New city approach aims to curb street-by-street sidewalk showdowns | CBC News

Few issues have drawn as many angry residents to London city council chambers in recent years as sidewalks. 

A handful of city policies call for new sidewalks to be installed on streets that don’t have them when the underground plumbing is updated. 

Streets in many London subdivisions outside the city core were built during the car-centric postwar period. However, in recent years, it’s become clear many residents like the streets without sidewalks and don’t want them added. 

The result has been hours-long debates at city hall with councillors caught between policies designed to encourage active transportation and residents dead-set against the loss of mature trees and driveway space to a sidewalk. 

In a few cases, and in response to an outcry from residents, council voted to waive new sidewalks on streets when old plumbing was replaced.

In a move designed to curb street-by-street sidewalk fights and bring a consistent approach, city staff were directed to come up with a new process for sidewalks ahead of the construction season, one that gathers input from residents earlier on.

And so, over the past year, staff began to create connectivity plans for these three neighbourhoods slated to get new sidewalks this year:

• Whitehills (Fanshawe Park Road West and Wonderland Road North).
• Glenfell (Fanshawe Park East and Adelaide Street North).
• Glen Carin (Adelaide Street South and Commissioners Road East). 

The idea is to include more consultation and interaction with staff, so residents have a better idea of where new sidewalks are going and why. 

Through these neighbourhood connectivity plans (like this one for Whitehills), residents have more ways to provide input, including an online map where they can create position points with their comments. A staff report updating councillors about the new process is coming to Tuesday’s meeting of the civic works committee. 

Coun. Corrine Rahman chairs civic works. As a new councillor, she wasn’t around for the sidewalk debates of years past but she’s hoping this new approach helps residents feel less surprised. 

“They know their neighbourhoods, they walk through them every day, and it’s important that we hear their voices and concerns,” said Rahman. 

So does this mean council will again be willing to scuttle new sidewalks on streets where residents don’t want them? That’s not clear. 

“I think that will be up to the committee and council to decide what the approach is,” said Rahman. “Right now, I want to hear from residents on their particular concerns and thoughts about sidewalks on their street.”

For now, city staff haven’t listed which streets in the three neighbourhoods are slated to get new sidewalks this year. Staff will present their sidewalk recommendations at three separate public participation meetings, one for each neighbourhood, at the Jan. 31 civic works committee meeting.

Rahman said there would be an opportunity for residents to provide input on where sidewalks should run and any design options. During her campaign, Rahman said she was often asked whether streets in her ward in northwest London would be getting new sidewalks. 

“A lot of these streets were designed at a time when it was very car-centric,” she said. “I do see the value of a balanced approach.”