Tell Us Your Big Idea!

Idea:

Why is it not mandatory to for power lines to be underground in new areas of the city such as subdivisions?

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your question! Typically in new developments, the developers have options as to how they will provide power. Some subdivisions are built with front or rear lot aerial services (meaning the lines are visible above-ground), while others are built with rear lot underground services. The way power is provided in any given situation depends on the type of subdivision being planned and the aesthetic the developer is looking for. While some cities require that power infrastructure be buried, this is a costly option that the developer passes on to future home owners via their lot prices. Another consideration is that the City rights-of-way for public infrastructure is already crowded - adding underground power structures would congest it even more.

Idea:

The city should look into promoting the expansion of natural gas use.

Staff feedback:

Hi there! When natural gas first came to Fredericton (approximately 20 years ago), the City did promote and work with residents in our wellfield protection zones to switch from oil heat to natural gas. Fewer homes using oil heat translated into a reduced overall risk to our water supply.

In terms of an expansion of natural gas use, distribution of natural gas in New Brunswick is managed by a private company that makes investment decisions based on market conditions and opportunities. It would therefore be up to the private company to determine if they wanted to invest in their infrastructure to expand natural gas utilities to more residents.

Climate and energy experts recommend that the focus should be on electrifying homes so that as our grid greens, homes can reduce their emissions. For decades the thinking was the other way around because electricity, especially coal powered, was dirty and burning gas on site reduced emissions compared to the conventional grid. However, thinking has now flipped particularly after the signing of Paris agreement. Buildings on natural gas will not be able to take advantage of positive changes to the grid as much as those that heat with electricity.

Idea:

Can we make it easier for disabled people to travel throughout the city? I'm on the outskirts but within city limits, yet have to spend $40 to get to the city for things like doctor's appointments or even picking up the mail since Canada Post takes everything to the Superstore and makes me go sign for it.

I can't afford nor trust a mobility scooter so I work with what I have to get to the community mailbox. What I have is a golf cart I've built into a mobility aid. I shouldn't have a life sentence of house arrest for the crime of being disabled and unable to push a wheelchair 20km with one hand. I couldn't do that on a flat paved trail and then add hills and gravel.

Since the province said "no" to the roads, and the fact I got permission to use the sidewalks in Oromocto when I lived there but being there are no sidewalks this far out, my idea is to allow disabled people to use what they can get that has a top speed under 50km/h on the trails with the speed limit of 15km/h. Let us get out to be independent and support local businesses. A disability shouldn't be a life sentence of house arrest.

As it stands, I get everything delivered from Oromocto since the delivery charge is $12.00 cheaper than any Fredericton delivery. If the city wouldn't be so discriminatory and let us disabled get out and do things for ourselves, depression would fall and you'd see a boost in the local economy which we really need after the past year.

To limit abuse of this system, require a doctor's note stating a mobility aid is required.

The route, for me at least, is pretty simple- Lincoln Trail to Crosstown trail to the Superstore, or Lincoln Trail to campus to the hospital.

If I'm taking out a loan to buy a scooter, I might as well just pay to move my home out of the city to somewhere more accessible.

I'd suggest an annual registration system to show a new doctor's note stating it is still required and pay a $50 fee to get your registration sticker where the funds from that can go to any extra trail wear. A golf cart is designed not to dig in for traction, which is why mine pictured has dot street tires, not mud digging tires so there shouldn't be much, if any trail damages.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your concerns with us. Electric wheelchairs/mobility scooters/e-bikes are currently the only motorized vehicles permitted on the trail system. And while golf cars are not permitted on trails or sidewalks because their width and the speeds they can reach cause safety concerns in terms of other users, we will take your feedback into consideration moving forward. As well, please note that the City operates a Para Transit system to provide mobility service to area residents. Details and registration forms are available at www.fredericton.ca/transit.

