Tell Us Your Big Idea!

Idea:

Please consider having a indoor playarea for kids around brookside mall area. For everything going to the south side is a bit challenging with a busy schedule. A community center with am indoor walking track and a swimming pool pls on the north side. Seriously need to have more kid friendly activities on the north side.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your idea, (and we apologize for somehow managing to miss your submission when you first posted it!). The City is currently working on a Recreation and Leisure Master Plan that will guide and manage the direction of recreation and leisure services, program, events, facilities, parks, open spaces, and other recreation amenities. The Plan will provide clear direction to City Council and staff regarding the use, development, redevelopment, enhancement, and/or delivery of recreation facilities, programs, and services. You can keep track of progress on the plan HERE. There will be opportunities for you to weigh in via a public survey in early February and an in-person workshop later in the year. In the meantime, we've shared your comments with the project team.

Idea:

The city needs to add better signage on Waterloo row for the underpass so trucks don't get stuck. It happened on 2 occasions this summer that a truck carrying new vehicles got wedged under it which had fire rescue out to help resolve. It's also on a weekly basis that a truck stops traffic to reroute. I feel this is an easy solution for the city to add better signage ahead of the underpass closer to the intersection on forest hill so they know ahead of time. The cost of signs < cost of city services.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your Big Idea! We've shared it with the team at City Engineering and Operations.

Idea:

Bus route, but a long term goal of a seperated light rail line or street car. Would require bridges at foot of Regent and Smythe. Both bridges would be multi use. Cars, Bikes and Transit. Bridge Architecture, built to be art pieces/culture/tourist attractions. Creates a recognizable identity of the city like the Manhattan Bridge, the Lions Gate bridge, Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, Puente de la Mujer, or Frederictons own Walking Bridge. Hold an international competition. Create something attention grabbing. Most other transit lines should touch or cross through this central transit loop. Build in 3 phases. This line would better connect the North and South, allow removal of the feeders along the river for the Westmoreland Bridge and open important water frontage for development. You could have another Bus Loop from the Westmorland Bridge along the South Side to the Princess Margaret Bridge and then along the river on the North side back to the Westmorland Bridge. Again, just connect other routes through this loop to transfer and cross the river. Thanks for all you're doing. Please, be bold. Excited to see Sunday bus service soon.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for this thoughtful idea! We shared it with the team at Fredericton Transit and they loved your vision and appreciated your interest and support as they work to improve transit options in the City. While light rail / street car requires a great deal of infrastructure (including electrification) and would need to be supported by high ridership levels in order to justify the cost, the team at Transit share your desire to be bold in order to create a system that works for everyone. Thanks again for sharing your insights - it's truly appreciated.

Idea:

Each business can donate some money to support one light ‘picture’ for the weeks leading up to and a bit after Christmas. This can be a cartoon character, Santa, Christmas tree, train, their logo etc! Be made from rope lights to create the picture. The business could have a little sign in front of the light to say what it is and who donated the money for it. They would be displayed on the walking trail by the river so people can walk through and admire the lights with kids, dogs, significant others etc. Allow for companies/businesses to promote themselves but also add a little Christmas cheer! I added a picture to help get the idea across :)

Staff Feedback:

Thank you so much for this very cool idea! We've shared it with staff as well as with our colleagues at Downtown Fredericton Inc and Business Fredericton North who represent businesses in the downtown core.

Idea:

Yes I know this is a cliché for what citizens want, they've been asking for the same thing for years. But I would like to highlight the community building aspect of such a project. Sitansisk FN, and the city could both use this multi-modal connection to bridge the gap in the cumminities and allow for more integration in activities. It would be for both communities to use. The bridge pillars may be historical, or aesthetic, but like the Bill Thorpe we could adapt this bridge for the benefit of the community.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your idea! The City has received many questions about the old Carleton Street Bridge Piers and the ability to reuse them to build a new pedestrian connection from Carlton Street to Devonshire Drive. This would create another connection across the river that could improve active transportation in the City and create another potential urban trail loop system.

In 2018, the City hired an Engineering Design firm to develop a concept for building a bridge at this location. As part of the study they identified that the existing piers could not support a new bridge without being rebuilt and they also developed two approaches to advance this idea.

• The first path was to rebuild the existing piers and then place the bridge sections on the existing rebuilt piers.
• The second path was to construct new piers immediately down river of them and then construct the bridge sections on the new piers.

