Construction, bike lanes, and congestion are all that can be seen along 103 Street, as the City works to revitalize downtown. That construction has been going on for many years and businesses are fed up.
“As far as I’ve received… I’ve received no updates,” said Christian Mena, a co-owner of Sabor Restaurant.
Construction barriers line 103 Street and 102 Avenue as LRT expansion and road work continues near the Ice District. But that construction has taken away parking, causing concerns for businesses in the area.
“There’s no reason for it because there’s nothing going on,” stressed Mena.
Mena’s restaurant sits right on the corner where all the construction is happening. He claims for three weeks no work has been done in the area and says the road should be opened, especially during playoffs.
“Even if they were going to start construction again, you would think the consideration would be ‘you know for three weeks were not starting anything, let’s take all this crap away and give these people free-flowing traffic,’” said Mena.
The bike lane in this area is also two car lengths in size, which is considerably large for bikes travelling up the street. This is causing issues with accessible parking and regular parking which is scarce in the area to begin with, but that isn’t the only concern.
A Google Maps picture from last summer shows there’s a loading zone which is vital to get supplies into the business. That loading zone has been moved across the street where the road is closed or up the road which is not good for business.
“This is the type of thing that should be looked at daily because this effects peoples livelihoods, our economy, the downtown economy.”
Councillor Stevenson says she agrees the bike lane is wider than necessary and that it was implemented before she joined city council in 2021. But that doesn’t mean conversations around fixing those issues need to stop.
“I’d be interested in exploring on this road if angle parking could be accommodated. That would avoid interference with bike lanes while increasing the number of spaces available and better loading zones for businesses,” said Stevenson.
