By Justin Swan (this article originally appeared in the October 2021 edition of the New Edinburgh News)
One feature that makes New Edinburgh unique is its lanes. Mostly hidden to passing visitors, the lanes are interesting walking routes that offer a slow, human-scale contrast to the city.
The old homes, charming garages, trees, and hydro poles pushed up against the narrow quiet streets are an important anchor of local heritage.
Last year, after a few people decorated poles on River Lane with lights, others started to do the same. The effort spread to people’s homes and backyards facing the lane and it gradually became a nightly winter walking route for many residents.
Moving forward, we want to make it even better and we need your help to make it happen. Over time, the hope is to have every house, apartment, tree, and fence facing the “New Ed Lane Loop” to be decorated with lights during the holiday season.
The path including Avon Lane, School Lane, and River Lane creates a loop when you include the short section of Dufferin Road connecting Avon and River Lanes. Let’s light up the loop and make it a memorable winter tradition!
Our vision: Make the New Ed Lane Loop a memorable winter holiday walk for the community. It is:
- a novel way for people to socialize, connect, and create shared memories
- a new perspective of the neighbourhood
- a fun and lasting annual tradition
We need your help! Please complete our two-question survey: bit.ly/laneloopsurvey
Justin Swan and his wife Lindsey MacKinnon have lived on River Lane for six years with their two children.