Calgary Cycling Paths & Infrastructure

[fusili]

• Video Link


I don't think I have posted this here before, but it is an awesome video.

Also here is a great site about all kinds of "green" infrastructure from around the world (but mostly focused on the states):

http://www.infrastructurist.com/

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by outoftheice

I don't know if this has been discussed before but I think it sounds like great news! I look forward to seeing the master plan later this month. What I find exciting is that it appears this will be more than slapping some pathways down next to the ring road. The end of the article refers to the fact the perimeter pathway will tie into Fish Creek and Nose Hill parks along with running through the wetlands in Calgary's east end. Let the fundraising begin!

Thanks for posting. I am definitely looking forward to seeing the master plan as well!

I am concerned that Parks group would attempt to beautify instead of looking after the needs of cyclists including increasing mobility, increasing speeds, shortening routes, and increasing safety. Also, the most important priority projects should be linking residential neighbourhoods with places of employment and essential services.

For example, in the photo accompanying the story, one can see that the pathway was established in a route to follow the tree line instead of being the shortest path between two points.

In my opinion, it would be a better use of resources to have Parks do parks, and bicycling to be a division of the Transportation group.

In one sentence Myrna states, "Now, we'll have something that will connect. You can get on in one spot, ride so far, walk so far, get off , go into a community and eventually go right around the city." My concern here is that the focus is on interneighbourhood connectivity instead of linking places of residence with places of work, places of intermodal transportation like transit and places of essential services.

In my opinion, letting Parks design bicycle infrastructure is the equivalent of letting Parks design the road network. Not to say that Parks does not serve an important function, but I think they are best at serving other needs.

[mersar]

Originally Posted by Radley77

Thanks for posting. I am definitely looking forward to seeing the master plan as well!

I am concerned that Parks group would attempt to beautify instead of looking after the needs of cyclists including increasing mobility, increasing speeds, shortening routes, and increasing safety. Also, the most important priority projects should be linking residential neighbourhoods with places of employment and essential services.

For example, in the photo accompanying the story, one can see that the pathway was established in a route to follow the tree line instead of being the shortest path between two points.

In my opinion, it would be a better use of resources to have Parks do parks, and bicycling to be a division of the Transportation group.

In one sentence Myrna states, "Now, we'll have something that will connect. You can get on in one spot, ride so far, walk so far, get off , go into a community and eventually go right around the city." My concern here is that the focus is on interneighbourhood connectivity instead of linking places of residence with places of work, places of intermodal transportation like transit and places of essential services.

In my opinion, letting Parks design bicycle infrastructure is the equivalent of letting Parks design the road network. Not to say that Parks does not serve an important function, but I think they are best at serving other needs.

I think the one huge distinction that I think you (and a lot of other people) have missed from reading the comments here and on the news sites is that this is not the City of Calgary Parks division thats doing this, this is the Parks Foundation Calgary, which is a completely separate non-profit entity. They do work with the city closely, but they've spearheaded many successful projects in the past and convinced the city to buy in on their ideas, ideas that likely would have not happened otherwise.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by mersar

I think the one huge distinction that I think you (and a lot of other people) have missed from reading the comments here and on the news sites is that this is not the City of Calgary Parks division thats doing this, this is the Parks Foundation Calgary, which is a completely separate non-profit entity. They do work with the city closely, but they've spearheaded many successful projects in the past and convinced the city to buy in on their ideas, ideas that likely would have not happened otherwise.

My bad, thanks for clarifying. I can see how a combination of public and private money would help implement projects that would not have happened otherwise.

I found a bit more about the project from the 2009 Parks Foundation Calgary Annual Report:
http://www.parksfdn.com/2009%20Annual%20Report.pdf

[freeweed]

THIS is what Calgary needs.

As the article points out, if you build it, they will come:

ridership has already increased from fewer than 100 a day before the Olympics to about 1,000 a day since construction on the lanes started two weeks ago.

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by freeweed

THIS is what Calgary needs.

