Neighbourhood resistance to new sidewalk sways council committee
Neighbourhood resistance to new sidewalk sways council committee
Edgehill Road in London, Ont., as seen on Jan. 31, 2023 lacks sidewalks. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
Public pressure has delivered another blow to a city policy meant to improve accessibility and pedestrian connections in neighbourhoods that were built without sidewalks.
Following extensive public consultation and the development of a Neighbourhood Connectivity Plan for the residential streets of Whitehills in northwest London, Ont., city staff recommend several new sidewalks.
Most contentious is the proposal to install a curb-facing sidewalk along one side of Edgehill Road and a short section of Edgehill Crescent to connect pedestrians from Blackacres to the South Foxhollow Ravine.
“The existing road design provides an inadequate connection for those not comfortable walking on the road for any number of reasons,” explained Jennie Dann, director of construction and infrastructure to the Civic Works Committee.
But most residents on the streets have opposed the recommendation, suggesting that there are not currently large numbers of pedestrians walking on their street, and there is a fully-accessible entrance point to the South Foxhollow Ravine nearby.
“As a neighbourhood collective, we do not want sidewalks installed as our property values would plummet. Our driveways would be cut by 50 per cent,” resident Arlene Dewdney told the committee.
Another neighbour expressed concern that installing the sidewalk would require cutting stamped concrete driveways.
Dann said city staff are not aware of any research showing that new sidewalks reduce property values, instead pointing to “walkability scores” included on most real estate listings.
Curb-facing sidewalks reduce the impact on trees and driveways, but Dann did estimate about 10 trees planted close to the curb might have to be removed to accommodate the sidewalk.
Upcoming detailed design work will determine how many trees would be removed for a sidewalk, versus being removed because of upcoming roadwork.
Councillors acknowledged the importance of sidewalks on residential streets, but unanimously (4-0) recommended council remove the Edgehill sidewalk from upcoming road reconstruction plans for this summer.
“It didn’t feel to me that the connectivity to that trail was the impetus for such a dramatic change to this neighbourhood and this street,” explained Coun. Corrine Rahman who chairs the committee and represents the neighbourhood.
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
Here is a summary of the current COVID-19 vaccination guidelines from NACI, for both children and adults who are at increased risk of serious illness and those who are not.
A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety.
The man suing Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing collision at one of the most upscale resorts in North America took the stand Monday, saying he was rammed into from behind and sent 'absolutely flying.' The trial in Utah hinges on who crashed into who.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Toronto MP Han Dong says he is taking legal action over a media report that alleged he spoke to a Chinese diplomat in February 2021 about delaying the release of two Canadians detained in China at the time.
Word Tuesday’s federal budget will include a one-time “grocery rebate” for low-income Canadians is welcome news for shoppers outside Windsor grocery stores.
WARNING: Graphic content The first-degree murder trial of three Toronto-area men, Keermaro Rolle, Tameko Vilneus and Kyle Hanna continued in Windsor Superior Court on Monday.
Closing arguments are being heard at the Sudbury courthouse Monday in the trial for the man accused of killing Renee Sweeney in 1998 with the defence saying there is plenty of reasonable doubt to support an acquittal.
The suspect in a Nashville school shooting on Monday had drawn a detailed map of the school, including potential entry points, and conducted surveillance before killing three students and three adults in the latest in a series of mass shootings in a country growing increasingly unnerved by bloodshed in schools.
Local groups and organizations in North Bay that work with low-income Canadians told CTV News they have mixed opinions on the grocery rebate set to come out of the 2023 federal budget.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it will be up to the new owners of the Senators to decide whether to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats or at another location in Ottawa.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the league will evaluate its Pride nights in the offseason after several players have refused to wear Pride-themed jerseys this season.
Police are looking for the public’s assistance in identifying an 'unknown,' non-verbal woman after she was found Monday by a concerned citizen in the Greater Toronto Area.
Police have located and laid a number of charges against a young man who was missing for nearly five days after he was last seen leaving his residence following a house fire and subsequent explosion.
Police say they have found the sixth and seventh bodies inside a building in Old Montreal that burned down 11 days ago and do not expect find any more victims. With the death toll now expected to remain at seven, police said they can begin to focus their efforts on finding the cause of the deadly March 16 fire.
Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel is proposing the bonuses paid to nurses — which are set to expire next Thursday — be extended at least through June.
The 2023 federal budget will include a one-time 'grocery rebate' for Canadians with lower incomes who may be struggling with the rising cost of food, CTV News has confirmed.
The Calgary Fire Department says at least 10 people were injured in a 'sudden and devastating' explosion in the city's northeast on Monday that completely destroyed one home.
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Family and friends of two police officers who were shot and killed while responding to a family dispute gathered in downtown Edmonton Monday to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Community members and police services from across the country gathered on Monday to mourn two Edmonton Police Service officers killed in the line of duty earlier this month.
On March 27, a regimental funeral was held for Edmonton Police Service Constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan who were killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2023.
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ordered that a taxi driver be paid more than $9,000 in compensation because his caste was insulted during a physical altercation at a staff Christmas party.
A stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in Langley, B.C., has reopened after an hours-long closure due to an incident involving a truck transporting live chickens.
Edgehill Road in London, Ont., as seen on Jan. 31, 2023 lacks sidewalks. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)
