Tell Us Your Big Idea!

Idea:

Every year winter comes and the city struggles to keep the sidewalks clear for the public. They turn to icy sheets and many injure themselves slipping and falling on them. In some cases people are literally trapped in their homes because the sidewalks are too dangerous for them to go out. We have the technology to fix this, and reduce the city's liability as well as reducing the injury rates. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-rWIfK0ifA&fbclid=IwAR0v7_pN5O-AMDs-fh3PlLzzyazzS8oxm0QfIK7NEQngvaxxB82NwotgQdQ&ab_channel=OttawaCitizen

Staff Feedback:
Thanks for your idea! The City is currently investigating options to break ice on municipal sidewalks that our current equipment is unable to do. The Roadway Operations Dept is working with equipment suppliers to use temporary demonstration units to verify their efficacy in our climate. This is to ensure the equipment is suitable for our use prior to any long term investment the City may make in this type of technology.

Idea:

The River is a beautiful amenity to the city and the reason it exists in the first place. Develop more places for adults and children to connect with the river front/ shoreline. Encouraging that connection to the river will foster pride and appreciation for this place we live.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea - and we agree! The Saint John River was one of the top assets identified by residents during public consultation for the City Centre Plan : https://www.fredericton.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/municipal_plan/by-law_no_z-10_-_schedule_a.pdf. The plan identifies the lack of connection to the water in the downtown area and key long term strategies to improve this (see pages 21, 37, 42).

On the north side of the river, the 2017 Carlelton Park Plan https://www.fredericton.ca/en/city-hall/plans-processes/park-plans#CarletonPark identifies strategies to stabilize the rivers edge and establish a more people focused connection with the river including seating along the shoreline (see pages 20, 21).

Idea:

There are some locations where cyclists are an afterthought or not thought about at all (e.g. Prospect/Regent). To make things safer for everyone, can we think more about cyclists when we redesign intersections. At many intersections cyclists can either become pedestrians or engage in full traffic, which in some places is outright dangerous.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your feedback. As we continue forward with major transportation upgrades, pedestrians and cyclists will be considered as important roadway users to support the City’s goal of having a more balanced transportation network.

Idea:

Please finish connecting the Cross Town Trail from Westmoreland Street to Regent. Once complete it will be a much safer route to bike across town, especially with young kids going to Connaught Street School. The York Street crossing is particularly challenging and the pedestrian light is on the opposite side of the street. There is a random path behind the Sobey's which is unofficial but heavily used.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea, and we agree this is a very important gap in Fredericton's active transportation network. There are currently a couple of land ownership constraints that are impacting our ability to fill some of these gaps. However, these issues are being actively worked on so that hopefully within the next couple years residents and visitors will be able to enjoy a completed Crosstown Trail.

Idea:

Create a north/south connector over the river for cyclists and pedestrians near where the current old bridge piers stand.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea! We've had many requests over the years to construct a 2nd dedicated walking bridge at this location using the former piers. A bridge engineering consultant was retained in 2017 and ultimately estimated that the cost to construct a pedestrian bridge here would be in the order of $45 million dollars, similar to the cost of simply building a new dedicated pedestrian bridge. The Bridge Piers are over 100 years old and have not been maintained for almost 40 years. Given the very high price tag for this type of upgrade, there are no current plans to move this project forward.

An alternative plan that the City will be exploring in the years ahead will be to evaluate the feasibility of widening the sidewalk on the Westmorland Street bridge to better accommodate walkers and cyclists. This would also likely require a significant capital investment (into the millions of dollars), but we feel it would be a major enhancement to further promote active transportation crossing the River and, if feasible, may be a candidate for funding from all levels of government.

Idea:

With our hot, dry summers, a ban on the construction of new, private swimming pools would help to make us a leader in water conservation.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea! Fredericton is actually in very good shape in terms of its water use: Municipal records show that City-wide consumption has actually been dropping by a noticeable percentage year after year. Moreover, because we have a universal metering system, residents can see how much water they are using and thus control their water bill by cutting down on the amount of water they use.

Idea:

Hanwell has added a designated off leash trail for dog walkers. It is quite successful and it is a shame to have to leave the city to find something like this. Adding one section dedicated to off leash walking in Odell park and/or Killarney Lake park would create a much better atmosphere for the multitude of dog owners in Fredericton. The current off leash “parks” invite injuries (small overcrowded space) with the restriction of places to go. We have such nice trails, making one or more off leash designated would greatly reduce the people who don’t comply with the leashing bylaw and the number of injuries to dogs in the current “park”.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea! The notion of a idea of an off–leash dog area has come up during recent engagement activities on park planning. We've sent your idea to staff in the Planning and Recreations departments as they study the topic.

Idea:

In Germany, Iceland, and much of Scandanavia, saunas and geothermal hot pools are part of the daily routine for people of all ages. Many of them are municipal and outdoors and, since many run on geothermal wells, they don't require a lot of energy. I know we have other aquatic needs but wouldn't it be nice to have a municipal outdoor hot-tub in the dead of winter? Odell park, river front, Queen's Square, Wilmot... We have lots of space, options and smart engineers to figure it out.

Staff Feedback:

A hot tub in the dead of winter does indeed sound awesome! But it’s probably a no-go for Fredericton, unfortunately. The major reason Iceland, for instance, is able to have saunas and geothermal hot pools is because that country sits on a volcanic faultline, so there’s lots of heat in the ground. The other issue with doing something like that in Fredericton, is that it would require drilling through the city’s wellfields that could impact the City’s water supply.

Idea:

I would love to see more places to dispose and even recycle! Especially for walking around with dog waste, would make a big difference :)

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea! The City has located litter bins throughout the downtown and at strategic locations on the trails and at recreational facilities. We do make an effort each year to match the bins to the need and sometimes this results in some yearly changes to the locations. So, while we do keep an eye on this, it helps to get this kind of feedback.

In the past, there have been some pilot programs to test collection of recyclable material, at the trash bin level, but this resulted in contamination of the recyclables. Overall from a recycling perspective, the City provides a curbside program to residential properties under five units and provides larger recycling depots for all other residents of the City of Fredericton. Locations for the recycle depots can be found at: https://www.fredericton.ca/en/waste-recycling/recycling/recycling-depots-for-multi-unit-dwellings

Idea:

Connecting the existing network of trails with good urban one-way protected cycle tracks that are at street level. This would connect commuter cycling with recreational cycling trails, ensuring even more active transportation and less cars on the roads downtown!

Staff Feedback:

We think it's a great idea! We plan to bring a similar concept to Council in 2021 for consideration.