Choice

There are many reasons why people want to ride bicycles (it's a healthy and cheap way to get around, it's becoming increasingly fashionable and it's just plain fun) and many reasons why people don't want to ride (Calgary's infamous weather, they don't feel safe on the road, their commute will be too far or they have too much stuff to carry.) But this isn't about persuading you to ride a bicycle. This is about providing Calgarians with more choices by making it safer and more convenient to cycle in Calgary.

Everyone likes the freedom to choose, be it in education, health care or transportation. Of course, our choices are often constrained by time and money. But when it comes to cycling, these are very often secondary factors. From an economic standpoint, bicycles are simply more cost-effective than vehicles. When you add up the cost of a new or used vehicle, insurance, registration, gas and maintenance, the cost is significant, and for many Calgarians, it is prohibitive. The wide availability and cost of bicycles provides another option for Calgarians who either can't afford a vehicle, want to make a conscious choice to not rely on a car (or to only rely on one car), want to take advantage of the health benefits of cycling, or simply want to cut down on their transportation costs.

Cycling is also a practical year-round alternative to other transportation options. And yes, this is still an option for many even in Calgary! The City clears over 150 km of key pathway sections during the winter to help make year-round commuting easier, safer and more practical. And while cycling every day even through the winter is not an option many people want to take, it is still an option that's available. And it should be a safe option for those who choose it.

Making Calgary more bike friendly means more transportation choice for everyone.

Safety

According to research by the City of Calgary, the primary reason why most people don't cycle is safety. As outlined in the Cycling Strategy, 80% of Calgarians don't feel safe riding on Calgary's roads. The lack of cycling infrastructure and the lack of education for cyclists and motorists forces many Calgarians into cars and buses, even though 59% of people surveyed stated they'd like to bike more often. In the 2011 Ipsos Reid "Canada's Pulse" poll, 19% of Calgarians said they'd consider riding a bike to work if the Cycling Strategy improvements were implemented.

Improved bike paths, cycle tracks, bike lanes and bike boxes, together with cyclist and driver education will make Calgary safer for cyclists. And through the well-documented "safety in numbers" effect, it will become even safer as more Calgarians feel comfortable riding their bicycles. Even if you don't ride a bicycle yourself, you probably know someone who does, and you are concerned for their safety. And if you drive, you're probably concerned for the safety of the cyclists you pass on the road -- unless you're really callous! It is also well documented that more cyclists and more cycling infrastructure such as bike lanes make our roads safer, not just for cyclists, but also for other road users. And it doesn't take any research to realise that whenever someone chooses to ride a bicycle instead of driving a car, that's one less car on the road that might hit you or someone you love.

Making Calgary more bike friendly will make Calgary's roads safer for cyclists and non-cyclists alike.

Health

Health, and the costs of health care, are an important concern for Calgarians. Rates of obesity and illnesses associated with it, such as heart disease and diabetes are on the rise throughout Canada and in Calgary particularly. Encouraging active lifestyles is an important part of making Calgarians healthier, and cycling more for transportation is one simple way to adopt a more active lifestyle.

More Calgarians cycling doesn't just make those Calgarians healthier who do choose to cycle to work, school, or the grocery store. It benefits others as well. If more people ride a bicycle rather than drive, even if it's just for a few days a week or a few months a year, will make Calgary's roads less congested and will have positive impacts on air and noise pollution. And less stress while driving and better air will positiviely impact the health of non-cyclists as well. Healthier Calgarians adoping active lifestyles will also result in lower health insurance costs for all and less sick days, and thus increase the productivity of Calgary's workforce, and improve the performance of Calgary's students. Even if you don't want to cycle yourself for whatever reason, someone you know might, if only Calgary's streets were safer for cyclists. This will mean less reason for you to worry about the health of a loved one, or less additional work for you to cover for a colleague at work who's out sick.

One worry you may have is that the increased risk of injury while riding a bicycle outweighs the health benefits of cycling. It is true that the risks of injury are higher than if you are driving a car, but they're about the same as when you walk. And numerous studies have shown that in the long run the health benefits outweigh the risks.

Making Calgary more bike friendly means health benefits we all profit from.

(Read more on helath and safety benefits at the
National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and MacLean's magazine.)

Savings

It's clear that cycling is one of the cheapest ways of getting around that there is, espcially when you compare it to the cost of owning, operating, and parking a car. However, getting more people on bikes also results in savings for everyone else.

Whenever someone chooses to ride a bicycle instead of driving a car, they decrease traffic congestion (making everyone else's commute faster and less frustrating), they reduce the wear and tear on Calgary's roads, they reduce the risk of someone getting hit by the car they're not driving, they reduce Calgary's parking space needs, and they reduce noise and air pollution which also carries costs for the general public.

Because more people cycling makes Calgary's streets safer, it reduces the health-care costs associated with traffic injuries and the costs of policing. And because cycling has proven health benefits, it decreases the long-term health-care costs associated with sedentary lifestyles, obesity and heart disease.

(Read more on the return on investment in cycling infrastructure at Cycling Vision Ottawa.)

If you've thought about commuting by bike, or want to cycle more but have questions, be sure to view the FAQ section. Many of your questions will be answered there. Likewise, if you think bicycles belong only on the pathways and not on the road, the FAQs answer a lot of common myths and misunderstandings about cycling in Calgary.