Calgary Bike Lanes and Bike Paths

[trtcttc]

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.

Yes, I’m not saying the argument is wrong, that bike lanes do indeed save lives, and I do support them in general. But we live in a democracy, we have elections. Infrastructure decision should be made by elected leaders, not unelected judges. It may be a decision you like now, but it can also go the other way. Can the government repeal the dental care law? People will for sure be harmed and may limit their access to life and liberty. But these are decisions for elected leaders, not for judges, and these over broad interpretation of the charter is not democratic.

 

[lemongrab]

Yes, I’m not saying the argument is wrong, that bike lanes do indeed save lives, and I do support them in general. But we live in a democracy, we have elections. Infrastructure decision should be made by elected leaders, not unelected judges. It may be a decision you like now, but it can also go the other way. Can the government repeal the dental care law? People will for sure be harmed and may limit their access to life and liberty. But these are decisions for elected leaders, not for judges, and these over broad interpretation of the charter is not democratic.

What makes it an over broad interpretation?

IMO it's a check/balance working as it should. The government is free to appeal this decision or try the bill again in a less hamfisted way. It is certainly clear that there is no real urgency here.

I believe Alberta's anti-trans healthcare bill is currently stalled under a court injunction before the case is heard. Is this judicial overreach, too? Or should elected leaders be free to implement this harmful bill that runs afoul of the consensus* of expert medical advice?

When do you think the judiciary should play a role?

 

[darwink]

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.

It isn’t that removing the lanes is directly unconstitutional.

Doing it arbitrarily is. A traffic study of any kind is needed, that connects the removal to achieving something. The government can weigh the facts and decide reduced safety is worth it for less congestion. But it has to have fact to consider to make that choice.

 

[darwink]

The government is free to appeal this decision

They’ll loose the appeal. But that doesn’t mean the government can’t create a constitutionally valid process. The government just needs to be a bit more competent.

 

[trtcttc]

What makes it an over broad interpretation?

IMO it's a check/balance working as it should. The government is free to appeal this decision or try the bill again in a less hamfisted way. It is certainly clear that there is no real urgency here.

I believe Alberta's anti-trans healthcare bill is currently stalled under a court injunction before the case is heard. Is this judicial overreach, too? Or should elected leaders be free to implement this harmful bill that runs afoul of the consensus* of expert medical advice?

When do you think the judiciary should play a role?

That section 7 of the charter applies to roadway design. The government isn’t trying very hard to fight it, and probably for good reason because bike lanes are in general, good.

Yes, I believe so. There is a lot of controversy in that area and probably not for this forum. But when the NHS and some leading medical research institutions (like a Karolinka Institute) have adopted those same practices, it is definitely not something approaching a medical consensus. I’m not super invested in the issue, and can see both sides of the argument, and certainly it is not the place for the unelected judiciary to find that adopting policies similar to leading global institutions is unconstitutional.

 

[Cowtown]

"In 2011, Calgary city hall rolled out a cycling strategy “to become one of the premier cycling cities in North America.” That strategy set a goal of building 30 kilometres of protected cycle tracks, “physically separated from traffic and pedestrians,” by 2020.

Five years after that target date, city hall has yet to meet that goal. Today, Calgary has 26.2 kilometres of cycle tracks.

The same strategy called for 180 kilometres of painted bike lanes by 2020. Today Calgary has a quarter of that, with 45.6 kilometres of painted lanes, according to city hall. To put those numbers in context, Calgary has nearly 7,700 kilometres of roads."

The boom and bust of Calgary’s bike lanes | The Sprawl

No one is leading the cycling file at city hall.

www.sprawlcalgary.com

Sad to see the momentum stall. When I first started this thread a few years back there was so much promise.

 

[Red Star]

Sad to see the momentum stall. When I first started this thread a few years back there was so much promise.

