Expanded Bike Paths Target Commuters
May 26, 2009
Calgary Herald
Eva Feguson
CALGARY - A larger, more user-friendly pathway system has been created by the city at a cost of $5 million with the intent of attracting more cyclists.
City officials will now be watching for a spike in the number of commuters trading cars for bikes.
The three-year undertaking has created a mix of bike lanes, shared lanes and special signals allowing cyclists to stop traffic along secondary routes.
As well, several stretches within the city's bike pathway system have been repaired and rebuilt after flooding damage destroyed them in 2005.
"It's part of making the whole system better for commuting," said Doug Marter, manager of planning and development for city parks.
"The number of cyclists has been increasing consistently over the last few years. But now we're seeing higher usage in the winter months as well."
Counters and surveyors will set up at high-traffic locations during peak times over the next several months to see if cycling numbers have gone up and which areas are more popular.
After a series of improvements completed over the 2008 summer season, on-street bike routes have been upgraded along seven secondary routes.
A long stretch of 26th Avenue S. W. between Sarcee Trail and 14th Street now has markings for shared bike lanes, and there is a section of exclusive bike lanes east of 37th Street S. W. where residents are no longer able to park.
"This was a section of the road where not a lot of people were parking anyway, so we were able to make it into a bike lane, dedicated to bikes only," said Marter.
On 50th Avenue S. W., at intersections west of Macleod Trail, traffic signals have been added exclusively for cyclists allowing them to stop traffic in a matter of seconds so they can continue through.
A handful of secondary routes will see more work done this season, including 5th Avenue N. W. from 9A Street to 29th Street, with a combination of shared lanes and bike lanes to be added and an improved bike path connection at Uxbridge Drive.
Meanwhile, the parks department has completed work on a number of pathway upgrades, most of which were sections destroyed by flooding in the spring of 2005.
The pathway along the Bow River, paralleling Deerfoot Trail between Southland Drive and Glenmore Trail, was refurbished last year and is ready to go. Concrete retaining walls have been erected to prevent damage should another major flood occur, said Marter.
In the northwest, the bike pathway through Bowmont Park, from Varsity to Montgomery, has been upgraded.
Several missing links on pathways in all quadrants of the city have also been built in.
Work will continue on upgrading bike paths paralleling 52nd Street S. E. between 17th Avenue and Glenmore Trail, helping an increasing number of commuters in the city's southeast industrial areas.
Alex MacKenzie, a mechanic at the Bike Shop who cycles to work every day, says he appreciates the work the city's done so far, but adds that so much more has to be done.
"The bike lanes are helpful when people don't park in them, but people always do. We need better enforcement to prevent people from parking, but that's not happening."
MacKenzie adds that more parking also needs to be made available at collection nodes, such as Edworthy Park, where suburbanites drive, then park so they can cycle to work.
"We need more, larger park and rides like that.I know people that drive 10 kilometres away from their house and downtown, just so they can cycle into work."
Frans Hettinga, co-chairman for the Calgary Pathway Advisory Council and a member of Bike Calgary, also regularly commutes to work.
He says many bike lanes lose their bike-only markings over the winter, because they're covered in gravel and scraped off. He suggests the city look into different coloured paving along bike lanes, like green or red as is done in some European and American cities.
"If we want a real change in this city, we have to be willing to spend a little money and do it right. It's probably more ex-pensive to redo the same thing over and over, rather than do it right the first time."
Over the next few weeks, city bylaw officers will also be out in full force checking cyclists' speed with radar.
Congested, higher-risk areas like Eau Claire, the zoo and Edworthy Park, coming in toward the core, will have radar set up on a regular basis, says Bill Bruce, director of animal and bylaw services.
Cyclists will be ticketed $50 if they're speeding at an unreasonable rate, higher than 20 km/h, and if they refuse the bike bell always offered to them by bylaw services.
"Our goal is compliance, so we'll offer a bell before a ticket," says Bruce. "We just want to make sure the paths are safe."
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