Idea:

Lately I have seen a lot of construction sites with no flaggers out even when someone is obstructing the flow of traffic. In the past 2 weeks alone this has included someone working on a manhole in the middle of Regent/Queen intersection, a team of 3 working on a pot hole on Bliss street, and a group working on some construction near the bottom of Wetmore. This poses a hazard both to drivers and to the workers. To my understanding, workplace safety best practices require flaggers if construction forces workers onto the road way. My concern is someone could get hurt by a distracted driver or by making an unexpected movement near a driver passing too close. Please work with construction contractors in making sure appropriate safety precautions are taken to protect the workers from injury.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for looking out for workers safety! Construction road safety is extremely important and can be a very complicated topic. The City of Fredericton, Province of New Brunswick and anyone working on these roads are required to follow the procedures in the Work Area Traffic Control Manual (WATCM) or a custom traffic control plan that has been pre-approved.

Prior to work being done in the roadway, a hazard assessment is done to determine what type of traffic control is required. Depending on the duration, a flagger may or may not be required. The reason for this is a balancing between risks: To have a flagger on the road does not eliminate all the risks and can actually sometimes contribute new ones. When a flagger is used, traffic signs must be installed and this puts additional people at risk. So, in some instances of very short-duration work, it is a greater risk to put up signs, place flaggers on the road, and take signs down than it is to do the actual work. In these situations (ie opening a manhole to operate a water valve), a vehicle equipped with a flashing beacon protecting the worker or a dedicated traffic observer can be used instead. Each situation has different risks and protecting workers and the public is always carefully considered. A team effort is made by police, safety committees and workers to correct issues and enforce the regulations.

Idea:

All new apartment buildings should be required to install charging points at all parking spots. Existing apartment buildings should be required to retrofit their parking places to allow for charging. City parking meters should be retrofitted to allow for charging of electric vehicles.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for this suggestion! With respect to Electric Vehicle Charging infrastructure for Multi-Unit developments, city staff have been monitoring how other municipalities have been addressing the matter. There are varied approaches, and requirements seem to be more prevalent in larger municipalities where the respective provincial governments promote “subsidies” for electric vehicle ownership. City Staff will continue to track the trend, particularly with mid-sized municipalities which will help to inform how we approach future amendments in the Zoning By-Law in this regard.

As for City meters, staff is monitoring the use of autonomous and connected vehicles in accordance with our Parking Master Plan (2019) recommendations. Parking equipment and regulations will be updated and modernized in alignment with changes to vehicle technology and usage. In other words, as we replace old equipment, we'll modernize the meters and associated technology to allow people to plug in their vehicles.

Ideas:

Our utilities payment system in the city is antiquated. It's not environmentally responsible nor is it reliable. In 2021, it should be possible to sign up for email bills and to set up automatic credit card or direct deposit electronically, without the need take time off work to come in person into the office at least once and print off a form (particularly as fewer people have printers these days). The credit card payment system is particularly problematic as it takes you to an ancient SNB website that looks like it hasn't been updated in over a decade where if you make a single error in your data input the payment won't apply correctly and you have to do that by hand 4 times a year! In 2021, we should be able to automate this so that you set it up once and it automatically charges the card. Please upgrade our billing systems. They're out of the 00s and not appropriate to a modern city.

Staff Feedback:

Hi, Sarah! We agree that improvements are needed in our bill payment system, and our team has been working on several fronts to do just that. In fact, we are currently working on a project to modernize the utility billing system and expect to have electronic billing and better online payment options rolled out later this year. Thanks for your comments, and please trust that we are working hard to make our billing system work better for residents.

Idea:

It's great to consider adding new infrastructure, but we should be maintaining the existing trails at a higher standard. I just biked around the 'two bridge' loop and the amount of garbage on the path is phenomenal. Ideally, a thorough pick up would occur in early May before the underbrush has a chance to grow. A lot of trash from the winter has already been temporarily covered up. After that, it could be a student job to do a daily pick on a section of trail at a time.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for letting us know about this, Ray. Our 2021 summer students just joined our team and one of them is specifically assigned to trails for the very purpose of dealing with garbage on the ground, emptying trash cans and other duties related to general cleanliness. Parks & Trees is aware of your message and they've pledged to deal with that particular section of trail asap.

