Jan/Feb 2024 City News
Deadline for black cart switch approaching, and updates on housing and DEED.
It’s great to see the curb-to-curb street sweeping underway!
Visit the city’s street sweeping page to find out when the sweep will happen on your street.
April Updates
In April, City Council made some decisions around the Active Transportation Plan and Bus Rapid Transit, as they pertain to the City’s overall plan for growth. These are important to ensure that our city is well-prepared for the future. To learn more about this, please check out my April blog on Active Transportation.
Bus Rapid Transit
The routing for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) will be: College Drive, 8th Street, Preston and 22nd Street. In the downtown, the BRT line will run down 1st Avenue with dedicated lanes. In Nutana, BRT will run on Broadway Avenue, in mixed traffic. I had hoped that we could test BRT on Broadway on a trial basis before designating it as the permanent route, to ensure that we are protecting and preserving the culture of this street and also the viability of businesses. I will be keeping a close eye on how this is rolled out and the impacts. Expect to see more buses on Broadway this fall, as the phase-in begins. There is still much engagement to occur in the neighbourhood to ensure proper design and ease of use for everyone. There will be no major street construction as a result of the mixed traffic option. The BRT network in Saskatoon is slated to begin operation on June 1st, 2025.
Active Transportation
The future Active Transportation (AT) corridor through the downtown has been designated for: 3rd Avenue, 23rd and 19th streets. The AT plan is designed for all ages and abilities and includes: enhanced pedestrian spaces, cycling lanes and improved access and experiences for those with mobility challenges. Implementation is being delayed to ensure that we get it right for all users of these streets, and I anticipate enhanced urban design and streetscaping when this is ready to move forward. In the meantime, the 4th Avenue cycling lanes will be removed before the end of June. Through this pilot project, I think we have learned important lessons about what doesn’t work in our downtown.
I want to reiterate that all of these projects are dependent on funding from other levels of government. Last year, we were able to install the first AT showcase for our city on Victoria Avenue from 8th Street to the Traffic Bridge, due to federal government money that was specifically allocated for this purpose. Because it was done in conjunction with the overall street replacement, there was no impact to the mill rate.
Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge
Construction is underway on the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge, and anticipated to last throughout the 2019 and 2020 construction seasons. This is part of maintenance work necessary to ensure the structural longevity of the bridge. As part of next year’s construction, the pedestrian walkway will be widened and guardrails raised to improve the pedestrian/cycling/accessibility experience on the bridge.
Coffee with your Councillor
I hope you’ll join me for the next event.
Coffee with Your Councillor
Thursday, May 16
5:00-6:30pm
Tastebuds Café
1635 Lorne Avenue
Ramadan
It’s Ramadan, a time to reflect and renew for the Muslim community. During the month of Ramadan, many Muslims are fasting during the day and prayer services are held at varying times throughout each day. This means additional traffic around the mosque in the Grosvenor Park area, but most of it will be diverted to the Field House by next week when the facility becomes available. Ramadan Mubarak to all those observing.
and Happy Mother’s Day!
It’s also Mother’s Day this Sunday. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms in Ward 6!
Warm Regards,
Cynthia
Latest posts
Jan/
Dec 2023 City News from Cynthia
Multi-year budget highlights and potential zoning changes
City News from Cynthia Oct 2023
Vehicle noise, waste bins and a special organ