Buildings are located haphazardly with poor orientation which is confusing for pedestrians, he said.
“Walking down the street is more than having a sidewalk under your feet. It’s having places that you can intuitively feel like walking to. Look at making destinations more attractive.”
Ronkin, who advised on bicycling and pedestrian projects around the world, including Edmonton’s Bicycle Transportation Plan Update of 2010, met with Red Deer city planners Wednesday to discuss how to improve the city’s bike network.
His presentation was sponsored by the Red Deer Alberta Professional Planners’ Institute events committee and Stantec.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com