Killarney residents welcome new sidewalks but not the disruption
While Killarney residents in southwest Calgary welcome new sidewalks, some say the city should have replaced them one at a time, instead of ripping them all up at once.
"It is chaotic to me," said Remy Planchar, as he walked up a street in the inner-city neighbourhood.
The city should have focused on one block at a time, he said as he was forced to weave from one side of the road to the other to avoid barricaded areas where the sidewalk had been ripped up.
Others in the area agree.
"Maybe if they'd concentrated on a block at a time and maybe ripped everything up, put everything back in and then moved on to the next sidewalk," said Heather Mansfield.
She is forced to cross the road frequently to avoid the holes in the sidewalk while pushing her young son in a buggy.
More cost-effective, says councillor
There's a reason the city tears up all the sidewalks at once, according to Ward 8 Coun. Evan Woolley, who represents the area.
"It's more cost-effective that way," he said. "We want to keep the costs as low as we possibly can on these projects."
Woolley says he understands the frustration some residents are feeling but the work is progressing nicely and should be finished within the two months allocated for the program.
"Be patient — this is a good news thing," Woolley said.
"We're going to have new sidewalks in some of the neighbourhoods within the inner city that have been waiting many, many years."
