Calgary Cycling Paths & Infrastructure

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by ClaytonA

I used to use 10th Ave everyday when our office was in the Beltline - it was usually faster than driving and the C-train. I was on a mtb with slicks, and don't remember the pavement being too bad. No worse than getting up on sidewalks to go over Mewata Bridge for example. Riding on the sidwalk under 9th Ave could be dodgy and never felt right, but you pretty much had to both ways or really incovenience yourself time/safety-wise.
Drivers often go around people turning left at intersections and encroach on the bike lane as well as the photo on the first page. Curbs would really make drainage, snow clearing, on-street parking, as well as access and egress to off street parking all much more challenging, and likely mean more spots of ice and debris on the bike path.

I don't think the extended bulbs or topas are solutions to controlling traffic and I wish the City would stop using them. They create pinch points and generally only benefit pedestrians when other means such as flashers or something? else seem more appropriate as the main problem is getting across a busy road. Nobody likes a grid system with multiple route options right? (sarcasm) It might work with lots of room ie |driving lanes|bike lanes|loading zone/kiss and ride/parking access lane| with cross overs just before intersections, so there are fewer bike/traffic conflict zones. China used to (if they still don't) have a set up like this, but most of there main roads were a Parisian boulevard style.

Now that the office is way in a NE industrial park cycling takes about 60 minutes, C-Train about 1.5 hr and now I typically drive on 20th Ave 35min. I miss cycling, but there is no secure bicycle parking here either. When I have biked here, it just ends up in the lunch room in everyone's way. In many ways the office move was a pay cut since I'm spending $300+ a month gross earnings on transportation that I didn't before.

Maybe the City should consider adding a requirement for secure bicycle parking along with the requirements for x # of parking stalls? It could be as simple as a bike rack in a underground parkade (what we had in the beltline) or interior/exterior bike racks in a convenient, secure/well frequented common area of the building.

A lot of people use MTB to commute in this city. I figure it's because of the crappy quality of cycling infrastructure so often you find yourself going offroad. I just got a new job in the SE industrial, and from Ogden I would have to climb a fence and cross the train tracks in order to get to the canal path, and even then after getting to Barlow there are no realistic places to ride for a road bike. I carpool in the morning and take transit home most days. I made the choice not to own a car for the summer at least, but honestly some days I'm tempted to go out and buy one. As an on and off student(and I pay for all my expenses) it's extremely frustrating living in a city with such a dysfunctional transit and cycling system.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

A lot of people use MTB to commute in this city. I figure it's because of the crappy quality of cycling infrastructure so often you find yourself going offroad. I just got a new job in the SE industrial, and from Ogden I would have to climb a fence and cross the train tracks in order to get to the canal path, and even then after getting to Barlow there are no realistic places to ride for a road bike. I carpool in the morning and take transit home most days. I made the choice not to own a car for the summer at least, but honestly some days I'm tempted to go out and buy one. As an on and off student(and I pay for all my expenses) it's extremely frustrating living in a city with such a dysfunctional transit and cycling system.

Why dont we all do something about it and volunteer like RADLEY said? I think I will join up. It seems pretty logical. I am going to do it now...

Done, I have volunteered!

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by kw5150

Why dont we all do something about it and volunteer like RADLEY said? I think I will join up. It seems pretty logical. I am going to do it now...

Done, I have volunteered!

Did you call or email? I still haven't heard back from anyone.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

Did you call or email? I still haven't heard back from anyone.

I emailed. I recieved an "out of office" response. We will wee what happens.

[Aegis]

Originally Posted by kw5150

It seems like alot of motorists are angry with cyclists

I cant help but think that the motorists have a reason to be angry at cyclists. Maybe cyclists are pissing them off by not obeying the laws?

I dont understand why some cyclists completely dissobey the laws of the road. Is risking your life worth the 10 seconds you gain by running a stop sign or light? Drivers are getting fed up with cyclists in this city and we have to obey the laws more! Bad cycling habits reflect badly on all cyclists! Think about that next time you ignore all of the rules of the road.

When you are always biking right through stop signs and traffic lights it not only annoys driver, it becomes a habit. After a while, the habit get set in and it becomes second nature. Pretty soon, one day when you dont stop at a sign or light you will get hit by a car .

