Good timing for Calgary, given all the positive buzz surrounding biking.
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Calgary Bike Lanes and Bike Paths
- Thread starter Cowtown
- Start date
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Question for fellow cyclists, what do people think of skateboarders and rollerbladers using the bike lanes? To me these people should be on the sidewalk as they are far slower than bikes and are much closer to pedestrian speed than cycling speed. Is this something that the city has covered when they set out the bike lane rules?
Spudski
New Member
I've been biking around Saskatoon for the last couple of months but I've ridden in downtown Calgary before. I'm not particularly concerned as long as they follow the rules or accommodate people that want to pass. I have worse problems with people who ride way too slow in the lanes than I've had with someone on a board/skates.
The biggest problem (at least in SK) is people who go the wrong way! 4 times in the past week and a bit I've met someone oncoming in the goddamn bike lane.
The biggest problem (at least in SK) is people who go the wrong way! 4 times in the past week and a bit I've met someone oncoming in the goddamn bike lane.
Social Justice
Active Member
I'm usually not fond of them using the bike lanes or cycle tracks...especially when there is lots of traffic on the cycle tracks. Sometimes you'll see a skilled rollerblader or longboarder that goes fast and is in control.
AFAIK, I think skateboards and rollerblading is allowed on cycle tracks.
Nimbus
Active Member
We've had to fight tooth and nail for the cycle track network, so I see no point in fighting among other allowed users. Focus should be on how we get the city to fund things so we make the current network permanent and continue to expand it. Things have stalled out and many sections of the network are getting pretty rough. Meanwhile Edmonton is growing their new network and adding more and more.
Social Justice
Active Member
Yeah, I notice on the Calgary Cycling website that there are much fewer current projects. Was there a funding issue? I thought the 12th Ave cycle track was going to be extended? Especially after the 2017 election.
Mountain Man
Senior Member
Fair enough, the reason I brought it up was due to a group of skaters taking up the whole cycle track and basically not moving to let bikes by. I'd rather deal with skaters in the bike lane than to have them removed.
I'm guessing that boarders will continue to use the paths and at some point if they continue not moving out of the way, the issue will rise and become more public, which in turn will cause it to sort itself out. Becuaee of how new they are, there's a bit of a learning curve on etiquette.
Nimbus
Active Member
I just feel like users of the pathway and cycle track system are made to bicker and complain about it each other, while we in reality are fighting over scraps of infrastructure compared to all the roads. Let's get more built and made permanent and once we have an amazing system allowing for easy access all over then we can start complaining about our fellow users. 
Social Justice
Active Member
Okay, this is the second time you've made this statement and It's starting to piss me off. Who's making the users of the pathway and cycle track bicker? If there is an issue with the way the cycle track operates, isn't it beneficial to air a legitimate grievances and have a dialogue?
I'm in favor of expanding the cycling infrastructure and increasing cycling ridership throughout the city, but if someone asks "what do people think of skateboarders and rollerbladers using the bike lanes?" they shouldn't be met with "don't complain because until the cycling utopia arrives". I'm sorry, I know I'm coming off as a dick right now, but people can ask questions in a forum.
Nimbus
Active Member
It's classic distraction that has been put out there in the local media and even with bylaw and their "pathway blitzes". Oh it's spring and that means more people on the pathways, what about users bugs you (saw this on CBC a few weeks back) ? Then you see the usual of people going off on all sorts of stuff, while all these users are usually squeezing onto small strips of pathway with a few notable exceptions like Riverwalk (and the soon to be completed west Eau Claire park). I see it as nothing more than getting the citizenry using the infrastructure to air grievances, a lot of which could be solved if adequate infrastructure was put in (and more planned and funded for). Freaking Edmonton is starting to lap us in this regard, they took our model of the cycle tracks and implemented it, and are now starting to go further and continue onward while we seem to be stalling out.
So my take is enjoy the ride/roll/jog/walk. Sure you may encounter some stupid stuff (pathletes passing with no bell/call etc.), but we should be pushing for more and better infrastructure and reap the benefits.
So my take is enjoy the ride/roll/jog/walk. Sure you may encounter some stupid stuff (pathletes passing with no bell/call etc.), but we should be pushing for more and better infrastructure and reap the benefits.
Social Justice
Active Member
Good reply! I too wish the cycle network would be expanded, but wouldn't you agree that there are several cycling projects currently/recently being built?
-Bowness Bike Lanes
-East Calgary Network
-West Eau Claire pathway upgrades
-2nd street S.W. study
-Bow Trail - 85th St SW to OBCR - New Pathway Planned
-Montgomery Study
-Northmount road improvement
-Calgary Pathway and Bike Plan
Nimbus
Active Member
Yeah I did mention west Eau Claire park, and am super pumped about it finally getting the treatment such a high usage area deserves.
