Chinatown residents vow to derail LRT proposal

Edmonton's Chinatown residents will continue to fight athe proposed downtown LRT collector route which, they say, willsplit their community.

After public meetings and consultations, city planners are sticking with the original proposed route along 102nd Avenue, through the gates to Chinatown, residents learned at an open house Wednesday night.

"We are not happy about it," said Young Quan.

The community worries theline would divide the neighbourhood, separating residents of a Chinese seniors home from cultural centres across the street.

Community leaders had wanted the cityto move the line one block overto 102 A Avenue.

The city examined both routes, saidplanners.

"It doesn't come down to one item, but rather through that evaluation process and the criteria that we have under all those categories,"saidAdam Laughlin. "The cumulative effect of those, 102nd performs better than 102 A."

Plannersaltered the original plans significantly after talking with the community, avoiding culturally important buildings and narrowing the footprint of the LRTon 102nd Avenue, said Laghlin.

"Anytime you're planning the LRT a major road projectthere's goingto be challenges, tradeoffs," said Laughlin. "There's never a 100 per cent perfect solution."

The proposed line willgo to the city's transportation committee in November, before moving onto city council.

"We still like to voice our concern andI hope they listen," said Barbara Fung.