The new bike lanes on 10 St NW have created a lot of controversy. Remember the words of Mia Birk: toughen up, take heart, and celebrate each and every success. The 10 St lanes are a success, and we should thank the City for it.
- Contact 311 and tell them that you like the bike lanes on 10 St, and want more of them. Call 311 on the phone, email 3-1-1ContactUs@calgary.ca, or fill out the online form. It'll only take a couple of minutes but will have a huge impact.
- Write to the mayor and your alderman, and to the Alderman of Ward 7, Druh Farrell. See here for contact info.
- Use social media: tweet your support, make "Love the bike lanes on 10 St NW" your status on facebook. Use the #yycbike hashtag, and include @nenshi and @cityofcalgary in your tweets.
- Engage the media. The Herald, Sun, Metro, CBC, have all run stories, and they allow user comments. Don't be discouraged or insulted by the naysayers, just add your voice. And remember: be positive! Let's not alienate the driving majority, but tell them why better bike infrastructure is a good thing for all of us.
- The City has a blog post about it up and invites comments; the Herald has a poll -- vote for the lanes!
- You may refer to bikecalgary.org/bikeplan for some ideas.
Bike Calgary sent a press release out last night which you might refer or link to as well.
I think they are great!
Submitted by snazzy_scott on
I think they are great! Could use some more signage so cars know, but it's true every new lane is a little bit of a success!
a new Herald article
Submitted by coolegg on
There is a new Herald article today based on the Mayor's press release acknowledging problems with the roll-out. The article is very prominent (the lead article on the website Friday morning), and bicycle infrastructure is getting smeared badly in the article comments. If you can, take a moment out of your day to extoll the virtues of smart bicycle infrastructure and bicycling on the Herald website.
Sun Bum
Submitted by RichieRich on
I got pretty ticked at yesterdays cover on the Sun with photo of a cyclist and in bold "Bike Lame".
Typical Sun approach to everything progressive.
A Pun Like That...
Submitted by mikewarren on
...won't be passed up by the Sun. If you presume it's "The Onion", I find the Sun is sometimes a decent read ;)
On the City news
Submitted by Richard Z on
On the City news website:
http://www.calgarycitynews.com/2011/10/10-street-nw-bike-lane-pilot-proj...
And the Herald's article today on Nenshi's staement includes a poll:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/travel/Mayor+Nenshi+criticizes+confusing+10...
BIKE LANES
Submitted by howell248 on
THANKX.
Bike lanes are always appreciated by those who valuve the opportunity to exercise and see the world around them.
I got an eMail back.
Submitted by BCDon on
Got a thank you note from the Mayor's office.
Oh and as I live in the SW, I would not normally ever ride this route but I plan to go for a pathway ride this weekend, likely on Saturday and I'll ride the new bike path.
Me too
Submitted by DarrenB on
...but it was pretty non-committal. The letter was very well crafted in that it seemed to support your opinion no matter what you wrote in (i.e. support of the bike lanes or hatred against the bike lanes).
A pleasant surprise was that my alderman's office (Dale Hodges - Ward 1) also replied and actually commented on some of my remarks. At least I know they took the time to read what I prepared, and I was grateful for both responses.