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I was out for a ride today with a friend riding along 9 Ave SE. We passed under the train bridge heading over to the Bow River. I was thinking what a good piece of cycling infrastructure they’d installed, and that it’s maintained in the winter to a reasonable level. Kudos to the City! This little effort to create a well designed underpass that all users can feel safe using makes me want to ride my bike out there, rather than some areas that create a foreboding of dread.
On the other hand I’ve ridden the 42 Ave SE bike lane a few times this winter. While it is well built, it’s maintenance is half-hazard, with long stretches of unplowed snow and ice. I’ve submitted to 311 a week ago but there have been no changes.
They used to be here, but all moved over the Twitter when that was hip.
I do miss the forum and all the characters who used to inhabit here, but it never recovered after the last website update.
If you want to chat with people who ride bikes in the City you have to go outside and find them! There’s so many of us now. You could also go and hang out at Bike Bike if you want the heartbeat of cycle commuting.
A very nice piece of cycling infrastructure has been opened along the Bow River in the East side of the City. This spring (2022) the fences came down on the missing link from Glenmore and the Golf Canada Centre to the Bonnybrook Bridge. It travels the West side of the Bow river through industrial and flood mitigation land. It includes a large tunnel under the railway line and is very approximately about 3+kms long. Makes for some very pleasant loops with the east Bow river pathway with bridges connecting the segments at 17th Ave, Bonnybrook Bridge, Glenmore and Eric Harvey Bridge. Much of these pathways were ridable most of the winter and early in spring making a great place for some early season fitness.
Big thanks to the City of Calgary parks and pathways group for the excellent cycling facilities.
It’s probably too late but I’d read on one of the Facebook Groups that the Sheep River road was closed for Bridge construction. Not sure which bridge?
2022, I just want to give a shout out to the Calgary weather. It’s done a great job this year of clearing the pathways! and roads and lawns.
Since this thread started I’ve ridden Stoney Trail across Fish Creek onto 146 Ave SW then down 53rd St to get across 22 X. I can say without reservation that this is the worst section of gravel road I’ve ever ridden. Huge potholes, washboard and lots of traffic. I won’t try it again.
James Mckevitt is now open and provides access across 22X with nearly a 10 km detour. Then you can take Spruce Meadows Green west all the way back.
There is a nice pedestrian cycling bridge that’s been installed crossing Stoney Trail at the Tsuu T’ina gas station South of Anderson Rd. but it doesn’t appear on City of Calgary maps. I’ll use this to access the southbound lanes of Stoney Trail to cross Fish Creek Park.
Once again it’s a pretty poor showing of Calgary’s cycling infrastructure and has breated a bunch of dead-ends and detours where we used to be able to travel by bike.
I asked if Bike Calgary Advocates for “cycling only” infrastructure.
The Bylaws webpage states:
“You must obey posted signs, as they are there to alert you to important rules and regulations.”
Parks could enforce pathway restrictions once they have designated a certain pathway with signage. The Glenmore bike path has stencils for bicycles and has posted “no pedestrian” signs. We’ll see if that will happen.
I’ll call 311 to register my concern.
It seems that you don’t believe my concern is valid, as your response is to deny it by bringing up a specific situation where the wheels only doesn’t apply. Is “wheels only” as simple as just etiquette or is it not in the bylaws?
In the winter around the North side of the Glenmore reservoir there are two pathways. Both are cleared in the winter. The wheels only pathway is very often used by runners, walkers and dog walker with long leashes, which makes it more dangerous to cycle. Parks have never enforced the “wheels” only pathway, it sounds like this issue ins’t of interest to Bike Calgary. Or are you speaking for Bike Calgary?
Thanks for the response. I’m aware of the sharing aspect of many of the cycling lanes, that wasn’t my question. The question is does anyone advocate to educate those who use the “wheels” only infrastructure as only a suggestion.
I’ll keep my eyes open for it. One local thief stores his stolen property at the back of my condo in Mission.
Not sure why this response from Darren isn’t shown on this page:
DarrenB wrote:
2wheeler is correct – all City of Calgary streets are legal places to ride as a cyclist unless a specific prohibition is created. Part of Deerfoot Trail is prohibited to cyclists, but that roadway is actually owned by the province, not the City of Calgary, which is part of the history regarding that prohibition.
Another good example of a bicycle ban that was overturned occurred a few years ago when Ward 2 Councillor Joe Magliocca tried to ban cyclists from a stretch of road in the NW that was used heavily by construction vehicles (they found cyclists to be a nuisance because they had to slow down to pass them). IIRC, it lasted less than a month before it was challenged and the ban was removed.
Our culture seems to think that roads are for cars, but for the most part, we still hold the same legal rights to access our public roads as any motor vehicle. But there has been a noticeable shift in the culture at Alberta Transportation in the last decade or two that really seems to want to marginalize cyclists and not respect those rights. If you have concerns about the Ring Road (which is a Alberta Provincial Highway, not a City of Calgary-owned roadway), I encourage you to contact your MLA or the MLA of the affected area first, and be sure to copy your correspondence to your City Councillor.
It’s my understanding that bicycles are permitted on all roads unless prohibited. Deerfoot has received that special designation, and hence has signs in place indicating that. Municipalities have the ability to ban certain types of transportation (bicycles) on certain roads. But they can’t just ban cyclists willy nilly. Rockyview county banned cyclists from a road in Springbank back in 1996. The Elbow Valley cycling club took them to court and won ( https://www.vehicularcyclist.com/springbank.html ). The court found that the county discriminated against cyclists with the ban and overturned the bylaw. Since then, municipalities haven’t been as quick to ban cyclists. Recently the municipality tried to ban bicycles from a stretch of road with a gravel pit construction project out by Bearspaw but changed their minds when they were educated.
So basically you can ride on any road unless it’s banned.