I'm not following all of the others in-depth but the 2nd street study is a joke, sharrows instead of an actual cycle track. The city saying they need the road width for buses (of which none run on 2nd). Ideally 2nd street shouldn't even be in the conversation and the existing 5th street track should continue south of 17th avenue right to Elbow. Didn't Northmount suffer the same type of fate? Minimal to zero cycle track and some sharrow sections. The amount of schools along Northmount should make a cycle track there a real winner, but Sean Chu thinks you should just ride on the sidewalk there if you're a kid (which makes every intersection a dismount and cross affair).
The biggest thing is so many of these projects/studies don't have any funding for them. So all well and good to gather info and make plans, but while we do that there isn't even money to make the current track network permanent and give the pavement much needed fixes. It's like the city went "big" for the initial track, which proved to be a great success in attracting more riders and now they are just sitting back. That success should have allowed them to build on it, instead it feels like treading water at best.
I'm not following all of the others in-depth but the 2nd street study is a joke, sharrows instead of an actual cycle track. The city saying they need the road width for buses (of which none run on 2nd). Ideally 2nd street shouldn't even be in the conversation and the existing 5th street track should continue south of 17th avenue right to Elbow. Didn't Northmount suffer the same type of fate? Minimal to zero cycle track and some sharrow sections. The amount of schools along Northmount should make a cycle track there a real winner, but Sean Chu thinks you should just ride on the sidewalk there if you're a kid (which makes every intersection a dismount and cross affair).
The biggest thing is so many of these projects/studies don't have any funding for them. So all well and good to gather info and make plans, but while we do that there isn't even money to make the current track network permanent and give the pavement much needed fixes. It's like the city went "big" for the initial track, which proved to be a great success in attracting more riders and now they are just sitting back. That success should have allowed them to build on it, instead it feels like treading water at best.
CBBarnett
Senior Member
Thanks for posting, I added a bit of colour. While I agree the network has made huge improvements over recent years there are still some frustrating gaps and unfulfilled plans. I added some additional commentary where I knew things about the plans in the works:
A few more:
- Bike rack installs have stopped as there is no budget for additional bike racks currently. 2019 may or may not see additional funding be made available, although some might also come from other City projects (main streets, BRTs etc.)
- Conversion of cycletracks to permanent (e.g. fixing potholes, paving curbs etc.) is unfunded. So is any of the small connectors at all of the ends of the tracks.
- Crowchild Bridge remains closed (no word on reopening, current plan was closed only until Spring 2018). This is especially problematic, given they are about to get into bank rehabilitation work just west of Crowchild on the northside, prompting an additional pathway closure with a rough detour through Kensington Road across Crowchild. A really rough detour of the uber-busy north Bow pathway during peak bike season.
- The brewery bicycle game keeps picking up steam, a letter-writing campaign is underway led by the breweries for improvements to Manchester / 42nd Ave S bicycle infrastructure (e.g. have any at all). Would love to see some big changes here.
- The 17th Ave SE BRT includes a pathway on the bridge over the river and Deerfoot, connecting Inglewood to Forest Lawn on grade-separated pathways. This is an enormous improvement over the current setup. Might be the greatest single bicycle improvement out there in the network right now IMO. Completion 2018/2019.
A few more:
- Bike rack installs have stopped as there is no budget for additional bike racks currently. 2019 may or may not see additional funding be made available, although some might also come from other City projects (main streets, BRTs etc.)
- Conversion of cycletracks to permanent (e.g. fixing potholes, paving curbs etc.) is unfunded. So is any of the small connectors at all of the ends of the tracks.
- Crowchild Bridge remains closed (no word on reopening, current plan was closed only until Spring 2018). This is especially problematic, given they are about to get into bank rehabilitation work just west of Crowchild on the northside, prompting an additional pathway closure with a rough detour through Kensington Road across Crowchild. A really rough detour of the uber-busy north Bow pathway during peak bike season.
- The brewery bicycle game keeps picking up steam, a letter-writing campaign is underway led by the breweries for improvements to Manchester / 42nd Ave S bicycle infrastructure (e.g. have any at all). Would love to see some big changes here.
- The 17th Ave SE BRT includes a pathway on the bridge over the river and Deerfoot, connecting Inglewood to Forest Lawn on grade-separated pathways. This is an enormous improvement over the current setup. Might be the greatest single bicycle improvement out there in the network right now IMO. Completion 2018/2019.
Social Justice
Active Member
I talked to a complete streets rep that had info boards for the 2nd street improvement over the weekend.
He said the city currently has no more funds for cycling until the bike plan is released this fall and goes before city council. Let's hope the bike plan is stellar and council gives it the green light.
He said the city currently has no more funds for cycling until the bike plan is released this fall and goes before city council. Let's hope the bike plan is stellar and council gives it the green light.