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For those asking about the pathway bridge under Stoney Trail in the NW – it is open, and the new pathway is paved to connect into Baker Park. And as a big bonus this week – the staff at Bowness Park have done a great job of clearing the pathway through Bowness Park (they even cleared both sides of one of the bollards!).
Hey @pocopoco10, were you able to get your bike back? I hope this forum is able to help. It’s great when we hear good news about returned bikes.
It is certainly nice to the (slow) steady improvements in active transportation in the city. Remember let your Councillor know that you like these improvements, and what you’d like to see next.
I still see a few Lime bike users, and my opinion (untested as of yet) is that when the novelty of the Lime scooters wears off, people will appreciate the ease and functionality of the Lime bikes. I see that a lot of users will continue to use the scooters, as they work very well for micro-mobility in some parts of the city. However, I think we will see a slight return to the Lime bikes. I hope we generally see increased comfort and use of both!
I’ve seen only about a dozen or so Lime scooter users so far. My experience to date has been positive – the sidewalk users were travelling much slower than the maximum speed; the pathway users were staying in their lane. The one thing I did observe was someone rent one on a sidewalk and get into the cycle track going the wrong direction (8th Ave SW, where there is a one-way cycletrack on each side of the street). The oncoming cyclists easily shifted over to allow by.
I think like any new form of transportation, we will see a steep learning curve for both new users (for some people, this could be their first time on any kind of scooter) and for the general traffic flow.
I would have preferred that this motion was successful, but I’ll count as a win the fact the the City of Calgary council is having these discussions, and that the votes are getting closer and closer with time.
My request to all Bike Calgary members is to get involved with your local councillor – let him or her know what you’d like them to represent at Council, and if they are not a helpful voice, vote for (and provide support for) a councillor or candidate in the next election who better represents cyclists in Calgary.
Interesting little fact to through into the mix here – I heard from a reporter who inquired with the City how many cycling speeding tickets were issued last year – the answer was zero. Plenty of warnings, but no fines.
So the question becomes, what does a higher allowable fine accomplish? Better compliance? Cycling deterrent? Likely not a cash cow!
Again, feel free to use this forum to help solidify your position or test ideas, but at the end of the day, it is you submission to your City councillor that will effect a change. Get active in your local politics! The City’s webpage for contacting your councillor is very easy – give it a try!
Thanks to everyone for chiming in and respectfully expressing your opinions and suggestions. Bike Calgary will be writing a letter to the City of Calgary and we want to make sure we incorporate as much member feedback as possible. Please continue to offer your suggestions and references to useful information (e.g. the reference to the Winnipeg speed limit of 30 km/hr and lack of specified speeds in other cities).
The worst part of this air quality is that you still breathe it in a car, bus, non-AC indoors…
I find the parts of the pathways through trees and along the river to actually be better air quality. A gentle ride, avoiding deep breathing, seems to be nicer than being stuck in a car or bus.
Hey @crivak, there is a linkage from Calgary to Cochrane through Tuscany, into the Lynx Ridge area (adjacent to Watermark) and into the paved pathways in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. It goes through a private tree farm and some dirt track in the CN right-of-way, so the connection is not complete since it goes over private land and it technically trespassing 😉
It is not yet road bike friendly, but a cyclocross can easily handle it – hypothetically speaking.
I’m not sure about the thinking behind the lane jogs and any changes in that approach, but when Bike Calgary heard about the work planned for 12th Ave SW, our Infrastructure Task Group sent a letter to the City suggesting the extension of the cycle track, and highlighting that taking it to 16th St would allow a connection to the pathway system. We engaged the Sunalta Community Association and got a letter of support for the concept from them. We had heard the work was going ahead, but we wanted to wait until the City announced it (we know plans can change).
The BWTD breakfast was great – pancakes, sausages, and coffee! Everything I needed to get me started for the day. And the best part was running into SO MANY people I got to know through riding (and other things like climbing, environmental work, etc.). I love this community!
The whole ride from Tuscany is in great shape – even through Bowness Park, which usually holds snow and icy patches longer than elsewhere. They plowed the pathway through Bowness, and along the river valley paths, on Sunday and that seemed to allow the sun to keep it dry. With the low daytime highs in the next few days, that snow on the grass could be slow to melt, but at least it looks like th pathways and bike lanes will stay clear. Then we get to see how much snow we get later in the week!
The City of Calgary has done a great job of improving their pathway detours, and are now following a standard process of early notification, signage that can be read from a bike, and timing that minimizes disruption. Keep an eye on our news posts on the front page of the website for an article about this.
The map on the City’s web page does state that the work will end on April 7th, while the signs on the pathway say the detours will be in place from April 1st to April 20th. Perhaps there is a second phase of work that isn’t on the website yet. Things are getting better, but so often there is still room for improvement!
That’s a great point @Charlie ! Here is a news article about the type of promotion you are suggesting:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2018/11/26/dutch-government-invests-extra-e345m-to-get-even-more-people-on-bicycles/Let’s make sure our politicians hear these suggestions and that their constituents care about cycling as a method of active transport.