My neighbor is in a coma right now because she was careless with stop signs and lights. Yes, she was wearing a helmet. I really hope no one else gets hit.

o, when you ride on the sidewalk, you better be looking out when you cross an alley. I saw a biker (who was totally in the wrong) swear at a car because it came out of the alley and almost hit him. If you ride on the sidewalk, you are just as responsible as the car to watch out for yourself. Is that correct? Motorists DO make mistakes as well so you better watch out for them!

Sorry to hear about your neighbor.

I'm amazed at the stupid things I see other cyclists do. It's true that motorists are often ignorant of cyclist's rights, but, it doesn't help when some cyclists flat out ignore the rules of the road.

For example, why would you ever ride your bike against traffic? That's just stupid.When I'm riding, I behave like a car.. and you know what? Motorists never get upsetwith me. They know what I'm doing because I signal, I keep up with traffic and don't try and squeeze between cars in rush-hour. I take up a lane so that I'm not in the way of them turning right, or that they can't cut me off when turning right. I actually find riding on the road easier than the bike path, sometimes.

Riding on the sidewalk is really unnecessary 99% of the time. It pisses off pedestrians and its not allowed anyway.

[hulkrogan]

What's everyone's opinion on lane cutting?

I do it all the time as I have to head up 4th street out of downtown. The only way to not be in the way of double turners is to go up the exact middle of the road. I lane cut so I can jump the green a little bit and be through the intersection and moved safely off to the side and out of the way when I cross 5th ave. It's not legal, but it just seems like a reasonable thing to do. Plus, there has to be some advantage to taking your bike and not sitting in traffic. If I take that route as a car I have to be in a lane and people behind me can only accelerate as fast as I can. I try avoid that.

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

What's everyone's opinion on lane cutting?

I do it all the time as I have to head up 4th street out of downtown. The only way to not be in the way of double turners is to go up the exact middle of the road. I lane cut so I can jump the green a little bit and be through the intersection and moved safely off to the side and out of the way when I cross 5th ave. It's not legal, but it just seems like a reasonable thing to do. Plus, there has to be some advantage to taking your bike and not sitting in traffic. If I take that route as a car I have to be in a lane and people behind me can only accelerate as fast as I can. I try avoid that.

I always lane cut. Especially 8th Street underpass during rush hour. I'm not going to wait for three lights when I can just get through in 10 seconds. Thats one of the many reasons I bike so much. If I have to run a quick errand downtown during rush hour I can be in and out in a fraction of the time. If the city isn't going to build reasonable bike lanes cyclist will continue to cut lanes. It can be unsafe, but as a cyclist you have to judge by watching the lights ahead and making sure there are no gaps in traffic for automobiles to dart into unexpectedly.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by hulkrogan

What's everyone's opinion on lane cutting?

I do it all the time as I have to head up 4th street out of downtown. The only way to not be in the way of double turners is to go up the exact middle of the road. I lane cut so I can jump the green a little bit and be through the intersection and moved safely off to the side and out of the way when I cross 5th ave. It's not legal, but it just seems like a reasonable thing to do. Plus, there has to be some advantage to taking your bike and not sitting in traffic. If I take that route as a car I have to be in a lane and people behind me can only accelerate as fast as I can. I try avoid that.

I hardly ever lane cut. I have a 3 second rule that I apply whether I am biking or driving, I don't want to be in anybody elses buffer zone without an escape route. I had a close call once where I was on the right hand shoulder about to make a right hand turn (not cutting, but sharing the road to allow faster traffic to pass by me) and a cement truck came from behind me and was also making a right hand turn came within an inch of creaming me between the parked cars and the traffic in the right lane. Shaving less than a minute off my commute time isn't worth it for the extra safety risks involved in lane cutting... plus I'm probably a lot less experienced than some of the bikers on here.

Also, I was out hiking this week near Banff and it looks like there is a lot of new paved trails near the TransCanada highway. Not finished yet, as there are still some bridge overpasses I noticed that were missing. Does anyone know of the name of this cycling trail? Or any sufficiently long (50 km ish)paved cycling trails west of Calgary? Thanks!

[Rusty van Reddick]

What is "lane cutting"?

[ClaytonA]

Banff Legacy Trail






125TH Anniversary Project Will Safely Link Canmore to Banff, Lake Louise and Beyond

BANFF, ALBERTA, May 19, 2009--The Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Environment Minister, Minister responsible for Parks Canada and Minister responsible for Southern Alberta, today announced the creation of the Banff Legacy Trail, a multi-use non-motorized recreation trail through Banff National Park of Canada.

