Quote:
Originally Posted by RyLucky
What's the next step? One of the biggest and most visible changes I've seen lately in North American cities is BIKES. Bike lanes and bikesharing has popped up even towns and small cities I did not expect. Last week I visited Madison WI and was blown away by their bike infrastructure. Wisconsin is one of the coldest states with the most snow! Given the relatively minuscule cost of improving bike infrastructure, it's a no brainer.
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I agree with your comments but particularly this: I am in Ottawa for a trip and the amount of bike-lanes, pathways and bicycles on the streets rivals Calgary during the hours of Sled Island, which is possibly the most cycle-heavy our streets get in a year. Big difference: Ottawa seems to have dedicated slivers of many major roads to bicycle lanes. Shoulders are signed to give the "thumbs-up" to use by bicycles. See the recent hilarity and over response a few cyclists get when they do the same thing at rush-hour on Crowchild Trail known as the "CrowBomb" meant to show cars how much easier it is to get around on a bike. Pandemonium ensues and calls of "unsafe" driving on the part of the cyclist who used to shoulder lanes to pass ~400 odd cars gridlocked on Crowchild in rush hour. Complete with Global helicopter coverage. Unreal.
Link to twitter
I don't know if they have more space and they definitely have a much calmer, less aggressive auto commuter wave existing downtown every day than we do; but the point is they blow Calgary away on physical evidence of promoting cycling. Until the cycle-track network is complete, Calgary is - quite frankly - far behind on promoting the idea that cycling is a real thing except for the thousands who use the river pathway system. Not talking mode share or usage, I am talking on the cultural norm that cycling is a thing. This will change but not soon enough.
If the CrowBomb coverage gives a perfect example of EXACTLY the opposite of your thought on Calgary loosing up regulation and attitudes. It could not be more of an example of how far divided this city can be between the inner core sharing more similarities to Queen West, and everywhere else, which shares more similarities to Houston than the inner city or Queen West. I don't mean in built form, I mean in attitude and culture.
This latest boom does offer signs of hope though. Calgary needs to broaden the base that supports inner city development and the changes that you laud. Secondary nodes, corridors and other focus areas should be incentivized to slide towards urbanity (Marda Loop, Inglewood, Renfrew, University City, Westbrook TOD etc.) rather than suburban-gated model, zoned and sealed as if to protect against a rising tide (Elbow Park, Mount Royal, parts of Hillhurst, Rosedale etc.).
The core inner city area needs more allies to better down-shift from high- speed, fifth-gear urbanism this forum loves and the puttering, first-gear suburbia of the far flung burbs drowning this city on all sides.
The danger is not immediately sprawl itself, but the culture of sprawl that seeks to claw back any of the adventurous, bold and innovative ideas that are being born in Calgary's urban core.