Edmonton Freezeway

[SebC]

(For those who don't want to / can't watch the video, the Freezeway is a essentially a proposed skating pathway.)

Celebrating the magnificence of the winter season in the urban environment, the 11km year-round greenway, combats the typical sedentary nature of the season by creating a winter skating lane that allows you to skate to work, the Oilers arena, or simply just to have fun.

I'm not sure if I should be making fun of Edmonton because they don't have Chinooks, or if this is actually a good idea that Calgary could use too.

http://www.cudc.kent.edu/cold/index....ition/winners/

I'm curious as to what you guys think about this.

[ken0042]

What do you do with your skates when you get to the Oilers game? (Other than be concerned they might try to draft you.)

[Cowboy89]

I would be concerned with how the ice conditions are expected to be maintained (and the ensuing costs) for that long a stretch of skating infrastructure. On the surface though it sounds like a pretty cool idea. I would love to skate on something like that.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Good on Edmonton for trying something interesting/different. Edmonton has fallen so far behind Calgary in the last decade so they've got a lot of catching up to do.

[Nage Waza]

Ottawa utilizes their canal system heavily in winter for people to skate as a serious form of transportation. Going back and forth between Ottawa U and Carleton is about 8 kilometers and easily done.

http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/plac...canal-skateway

Considering Calgary has had a tough time implementing bike lanes, where can we put a 'skating lane'?

[worth]

I think this is a fantastic idea and would love to see something like this in Calgary. Good on you Edmonton, hope it happens.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Good on Edmonton for trying something interesting/different. Edmonton has fallen so far behind Calgary in the last decade so they've got a lot of catching up to do.

To be clear, this idea is just a submission to a competition looking for ways for cities to embrace winter. It's no so much something that Edmonton is trying, rather it's a suggestion for Edmonton made by an Edmontonian (but may not have actually been suggested to the city).

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Nage Waza

Considering Calgary has had a tough time implementing bike lanes, where can we put a 'skating lane'?

Next to the Bow River pathway is the first thought that comes to mind for me.

[Fobulous]

In theory this sounds like a fun idea; however, I doubt it would ever work. Freezing a lake or a section of a river that allows people to skate a few kms seems easy enough, but freezing a pathway would require way more maintenance.

[WhiteTiger]

This seems like a neat idea. I'd likely use it for fun if Calgary had one.

[RT14]

Whether it happens or not, that's a cool idea. Unlike the using existing water ways like in Ottawa, this proposed path would be right along city streets and businesses. It would be a blast to be able to skate to the store and back!

[Zarley]

It's a nice idea, but I can't see it being very practical.

[stampsx2]

Really good idea. I would use it a lot. Some of our walkways are already partially ice covered all winter. Leave the outdoor rinks to hockey and walkways to leisure skating.

[Oil Stain]

Originally Posted by ken0042

What do you do with your skates when you get to the Oilers game? (Other than be concerned they might try to draft you.)

Check out my new invention:




Anyhoo. There would be some maintenance involved in this idea no doubt. I think it would probably get used quite a bit initially. Not sure if it would have sustain. If I lived and worked downtown I would definitely be interested in skating to work.

[Northendzone]

Throw ice down on every other street in the core, watch the hilarity as drivers attempt to interact with skaters......

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

Check out my new invention:

I guess I need to spell out the logistics for you then:

- Would security want you bringing in something sharp like skates into the arena? They won't even let me keep the lid for my bottle of pop.

- Have you ever had to lug something that big into an arena? Where do you put it during the game? It would be uncomfortable under the seats, and I wouldn't want to leave a $500 pair of skates lying around when I go for a beer.

It's a neat idea, but I just can't see it working out for some of the applications they suggested. Being able to skate as a commute; possibly.

[#-3]

love the idea, might be hard to maintain. But if they can that's great. Edmonton was bound to have a class idea for once.

[sun]

Sounds kinda dumb to me.

[starseed]

I thought Druh wanted to do that in Calgary a few years ago.

[Kipper is King]

It sounds like a really cool idea, but there are certainly some challenges for such a project.
If the path isn't nice and level, rush hour will turn into Red Bull Crashed Ice! Also, I can imagine the legal challenges to the city would be huge if pedestrians/skaters get injured. Also, as others have mentioned, who would handle the maintenance? If the city would, the cost of flooding that skateway would be pretty great.

It is a really wonderful idea, and I think it would be cool to see Edmonton give it a shot, but I don't think it will ever come to fruition.