As the article points out, if you build it, they will come:

I couldn't agree more. Calgary has great recreational pathways, but riding through the inner-city is very intimidating for most riders. 13th Ave Emerald necklace would be a good start. It would be nice to have a separated lane on 2nd Street SW from 10th Ave to 26th Ave. 10th Ave should also have something dividing traffic or at least bike lanes painted on the road. 10th is a very poorly maintained road especially near the shoulders. A lot of little relatively cheap things could be done to increase bike ridership significantly.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by DavidKuitunen

I couldn't agree more. Calgary has great recreational pathways, but riding through the inner-city is very intimidating for most riders. 13th Ave Emerald necklace would be a good start. It would be nice to have a separated lane on 2nd Street SW from 10th Ave to 26th Ave. 10th Ave should also have something dividing traffic or at least bike lanes painted on the road. 10th is a very poorly maintained road especially near the shoulders. A lot of little relatively cheap things could be done to increase bike ridership significantly.

I hate going over this again and again - there is nothing wrong with 13th avenue as it stands right now. Actually it is probably the best place to bike in the Centre City. 10th Avenue, Yes. 9th, 6th, 5th and 4th avenues, Yes. 2nd Street, Yes. Improve what needs improving, not what is already good.

The emerald necklace is just a case of the City avoiding making actual tough decisions, like removing a lane on 5th for two bicycle lanes, and instead making easy, yet ineffectual investments.

[Radley77]

Originally Posted by fusili

I hate going over this again and again - there is nothing wrong with 13th avenue as it stands right now. Actually it is probably the best place to bike in the Centre City. 10th Avenue, Yes. 9th, 6th, 5th and 4th avenues, Yes. 2nd Street, Yes. Improve what needs improving, not what is already good.

The emerald necklace is just a case of the City avoiding making actual tough decisions, like removing a lane on 5th for two bicycle lanes, and instead making easy, yet ineffectual investments.

I think of the Emerald Necklace from what little I know about it is that it is predominantly a pedestrian project.

Most of what I have observed of 13th Avenue has stop signs every block or traffic lights. So, with a bike you would have half a block to accelerate and another half a block to come back to a stop. I think of 13th Avenue as a relatively inefficient way to travel by bicycle. It is more of less equivalent to driving on a meandering road. 13th Avenue doesn't really work as a cycling strip unless they come up with some sort of system that can detect bikes and change the lights to give cyclists right of way in advance.

The focus I think for cyclists downtown (not necessarily pedestrians) needs to be on improved safety from vehicular traffic, increased speeds and increased mobility. What I haven't noticed about the Emerald Necklace project is how the proposed plans would increase the speed at which bicycles can safely travel.

[DavidKuitunen]

Riverwalk


Fort Calgary


New frame

[Canterra]

Nice frame and wheels David
I like the clean stealthy look too.
But the pedals and cages have to go

Get yourself a pair of these mixers and then you can really make some pancakes





and don't forget your bell ...

[DavidKuitunen]

I've been meaning to buy some pedals like that for a while, but i'm a poor student. One day...

[Aegis]

Originally Posted by Radley77

Most of what I have observed of 13th Avenue has stop signs every block or traffic lights. So, with a bike you would have half a block to accelerate and another half a block to come back to a stop. I think of 13th Avenue as a relatively inefficient way to travel by bicycle. It is more of less equivalent to driving on a meandering road. 13th Avenue doesn't really work as a cycling strip unless they come up with some sort of system that can detect bikes and change the lights to give cyclists right of way in advance.

The focus I think for cyclists downtown (not necessarily pedestrians) needs to be on improved safety from vehicular traffic, increased speeds and increased mobility. What I haven't noticed about the Emerald Necklace project is how the proposed plans would increase the speed at which bicycles can safely travel.

I prefer 15th and 14th aves, but the good thing about 13th-15th aves is that traffic moves slow due to all the stop signs, which makes it a lot safer.

10th is good but given the poor quality of the road (there are some brutal dents and potholes on the south side bike lane), and the fact that motorists often drive in an unsafe manner, I don't exclusively take 10th ave when going downtown. I don't notice much of a time difference between going down 10th and zig-zagging down the avenues/streets in beltline.

