Calgary Bike Lanes and Bike Paths

[badc0ffee]

11 St SW doesn't have a turning lane anymore in some spots.

5 St underpass used to be 4 driving lanes.

There might be others. But in general the bike lane program has been done strategically and sensibly, and has really improved the inner city. Seriously, I love the 5 St/2 St/12 Ave lanes, and the 14/15 Ave couplet. The only time I've ever noticed them as a driver was the 11 St turn lanes, and also getting used to the lanes of traffic shift when the 12 Ave lane opened.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

you can understand how we got here.

I actually don't understand it. This isn't really a problem, or at least not the problem people think it is. I do have problems with bike lanes but those problems are from trying to use them as a rider. As a driver in the inner-city they have not affected me at all.

Maybe, if there's a politician with some skill, they can use this look at bike lanes to actually make them better.

2 Street SW is dangerous riding south after 17th Ave because of the parked cars. The one other issue I have is on 20 Street SW, close to 34 Avenue, cars frequently park in the bike lane.

There are a few others out there but I think, like in karate, you can use this momentum of bike lane talk to actually advance the conversation. And the city needs to do more meaningful traffic calming. Getting any form of transport, walking, wheeling, or driving to pay more attention isn't a bad thing.

 

[badc0ffee]

2 Street SW is dangerous riding south after 17th Ave because of the parked cars.

I just don't see that with 2 St. You might get passenger doored? But even then there's a barrier mitigating that. The main risk, the driver side door, doesn't open into the bike lane.

The one other issue I have is on 20 Street SW, close to 34 Avenue, cars frequently park in the bike lane.

Yes. This one needs enforcement.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

I just don't see that with 2 St.

I've had people blindly cross the bike lane between cars, passengers get out and stand in the lane, and worst of all the parked cars block right-turning and left turning northbound cars from seeing cyclists. Move both lanes to the eastside of the street.

 

[trtcttc]

"McLean says he’d like the Eighth Avenue bike lane taken out, and wants to see others – including the thoroughfare on 12 Avenue – reviewed."
View attachment 668852
Buddy, this is your ward. How about you get out a shovel and pave impeccable roads in your ward before worrying about downtown traffic. There's literally two giant one way roads on 6th ave and 9th ave. I'm not a bike lane everywhere kind of person, I drive, and know it's important to have good traffic flow. But this is just ridiculous. Cars get wide traffic lanes, bike get a portion of a secondary street, and transit get their dedicated street. Everybody wins.

Bike lane debate heats up as Dreeshen argues expansion could hurt traffic flow

Alberta’s transportation minister wants Calgary to tap the brakes on any new bike lanes, confirming the province is reviewing the ones that already exist.

www.ctvnews.ca

The irony... maybe he should've biked. And a city councilor dressed in a suit pointing at his giant white truck parked in a downtown city centre. He needed that whole flatbed to carry some documents..

Calgary councillor’s truck among several vehicles damaged by man in East Village | Globalnews.ca

Calgary police confirmed a man was arrested Friday evening after reports he was jumping on roofs and windshields of several parked vehicles in East Village.

globalnews.ca

 

[Mountain Man]

Have we replaced any actual driving lanes with bike lanes? I don’t think we have. Just parking lanes, no? I can’t recall a single bike lane that’s actually replaced a previously permanent driving lane. 10th ST NW?

5st replaced driving lanes for a few blocks (the 9ave underpass for example). The rest is parking lanes.

Do we have usage numbers for the bike lanes downtown? The idea of eliminating the lane on 12th is nuts, probably the best used lane in the city!

 

[BKha]

I've had people blindly cross the bike lane between cars, passengers get out and stand in the lane, and worst of all the parked cars block right-turning and left turning northbound cars from seeing cyclists. Move both lanes to the eastside of the street.

It’s happened to me too. Mainly people getting out and standing in the lane, then they look dumbfounded when you pull up to them on a bike.

 

[Mountain Man]

People love to stand in the bike lanes, it drives me nuts. I had a guy push his stroller into the bike lane to wait for the light, right as a bunch of people on bikes and scooters were crossing the intersection. It would be bad enough if it was just him, but the stroller is a special kind of dumb. Dude got yelled at by a lot of people but barely moved.


