Looking at the whole area of St. Anne Street and Perron Street with traffic flow issues that are currently there and the installation of a roundabout. St. Anne once past Perron heading west has traffic lights in front of city hall that cause traffic snarls. The addition of a roundabout then hitting the lights at Sir Winston Churchill a short distance after seems like overkill. Usually when developers develop large projects they can be made responsible for the roadways and traffic flow around such developments. Now that the city has infringed on that site any future developer is not responsible for this.
Perron Street with the angle parking has created traffic problems. People backing up can't see, pedestrians still do not get they have to use the crosswalks, making a turn onto Perron means you have to pull out almost into oncoming traffic to see if it is safe to proceed.
Is this foresight? Downtown redevelopment? It is actually seeming to become more of a deterrent to go downtown. Easier and alternate access to St Albert Trail is available to get to where you want to go, such as the mall and other shopping areas.
The statement “a political legacy” does that mean a shrine to the city? A definition of Legacy in the dictionary: “Legacy” Type of: heritage, inheritance, that which is inherited; a title or property or estate that passes by law to the heir on the death of the owner – gift – something acquired without compensation.
One must first take a look at the condition of the city as a whole and is it in good repair before spending huge amounts on and around city hall. Throwing rock chips on my street is that good road repair? Are public pools and sport facilities well kept and serviced.
Having a city that is aesthetically pleasing in certain areas is not everyone's priority. Having city officials that are accountable and responsible for tax dollars is a priority!
J. Ritchie, St. Albert
