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City officials are holding a public open house on the plan Wednesday.

The plan also calls for wider sidewalks, lots of trees and more angle parking on the side streets. The current bus-only lane would be converted into a sidewalk and a series of “flex spaces,” curb cut-outs that can be used for parking, loading zones, patios or sidewalk festivals as the community’s needs change.

Photo by City of Edmonton

“I don’t want anyone to think we don’t want drivers downtown,” said area Coun. Scott McKeen. “What we want is that when they get here and they are safely parked, they have really vibrant spaces to enjoy plus all the private stores and businesses.

“But we have to find that balance,” he said. “If you design a place too much for the cars, then it’s not a place people want to hang out.”

Local residents successfully fought for a new approach to Jasper Avenue during the four-year capital budget debate in 2014.

Edmonton had been treating it as an arterial road — a high-volume, vehicle-priority corridor. This plan recognizes the high density of people living within blocks of the street and the number of street-front businesses, changing the road classification to that of a main street. That means the priority will be pedestrians.

Pedestrian crossing signals have been an ongoing complaint, especially since a 19-year-old Earl’s employee was killed while crossing Jasper Avenue at 119 Street. Others have been frustrated at the amount of time pedestrians have to wait, and the fact pedestrian crossing signals don’t come on unless someone pushes the button.