City is ripping out the bike path on the north side of the river between 32st and Crowchild currently. Apparently it's life cycle work, but does seem kind of unnecessary as the pathway was basically fine.

 

[YYCALGARY]

Check out this Ontario Court ruling that concludes the Ford governments law to remove protected bike lanes puts people at an increased risk of losing their lives, and is therefore unconstitutional. I hope this also sends a message to our provincial government.

 

[Shaka]

People love to stand in the bike lanes, it drives me nuts. I had a guy push his stroller into the bike lane to wait for the light, right as a bunch of people on bikes and scooters were crossing the intersection. It would be bad enough if it was just him, but the stroller is a special kind of dumb. Dude got yelled at by a lot of people but barely moved.


City is ripping out the bike path on the north side of the river between 32st and Crowchild currently. Apparently it's life cycle work, but does seem kind of unnecessary as the pathway was basically fine.

I'm looking forward to the refresh here. That section wasn't particularly enjoyable to ride with all of the root upheavals and uneven sections from previous fixes. It did get a little better after they shaved down some of the worst bumps but the sections before and after are much smoother.

 

[lemongrab]

Check out this Ontario Court ruling that concludes the Ford governments law to remove protected bike lanes puts people at an increased risk of losing their lives, and is therefore unconstitutional. I hope this also sends a message to our provincial government.

Oh good, we probably just get to pay lawyers on both side as well as the judge and court staff to tell us the same thing.

 

[Red Star]

The irony... maybe he should've biked. And a city councilor dressed in a suit pointing at his giant white truck parked in a downtown city centre. He needed that whole flatbed to carry some documents..

View attachment 669696

Calgary councillor’s truck among several vehicles damaged by man in East Village | Globalnews.ca

Calgary police confirmed a man was arrested Friday evening after reports he was jumping on roofs and windshields of several parked vehicles in East Village.

globalnews.ca

Awwww...his Pavement Princess got smashed up. He should start taking the LRT to City Hall station.

 

[outoftheice]

Interesting stats from this article on the bike lane debate. Really goes to show this is about trying to tap in to rage about how people feel bike lanes impact them versus the facts on how they actually do impact them. Personally, it pisses me off when governments make policy due to the feels versus the facts, regardless of what the issue is.

In 2015, the city added its downtown network of temporary barrier-protected bike lanes on a few streets, as a pilot project.

City officials measured the change in motorist travel times next to the bike-safety bollards. Along an eight-block stretch of Eighth Avenue S.W., there was no change in westbound traffic during the afternoon peak, and a 15-second decrease going the opposite way in the morning, according to a 2016 city report.

What impact did the cycle lanes on Fifth Street have, for their 14 blocks? In the afternoon rush, commutes were up by 10 seconds.

Morning travel times rose by 90 seconds along the downtown-spanning stretch of 12th Avenue S., including an added 13 seconds of delay at the intersection of two new bike lanes — but officials in that report pledged to review signal timing and road design before the lane would become permanent.

Would these numbers justify the removal of bicycle lanes, having not persuaded council to do so back then? And what trade-offs are acceptable for creating a safe route for cyclists around the city's centre?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-calgary-bike-lanes-1.7599932

 

[trtcttc]

Check out this Ontario Court ruling that concludes the Ford governments law to remove protected bike lanes puts people at an increased risk of losing their lives, and is therefore unconstitutional. I hope this also sends a message to our provincial government.

I support bike lanes, especially the ones we have, but this is a terrible ruling that will be overturned. And is part of the activist judiciary that doesn’t understand their role. If this stands, then can someone sue for a reduction in the healthcare budget? Sue to stop an aging hospital from being torn down? Sue the construction of a highway? What about reduction in welfare and benefits?

 

[lemongrab]

I support bike lanes, especially the ones we have, but this is a terrible ruling that will be overturned. And is part of the activist judiciary that doesn’t understand their role. If this stands, then can someone sue for a reduction in the healthcare budget? Sue to stop an aging hospital from being torn down? Sue the construction of a highway? What about reduction in welfare and benefits?

Did you read the ruling? it's all quite logical and reasonable - there are a couple of fairly simple legal tests that the government's bill failed. The government was acting against all expert advice and could not bring anything to justify the bill. The bill even included provisions to insulate the government from liability lawsuits for the deaths and injuries that would inevitably come after the removal, which made one aspect of the challenges a slam dunk.