Costs to do either option where estimated at about the same, the major cost for the project was building and installing the approximate 700m of bridge and deck between the 104^th Regiment of Foot Bridge and the existing bridge abutment on Devonshire Drive. In 2018, the cost to construct a pedestrian bridge at this location was approximately $45 Million. There are currently no plans to advance this project.

In 2019 and 2020, the City partnered with the Provincial and Federal Governments to rehabilitate the deck of the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge. This rehabilitation cost approximately $4 Million. Below is the link to a CBC story on the Carleton Street pedestrian bridge project.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/walking-bridge-fredericton-city-1.4664960

Idea:

Cities across Canada, notably the very beautiful city of Montréal are pedestrianizing downtown streets for the summertime to make the downtown more appealing to its citizens. The city should implement time limited openings of at least 1 major, and popular street so people can better enjoy the events in the summer. Queen street links most of these events together.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your suggestion to increase pedestrian street events in our downtown. In 2015, the City of Fredericton adopted the City Centre Plan to help guide our downtown core through a vision and framework for growth and change. One of the key strategies in this plan aligns with your idea for increased pedestrian street events, specifically titled “The Queen & Carleton Cultural Corridors” (section 3.5). We have identified Carleton Street as the primary location for these activities and plan on improving the pedestrian infrastructure of this corridor when feasible. If you’re interested, you can read through the Plan to review the many exciting and unique strategies we have proposed throughout the City Centre.

The City of Fredericton will continue to work with our adopted plans, advocate for more pedestrian activities, and facilitate improvements to the City Centre. This work is always ongoing and we hope to bring forth greater pedestrian engagement in our downtown. We appreciate you taking the time to voice your support!

Idea:

Would there be a way to safely connect the trail system with the YMCA? Many people visit the YMCA by bike, but the intersection Dundonnald & York is difficult to navigate, particularly with kids. Thanks

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your Big Idea! We've shared it with the team in Traffic Engineering.

Idea:

The city transit agency has been implementing tech solutions to improve service, but I have not seen this over powered solution in their plans. Fredericton has been having issues with ridership, and costs of running the buses. An outstanding way to encourage people to fill in those empty bus seats is to create and advertise a fare cap for either a day, a week, or a month of riding. After someone goes over the monthly number of let's say 40-50 rides the rest of the month is free. This way the city will get a steady stream of income from a bigger base of people wishing to take advantage of the cap to get around for free at the end of the month for no cost. The city always has to run the buses, so having a fare cap overall will increase revenues by encouraging people to meet the cap every week/month, and the city could get rid of monthly passes to replace it with this system. With the increased revenue you could do more consistent service. This is done in many successful cities like London England, Edmonton Alberta, and is being recommended for Toronto. It could be done through the new debit tap system implemented recently (this I recommend. They're doing debit fare caps in Lethbridge AB a similar city). It would also be a gift to your most loyal customers, increasing overall happiness with the service. This comes at VERY little service cost to the city, so there are only upsides to not only revenue, but to the economic mobility of the poor living here once the initial investment is made.

Staff Feedback:

Thank you for your response and some really great ideas! Right now our goal is to implement technical tools and conduct research to ensure that we plan and provide the proper level of service for the city. At this time we are working to gather information through service technology data, ridership data, and public and business consultations. Once this information is gathered and analyzed, a service plan will be developed for Council’s consideration. Your thoughts have been shared with the team at Transit. Thanks again!

Idea:

This is a fantastic opportunity for the Capital Region and would provide generational investment for our sports infrastructure.

Staff Feedback:

Thanks for your Big Idea. It's been shared with staff.

Idea:

A sculpture on the Green by the art gallery to honour the People of Sistansisk and the Wolastoq Riveré

Staff Feedback:

What a wonderful idea! The City places great value on the work of Indigenous artists. The City currently has in our collection:

• Wood carved mask by Ned Bear, at City Hall
• Painting by Percy Sacobie at City Hall
• Pedway mural by Emma Hassencahl-Perley
• Installation commemorating Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls & Two-Spirit MMIWG2S+ at the Fredericton Convention Centre

As well, we will be installing a large-scale painting by Percy Sacobie in the Fredericton International Airport's departure lounge in August, 2023.

The Beaverbrook Art Gallery recently unveiled a new permanent mural by Mi'kmaq artist Jordan Bennett. It is in the entrance space so the public can walk in and see it for free.

Thanks again for your thoughts. We hope to add even more artworks by Indigenous artists to the City's collection!