Not-so-Idyl thoughts: City awaits feedback on Idylwyld Drive bike paths, sidewalks

The City of Saskatoon is holding a public consultation Saturday morning on its plan to improve the flow of people and traffic on and across busy Idylwyld Drive.

City planners will be at a booth at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market starting at 9 a.m. CST to answer questions and get feedback about the project's first conceptual plans.

• Saskatoon seeks new vision for Idylwyld Drive

"We're trying to improve the function, the safety, the connectivity for the neighbourhood on either side, the quality of both roadway and the public space along the roadway," said Lesley Anderson, the city's director of planning and development.

An online survey launched earlier this week shows the city is considering a range of options along Idylwyld, between the drive's intersections with 20th Street and 25th Street.

Those options include widened sidewalks for pedestrians and continuous bike paths on both sides of the drive extending from 20th Street to 23rd Street.

"I expect that we'll get a lot information from people and a lot of strong options as well," said Anderson.   

She added that city would also like to cut down the waiting time for people crossing the drive at 20th Street. The wait can sometimes last more than two minutes. The city could like to cut that down by as much as one minute.

Ward 2 city councillor Hilary Gough is all for that.

"I've seen many people cross halfway and stand on the median. That's not safe," said Gough.  

"It's a very uncomfortable thing to watch and probably and very uncomfortable thing  to do. So I think anything we can do to reduce that instinct [is] a great priority."

The online survey is open until June 23.

The city will be at its booth today until 1 p.m.