Edmonton is now ten years into Vision Zero. Yet instead of driving traffic deaths toward zero, we’ve tied the all-time record for preventable road fatalities. This is a painful failure—one that demands serious change from City leadership.

The bad news? The number of preventable deaths each year are increasing, i.e., the City is getting further away from their goal.

The good news? We know exactly what works. Cities around the world have already proven that safe street design, not hope or reminders, is what reduces deaths and injuries. Edmonton can still turn this around, but only if we change how we build our streets.

Here’s what needs to happen.

1. Build safer infrastructure—because it costs less and saves more lives
2. Stop calling wide sidewalks “5A infrastructure”
3. Enforcement is not a safety strategy—design is
4. Build it right the first time
5. Every project is a once-in-a-generation decision
6. Support the new Traffic Safety Team—and give them the tools they need

Edmonton can still succeed—if it chooses to

The path forward is clear:

• Build protected bike lanes on the street, not pretend solutions on the sidewalk

• Prioritize safety-first designs in every renewal and detour

• Use enforcement only as a bridge, not a substitute

• Stop wasting money on infrastructure that will have to be rebuilt

• Align every project with City Plan and Vision Zero goals

• Accept that car-first design is the root of the problem

Cities all over the world have turned the corner on traffic deaths. Edmonton can too—if it makes the structural changes that Vision Zero requires.

Our lives depend on it. Our future depends on it. And the work starts now.

Let's Dive in

Build safer infrastructure—because it costs less and saves more lives

Most people assume protected bike lanes and traffic-calmed streets are expensive. But in reality, protected on-street bike lanes are often cheaper than oversized sidewalks and provide far better safety for everyone—drivers, pedestrians, wheelchair users, and cyclists. 

Widening sidewalks by a couple of feet does little to reduce conflict. By contrast, a properly designed, on-street protected bike lane:

• Creates predictable space for all users

• Reduces crossing distances

• Slows unsafe driving

• Costs less to construct than rebuilding long stretches of sidewalk

• Prevents the need for endless enforcement

• Remains far easier to maintain in winter, improving reliability

This is not theoretical. Cities like Calgary, Vancouver, Montreal, and New York have shown that protected bike lanes produce major drops in crashes—up to 40–70% fewer injuries, depending on the study (sources: NACTO, FHWA, Transport Canada). My confidence level: high.

Right now, Edmonton is spending more money for worse outcomes. That has to reverse.

Stop calling wide sidewalks “5A infrastructure”

A sidewalk is not an Always Available for All Ages & Abilities (5A) bike facility—no matter how wide it is.

Why?

• People biking and people walking travel at different speeds.

• Deaf and hard-of-hearing pedestrians can’t hear cyclists approaching.
• Blind and low-vision pedestrians may not detect that a wide sidewalk even exists as a separate space.

• Conflicts increase when both modes share space.

• Families and new riders feel unsafe being forced into pedestrian areas.

• Sidewalks sit beside driveways and building entrances, where collision risks are high. 

• Winter reliability collapses because sidewalk clearing is inconsistent, leaving many users—parents pushing strollers, wheelchair users, seniors—stranded. For example, uncleared alley crossing, an uncleared roadway crosswalk, or just curb cuts with piled up water/ice can be impassable to many. That results in more driving and more congestion.

Edmonton claims sidewalk riding is so unsafe that it must remain illegal—yet the Active Transportation team continues building projects that push riders onto sidewalks. The research backs that sidewalks aren't safe infrastructure, and that contradiction speaks for itself.

If it’s too dangerous to ride on a sidewalk, it’s too dangerous to call it bike infrastructure.

Note that Multi-Use Paths/Shared Sidewalks can be made safe, the City just doesn't do that, and the issues for users with accessibility needs remain.

Enforcement is not a safety strategy—design is

Ticketing drivers after harm occurs is not Vision Zero. At best, enforcement is a temporary patch that helps until real safety design is built. At worst, it becomes a crutch that excuses unsafe engineering choices.

Even EPS admits they cannot keep up with speeding, red-light running, or crosswalk violations. And no city has ever achieved Vision Zero through enforcement alone.

Real Vision Zero means:

• Slower speeds by design

• Shorter crossings

• Physical protection

• Fewer conflict points

• Predictable movement

You don’t need a police officer to enforce a curb or a protected bike lane. Infrastructure works 24/7, in every season, and for every road user.