Speaking of which.. what is with all the cyclists without helmets? If one rides on the street, a helmet is absolutely necessary. I can't believe people would risk it.

[sim]

^ While I don't disagree that helmets are good, I for one, will likely never ever bike with one.

That is part of the reason I like biking. I simply get on the bike and go.

[mooky]

A helmet saved my life when I was a teenager. I cracked the helmet in half in stead of my skull. Specialized even replaced the helmet for $10 at the time. to them for the policy, though I'm not sure if they or any manufactures carry the same policy today.

My personal opinion is that people who don't wear one are nitwits. If any jurisdiction in Canada ever made them mandatory, I would not complain. A less then $50 helmet can save tens if not hundred of thousands in medical costs if you end up with a traumatic brain injury, a cost we all eat as tax payers.

[kw5150]

Motorists are crazy on 10th ave and the the painted bike symbols have almost dissapeared. I feel very unsafe as people (in a rush) angrily veer in and out of the bike lane. I used to ride against the curb but motorists take advantage of that and fly by at 70km an hour and it scares the crap out of me! 10th ave needs an improvement or some driver / biker education. 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.

Also, 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!

[Radley77]

The City of Calgary is looking for volunteers (both amateur and experienced levels) to help guide a new cycling strategy:

There seems to be a number of cycling enthusiasts here, so I thought I would post about how you can volunteer here:

http://www.centrecitytalk.com/my_web...the-brain.html

Deadline to volunteer is Friday July 16th, 2010.

[fusili]

Originally Posted by kw5150

Motorists are crazy on 10th ave and the the painted bike symbols have almost dissapeared. I feel very unsafe as people (in a rush) angrily veer in and out of the bike lane. I used to ride against the curb but motorists take advantage of that and fly by at 70km an hour and it scares the crap out of me! 10th ave needs an improvement or some driver / biker education. It seems like alot of motorists are angry with cyclists

I said it before and I will say it again, the problem is not how people behave, it is how the street is designed. People veer in and out of the bike lane because there is little indication that it is there and there is nothing preventing them from doing so. Bikers disobey the rules and sometimes act like pedestrians because the rules are not clear. People will behave according to the environment they are in (with variations of course)

All these problems are solved by dedicated, curb separated bike lanes. Bikes stay in the lanes because they are safer, faster and easier than regular traffic, and do not bike on the sidewalk or into traffic. Vehicles do not drive into the bike lane, because the curb prevents them from doing so. Problem solved.

[kw5150]

Originally Posted by fusili

I said it before and I will say it again, the problem is not how people behave, it is how the street is designed. People veer in and out of the bike lane because there is little indication that it is there and there is nothing preventing them from doing so. Bikers disobey the rules and sometimes act like pedestrians because the rules are not clear. People will behave according to the environment they are in (with variations of course)

All these problems are solved by dedicated, curb separated bike lanes. Bikes stay in the lanes because they are safer, faster and easier than regular traffic, and do not bike on the sidewalk or into traffic. Vehicles do not drive into the bike lane, because the curb prevents them from doing so. Problem solved.

Sounds like a rational explanation and plan to me..... until then I will keep on biking as safe and rule-abiding as possible.

[ClaytonA]

Originally Posted by Radley77

The City of Calgary is looking for volunteers (both amateur and experienced levels) to help guide a new cycling strategy:

There seems to be a number of cycling enthusiasts here, so I thought I would post about how you can volunteer here:

http://www.centrecitytalk.com/my_web...the-brain.html

Deadline to volunteer is Friday July 16th, 2010.

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.

[DavidKuitunen]

Originally Posted by Radley77

The City of Calgary is looking for volunteers (both amateur and experienced levels) to help guide a new cycling strategy:

There seems to be a number of cycling enthusiasts here, so I thought I would post about how you can volunteer here:

http://www.centrecitytalk.com/my_web...the-brain.html

Deadline to volunteer is Friday July 16th, 2010.

A friend of mine posted a link for this on his website Calgaryisawesome.com.
Sounds like a good opportunity. Thanks for the link!