I would like to posit the hypothesis that Edmonton is not pedestrian unfriendly, but is, in fact, pedestrian intolerant.
Like most intolerant cities, Edmonton has the appearance of tolerance. If you want to walk within a 10 block radius of, say, Whyte or Jasper Ave, or if you're trying ot get to a mall then Edmonton is all welcoming and helpful. However, should you need to travel much further north or south of those areas, or to a place with no malls, the Great City of Edmonton's mask of tolerance falls, and with frigid, petrol-soaked breath it emits a booming, "Fuck you, buy a car."
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I completely agree. The transit system itself is poor -- utterly inefficient routes and scheduling, and the mystery of a light rail system that travels a mere 5km -- but the primary reason for the lack of effective public transportation is Edmonton's city planning. Aside from the downtown core and Whyte Ave west of Mill Creek Ravine, the city is basically a series of sprawling subdevelopments, which are impossible to get to or get around in unless you own a vehicle. The whole of southern Edmonton is big-box stores and strip malls; there's no effort even to put sidewalks in these areas.
Unless Edmonton changes its development strategy towards higher-density residential and commercial areas, public transportation will remain neglected. And of course, without investment of funds into developing a better transit system, people will continue to choose to buy houses in those cookie-cutter suburbs so they can afford to buy cars.
- Oz
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