Build it right the first time

Edmonton’s habit of “half-measures” is one of the core reasons Vision Zero is failing. When the City builds weak or incomplete projects, several things happen:

• They don’t deliver safety outcomes

• They get torn out and rebuilt later (like 95 Ave)

• They waste money

• They delay progress toward City Plan goals

• They erode public trust

• And worst of all—they put lives at risk

This is not abstract. The recent Active Transportation Network Expansion (the “$100M bike lanes”) has already been linked to a preventable death—a death unlikely to have occurred if the City had chosen more effective, less expensive, protected on-street lanes instead of widening a sidewalk and doing nothing else.

The City says sidewalk riding is unsafe. The City also forces cyclists onto sidewalks. That is a contradiction.

Every project is a once-in-a-generation decision

What we build today will almost certainly still be here in 2050. That means every project—every renewal, every detour, every collector, every avenue—is a one-time opportunity to move toward the City Plan’s goals:

• Safety

• Climate resilience

• Mode shift

• Reduced congestion

• Affordability

If we build car-first designs now, those designs will still be here when today’s kids are raising families. And Edmonton will once again fail to meet its own mode-share, climate, and safety targets, while driving massive property tax increases.

The order of priorities has to change:

1. Safety

2. Cost-effectiveness

3. Moving the maximum number of people

The old model—maximizing car throughput at all costs—is incompatible with Vision Zero and the City Plan. Sticking with it guarantees more deaths, more congestion, and higher long-term costs.

Support the new Traffic Safety Team—and give them the tools they need

We’re encouraged by Mayor Knack’s commitment to creating a new Traffic Safety Team focused on real accountability. This is a positive step. After years of relying on incomplete infrastructure and reactive enforcement, Edmonton finally has an opportunity to build a unit that prioritizes safety, data, and the freedom of mobility for everyone—not just drivers.

But for this team to succeed, Council must address a rising problem: residents intentionally sabotaging new bike lanes and walkways.

This year alone, we’ve seen:

• Leaves raked directly into protected bike lanes

• Snow piles dumped into freshly built curb-separated lanes

• Landscaping debris and garbage pushed into mobility corridors

• Driveways cleared by shoveling snow into crossings and curb ramps

This behaviour isn’t just childish, it’s dangerous. It forces cyclists, wheelchair users, delivery riders, and kids back into car traffic—exactly the opposite of Vision Zero.

Right now, our bylaws and fine structures aren’t strong enough to stop it. In many cases, enforcement can’t act unless they witness the offence in real time, making accountability nearly impossible.

The City can fix this by:

• Right-sizing fines so that blocking sidewalks, bike lanes, and crossings carries real consequences

• Amending bylaws so adjacent property owners are automatically liable when snow, debris, or landscaping is pushed into mobility space—just like how sidewalk clearing is enforced

• Giving enforcement officers a mandate to proactively patrol high-risk areas, rather than waiting for complaints

• Prioritizing safety and freedom of mobility over driver convenience or ego, especially when repeat offenders create hazards for vulnerable road users

With proper tools, clear bylaws, and a safety-first focus, the new Traffic Safety Team can help deliver what Edmonton has been missing: consistent, predictable enforcement that backs up safe design instead of substituting for it.

Conclusion

Edmonton does not have to accept rising deaths, dangerous streets, or half-built projects as the norm. Vision Zero is still achievable—but only if the City stops repeating the same choices that created this crisis in the first place. Safer infrastructure is often less expensive, more effective, and far more reliable than enforcement alone. Wide sidewalks are not 5A design. And every renewal we build today will shape how we live and move in 2050.

Building it right the first time saves money, protects lives, and strengthens public trust. Failing to do so costs all three.

At the same time, Edmonton must back up good design with fair, proactive enforcement. Mayor Knack’s promised Traffic Safety Team can help move the city in that direction, but only if Council gives it strong bylaws, right-sized fines, and a mandate to treat mobility as a basic freedom—not something that can be blocked by snow piles, yard waste, or driver frustration.

The path forward is simple: design for safety, enforce for fairness, and keep the focus on moving people—not just cars. If Edmonton chooses that path now, we can still build a city where everyone feels safe, welcome, and able to move freely on our streets.