“The Government of Canada is pleased to announce the creation of the Banff Legacy Trail – a new multi-use recreation trail that will be completed in time to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the creation of Banff National Park in 2010,” said Minister Prentice. “This trail will provide Canadians and visitors from around the world a safe, spectacularly scenic and environmentally friendly way to link mountain communities.”

Designed to incorporate scenic views and run primarily along the Trans-Canada Highway right-of-way and wildlife fence, the hard-surfaced trail will form part of the Trans-Canada Trail network. The trail will be a non-motorized multi-use recreational trail suitable for activities such as walking, bicycling and in-line skating, and will enable users to safely travel from Canmore to Lake Louise and beyond on a combination of trails and parkways. This new segment of the Trans-Canada Trail provides residents as well as Canadian and foreign visitors with a unique opportunity to experience the area’s world-famous Rocky Mountains.

"This announcement represents a great opportunity for communities in our Wild Rose riding to enhance tourism, recreation and pure enjoyment of our great outdoors in this beautiful part of the country," said Blake Richards, Member of Parliament for Wild Rose. "I know this announcement today represents the culmination of a lot of hard work by community residents who have long sought this investment, and I am pleased that our government is able to deliver with this level of support for a very worthwhile project."

"The Banff Legacy Trail will allow outdoor enthusiasts to explore the majestic Rocky Mountains while respecting an environment that attracts millions of visitors to Alberta each year," said Cindy Ady, Minister of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. "Trails help encourage healthy, active lifestyles and help foster an appreciation of our natural world. This investment is a great way to mark the 125th anniversary of one of Canada's most cherished spaces."

Bridge design and trail layout will be finalized concurrent with completion of an environmental assessment. Trail construction could begin as early as this summer, with bridgework completed by fall 2010.

Minister Prentice recognized the work of the Province of Alberta, as well as the Lands Ajacent to the Town of Banff committee (LATB) and members of the Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Partnership, the towns of Banff and Canmore, the Municipality of Bighorn and the Trans Canada Trail (TCT) and Alberta TrailNet Society for their work on the Banff Legacy Trail concept.


Information:

Michelle Macullo
Communications Officer
Parks Canada
Ph: 403.762.1526

Source: Parks Canada news release & the web editors



Posted On: Friday, May 22, 2009« Back
https://industry.travelalberta.com/e...9-b13eddd69f5d

[You Need A Thneed]

^ that project is well underway already. Certain sections are complete already I think.

That article is over a year old.

[DavidKuitunen]

By the looks of this dirt path I would say Barlow from 50th Ave to Glenmore could use a bike path. Who agrees?

[floobie]

Originally Posted by Aegis

Sorry to hear about your neighbor.

I'm amazed at the stupid things I see other cyclists do. It's true that motorists are often ignorant of cyclist's rights, but, it doesn't help when some cyclists flat out ignore the rules of the road.

For example, why would you ever ride your bike against traffic? That's just stupid.When I'm riding, I behave like a car.. and you know what? Motorists never get upsetwith me. They know what I'm doing because I signal, I keep up with traffic and don't try and squeeze between cars in rush-hour. I take up a lane so that I'm not in the way of them turning right, or that they can't cut me off when turning right. I actually find riding on the road easier than the bike path, sometimes.

Riding on the sidewalk is really unnecessary 99% of the time. It pisses off pedestrians and its not allowed anyway.

I biked to work for a few years over the summer. Even on the damn bike path down the river, I've seen road bikers clip pedestrians, pass in extremely unsafe situations (as a cyclist, I've been clipped by some guy who just couldn't wait 2 seconds to get by), going ridiculously high speeds. And seeing the same type of rider in traffic is pretty ridiculous. It's as if they think they're invincible. Oddly enough, most of the time it's some aggressive mid-40s guy in spandex. The "young punks" on BMX bikes, or messengers on fixies are often way more reasonable

I'm not one of those people who get pissed off at cyclists for breaking a few laws. As long as they ride in a safe, considerate manner (of their fellow cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists), I'm happy. And plenty do. Admittedly, the whole "if it's safe to do so" qualifier for bending the rules is rather open to interpretation. So, maybe it would be better if cyclists just followed all the rules. But, plenty of them have shown they can bend the rules in a reasonable manner. I dunno.

