100 Street Funicular — Attraction in Central Core

This is officially called the 100 Street Funicular by press releases and the mayoral grand opening speech. The location is open 24 hours a day if you use the stairs, but the funicular is only operational between 7am to 9pm sadly (yes the same as playground zone hours). Parks and squares are open til 11pm, and the funicular should as well. update it's open 9-5 during holiday hours. Really? For a landmark which isn't manned day or night?!

The funicular operation itself jolts surprisingly when it begins, after a pause longer than a usual elevator would. We'll have to see if there is a cooling mechanism during the summer time, as it's a glass box that would get hot quickly. There is a vent that can be opened, but like a transit bus, if there is no breeze, it could become a major hazard should the funicular break down during the summer (or winter for that matter)

As for the stairs themselves, they are poorly designed. I understand the central portion was made for people to sit and have lunch or something, but there is no regular pattern to them. Parts of the regular stairs are as narrow as wide as a La-Z-boy which means those who are legally blind will have trouble using the stairs when it's busy or when the funicular is out of service.

Being there after 9pm, as many were since the attraction just opened, I saw 3 people stumble a few times down the awkward steps, and these were sighted people.

The funicular may have been added to serve mobility purposes, but it seems to have some fault in its design for other people with mobility issues.

The elevator at the bottom has a major oversight as well. The design does not have a level stop along the sidewalk on Grierson Hill Road, so if you use a wheelchair or stroller and can't take the stairs, you'd have to detour an additional 200m to Low Level Bridge and back to take the elevator.

The city claims this attraction was open on time, but it was not. It was supposed to have been open two months ago. In addition, the funicular was working in November 2016. The elevator at the bottom is also not fully 100% operational and requires additional maintenance work. It shouldn't take 13 months to test the funicular, add an elevator (which still isn't completely working), and construct cosmetic work.

Another oversight is the security of the entire site. Yes, there are cctv cameras, but there are no emergency call stations for a site known for transient homeless campsites and drunken attacks.

Now for the positive... The site offers great new views of the river valley, complete with public art, and connects street level down to the riverside. Right beside it is the Fairmont Hotel Macdonald, a timeless treasure of the...

Wonkavator!

Or funicular... Or even Mechanized River Valley Access as the city officially calls it. Today was the grand opening & what a gorgeous day for it.

I dropped by a couple of hours after the funicular opened to the general public & it wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. However there was a diverse enough group allowing me to see how it would be accepted.

From Promontory Point adjacent to the Hotel MacDonald, the elevator travels slant ways down to a landing point just north of Grierson Hill in forty eight seconds. There's also a set of stairs with well thought out seating spaces throughout. Both routes allow for bicycles to accompany you.

At the base, known as The Promenade, there's an interesting looking art installation along the grass & a path that leads to a bridge. The bridge crosses Grierson Hill, has some unique seating surfaces, and ends with a pretty lookout over the North Saskatchewan River. A set of stairs or traditional vertical elevator allows for an exit onto Grierson Hill street level connecting into the rest of the river valley.

I like the idea of the funicular, as well it's nice to see the city looking for ways to spruce up our river valley in making it more accessible. However the placement seems a little strange to me. There's nowhere to really park a vehicle & head down to the river valley from the upper point. Not without paying for an underground parkade I guess. If you want to drive there & check it out (not everyone lives in the downtown core or within walking distance), you have to start from the lower point south of Shaw Conference Centre on Grierson Hill.

The funicular doesn't take you all the way down into the river valley. You still have to travel down a path, cross a bridge, then take either the elevator or stairs for another stop. If this were placed further west, a funicular could land closer to River Valley Road and actually in the river valley. As it stands right now, there's an indoor version of the funicular 100 metres east inside Shaw Conference Centre.

Nonetheless it's still a great addition to the city & this is only a preliminary opinion. We're still more than a season away before the river valley goes back to being busy again where we can really see how the funicular fits in with...

The funicular is now an integral part of Edmonton cyclists' routes to and across the North Saskatchewan River. it's wonderful that you can put your bike into the funicular and the elevator and get in and out of the river valley. City residents and visitors alike also really enjoy the funicular. We need more of this kind of visionary public experiences in Edmonton! The only problems with the funicular are two: first, is not knowing whether or not it's going to be running. The so-called regular maintenance seems to not be very regular and when it or the elevator are out of commission, it would be better if people knew this before they committed to the descent into the valley. Signage on the south side of the bridge for example would be helpful. Second, is the fact that getting off the senator at the top memes someone on a bicycle or a group of people walking are suddenly trapped on the narrowing sidewalk by the hotel MacDonald with no way to connect to other bicycle routes. This has been identified by various pedestrian and cycling groups. The question is, what will the city...