Idea:

Reading your response to a question about the stone bridge at Sunset and Main made me wonder if steps will be taken to keep the character of the bridge intact during the work described. Here is the response I reference: "Thanks for reaching out! The state of the fence next to the Stone Bridge has been reviewed by City staff and we agree it has issues. Looking ahead, our engineering dept has infrastructure renewal (water & sewer pipes / roadway & sidewalk replacement) planned for that area in the next 5 years. As this reconstruction comes down Royal Road and through the intersection with Sunset Drive, this section of Main Street will be rebuilt by changing the sidewalks and the roadway to match with the City's Main Street Plan. Reconstructing and improving the fencing along this section will be part of the work we'll do."

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your question. Road bridges in the Province of New Brunswick are owned and maintained by the New Brunswick Department of Transportation and Infrastructure. The rehabilitation of the bridge would therefore be something that NBDTI would be responsible for and manage. When we plan our road work in the coming years, we will reach out to NBDTI on the coordination of the work at the Main Street end with the structure. So, we'll know more then. To date, we have not heard of any rehabilitation plans for that structure.

Idea:

Increasing incentives to include solar and other energy initiatives in building permits and grants. Similar to the solar array on FHS. Solar panel windows: https://earthtechling.com/solar-windows/#:~:text=Solar%20windows%20are%20exactly%20what%20their%20name%20implies.,to%20making%20this%20solar%20power%20dream%20a%20reality

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your suggestion! In most jurisdictions across Canada, municipalities are able to provide a program called Property Assessed Clean Energy in which the municipality acts as a loan guarantor for residents wishing to add solar to their homes. The resident pays off the loan over time through increased property tax payments. If the resident sells their home, the payment stays with the new owner on the property tax bill as the beneficiary of the solar panels. However, due to restrictive provincial legislation outlined in the New Brunswick Local Governance Act, municipalities in New Brunswick are the only municipalities in Canada unable to provide PACE or PACE-like programming. It is in the province’s Climate Change Action Plan to change this legislation, but no action has been taken so far. The City supports a change in the legislation to allow for PACE programming and believes a change should be made when the Act is opened during municipal reform.

On a more positive note, a provincial non-profit is working with utilities to apply for funding to study a work-around of this legislation using an alternative loan guarantor. The City remains engaged in discussions about this application and a potential alternative pathway forward that will support our residents in reducing their environmental impact.

And please keep your eyes open for the City's new Community Energy and Emissions Plan, to be discussed by Council in April. The plan will outline our approach to working with local residents and businesses to reduce energy-use and emissions between now and 2030.

Idea:

The busiest section of Regent street inconsistently loses 1 lane of traffic for one block. Parked/stopped cars cause bottlenecks, forced last-minute merging, and confusion. With skip the dishes, taxis, more cars are using the evening allowance of street parking to quickly pop in to restaurants (even sometimes outside the allowed street parking hours). Each time it completely halts traffic in the northbound right lane, causing back-ups, quick merges in a busy downtown block. As Regent street is a highway, I don't understand why that one block of all areas is allowed to have street parking. Flowing access to the bridge, and Queen street (east and west bound) should take precedence.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your thoughtful question! Downtown Fredericton Inc. approached the City in 2015 about starting a pilot project to permit off-peak parking on Regent Street in order to better support local businesses. A second goal of this project was to reduce traffic speeds in this high pedestrian area during those times of day when there is less traffic and drivers are tempted to speed up. Allowing parking on curb lanes during the evening when there is less traffic is common in larger cities because it tends to slow traffic down and provides for a more efficient use of roadway infrastructure.

Council approved the pilot project with the expectation that staff would monitor collision activity, travel speeds, potential impact of parking violations on traffic flow during peak periods. A review of the traffic data collected has shown that travel speeds have reduced when parked cars are present, and that there had been very low collision activity on this block following the implementation of the pilot project. This is why City Council's Transportation Standing Committee opted to make the pilot project permanent in 2018.

In terms of continuous travel northbound, we encourage drivers to use one of the two continuous through lanes on Regent Street towards St. Anne's Point Drive. It is recommended to use the left most through lane in the evenings so that you avoid any parked cars on Regent Street.

Hope this explains where we’re coming from on this – and thanks again for your comments.