What gets me, though... we have a pretty good bike path network (and I'm all for continuously expanding it). And yet, literally on a daily basis on my way home, I see cyclists (again, usually the aforementioned aggressive 40 year old spandex road-bikeist...) riding in the middle of the road when there's a big, wide, empty bike path (not lane) right next to them. Do they enjoy being obstacles?

Don't get me wrong, I've seen plenty of motorists being equally dickish to cyclists. I'm just shocked that this is even happening, when we have such a good bike path network. I can get from my house in Edgemont to downtown almost entirely on a bike path, or in a bike lane!

Edit: Reading through the thread a bit more... clearly our bike path network could use some more work in other parts of the city.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by kw5150

I emailed. I recieved an "out of office" response. We will wee what happens.

Well, I have officially been denied in regards to providing imput into calgary's bikeway system...... I received my notice yesterday..... On the other hand, there were over 100 applicants so there will be good representation by some skilled people hopefully.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by ClaytonA

Banff Legacy Trail

Thanks for posting this information! Can't wait to get out on this path!

Also, kw5150, don't feel to bad, I wasn't picked either. I didn't realize it was going to be so competitive a process to volunteer!

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by Radley77

Thanks for posting this information! Can't wait to get out on this path!

Also, kw5150, don't feel to bad, I wasn't picked either. I didn't realize it was going to be so competitive a process to volunteer!

Dont they know who we are? We are SSP'ers......haha

[Aegis]

Originally Posted by floobie

What gets me, though... we have a pretty good bike path network (and I'm all for continuously expanding it). And yet, literally on a daily basis on my way home, I see cyclists (again, usually the aforementioned aggressive 40 year old spandex road-bikeist...) riding in the middle of the road when there's a big, wide, empty bike path (not lane) right next to them. Do they enjoy being obstacles?

Where did you see this?

Technically, bikes are allowed on most roads.

On neighborhood streets, I ride as if I was a car - I don't hug the side because then I'm liable for the deaded "door prize", but I give vehicles enough room to pass me. I've had th odd vehicle yell at me on 14th ST SW (between 10 ave and 17 ave), but I attibute that to a lack of knowledge on the part of the driver.

[floobie]

Originally Posted by Aegis

Where did you see this?

Technically, bikes are allowed on most roads.

On neighborhood streets, I ride as if I was a car - I don't hug the side because then I'm liable for the deaded "door prize", but I give vehicles enough room to pass me. I've had th odd vehicle yell at me on 14th ST SW (between 10 ave and 17 ave), but I attibute that to a lack of knowledge on the part of the driver.

This happens really often on Edgemont Blvd. in the NW. There's a bike path running the entire length of it, but I still see cyclists riding on the road for some reason. There's absolutely no reason not to use the path, as far as I can tell. It's usually empty of any traffic, be it pedestrian or cyclist. It follows the road exactly, and is in much better condition than the road itself. It's also on a rather long, challenging hill. So, cyclists going up the hill are usually going a LOT slower than traffic, making the bike path a still safer choice.

I have nothing against cyclists riding on the road... if there isn't a better place for them to be. It just seems like a waste of the infrastructure we're lucky to have.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by floobie

This happens really often on Edgemont Blvd. in the NW. There's a bike path running the entire length of it, but I still see cyclists riding on the road for some reason. There's absolutely no reason not to use the path, as far as I can tell. It's usually empty of any traffic, be it pedestrian or cyclist. It follows the road exactly, and is in much better condition than the road itself. It's also on a rather long, challenging hill. So, cyclists going up the hill are usually going a LOT slower than traffic, making the bike path a still safer choice.

I have nothing against cyclists riding on the road... if there isn't a better place for them to be. It just seems like a waste of the infrastructure we're lucky to have.

It is probably he 20km/hour speed limit that detracts them from using the path.

[floobie]

Originally Posted by kw5150

It is probably he 20km/hour speed limit that detracts them from using the path.

Hm... good point. Though, I have to wonder how much of an issue that is when they're going up the hill. A good chunk of them seem to give up and walk before reaching the top (at that point they do transition to the bike path). And, well, it doesn't seem to keep people from going at least double that on other bike paths (myself included).