I wouldn't say momentum have stalled. I would be nice to see more cycling projects go ahead, but 15th Ave. is getting cycle tracks this year, there have been many pathway improvements throughout the city and cycling improvements are on the books for large parts of Forest Lawn and the NE.

 

[Mountain Man]

So dipshit Rob Ford is going to use the notwithstanding clause to overrule the courts and rip out bike lanes. I expect dumbass Dreeshan to follow suit. I hate this mindless populist age we live in...

 

[lemongrab]

They’ll loose the appeal. But that doesn’t mean the government can’t create a constitutionally valid process. The government just needs to be a bit more competent.

Ya, that's why I said "or try the bill again in a less hamfisted way." It will actually be very interesting to see how it plays out if the government presents a crappy plan based on dubious evidence (instead of basically no plan based on no evidence). To overcome the decision as written, they'd likely need to demonstrate a lot more benefit (congestion reduction/travel time savings - good luck with that) and/or significant risk mitigation/alternatives (the ruling lays out a number of difficulties with this).

That section 7 of the charter applies to roadway design. The government isn’t trying very hard to fight it, and probably for good reason because bike lanes are in general, good.

It doesn't. It applies to people...

 

[CalgaryTiger]

New Beltline bike lane has drivers swerving away from seniors' home

A protected wheeling track is under construction along 15th Avenue S.W. Residents expressed concerns over features and parking removal.

calgaryherald.com

I forgot about this new Bike Lane, I can't exactly picture the issue they're talking about but good on the City for accommodating the senior's needs for a loading zone while not severely sacrificing the usability of the bike lane.

It is crazy how parking always comes up as an issue, parking is such a waste of public space, and isn't actually a huge issue for most people, especially downtown but there are certainly a very vocal minority. Maybe those people should just pay for off street parking? Or, not so much in this case clean out their garage and not use it as a storage locker and instead use it for their vehicle.

 

[Surrealplaces]

It's good the city accommodated their needs, but I am familiar with the building, and I expect the loading to have people parked in it for long periods rather than use it for a loading zone. At least it's the only spot on the lane that has this exception.

 

[Mountain Man]

I still don't think they needed to do anything with these lanes, 12th is a few blocks away and should be the main cycle track for commuters. 14th and 15th were great for a block or two, but if you want to go further, head to 12th.

 

[CalgaryTiger]

I still don't think they needed to do anything with these lanes, 12th is a few blocks away and should be the main cycle track for commuters. 14th and 15th were great for a block or two, but if you want to go further, head to 12th.

I think, when this opens, it will go from 11Street SW through to Victoria Park Stampede Station. Might be a use for that?

 

[Mountain Man]

My point is that it mirrors the 12 Ave cycle track 3 blocks away that goes further than that.

 

[CBBarnett]

I still don't think they needed to do anything with these lanes, 12th is a few blocks away and should be the main cycle track for commuters. 14th and 15th were great for a block or two, but if you want to go further, head to 12th.

Depending on where you are starting from and where you are going, I'd agree with you that 12th Avenue is typically best for more bike/scooter commutes from outside the Beltline, particularly now that they extended it past the death-trap that is 14th Street SW into Sunalta.

But 12th Avenue can't work for all trips, just as 9th Avenue doesn't work for all car trips into and out of the core. We wouldn't close off 12th and 11th Aves to cars because it's only 3 blocks from the "better" corridor on 9th, cycling and scooters need the same approach. Specific to this area of the Beltline, we can't underestimate uniquely high volumes of local, evening and weekend circulation and the highest non-car mode share in the city as well. Because the main corridors have been dedicated for non-local commuter flows, the local circulations have been relegated to side streets so it's appropriate to optimize them for active modes and local trips.

The other forgotten piece in this debate is that 15th Avenue is already the compromise. The real demand for active mobility is directly on the 17th Avenue corridor, pretty much the whole way across the inner city.

Of course, 17th Avenue space is hotly contested already - a major bus corridor, patios, BIAs, high pedestrian and traffic volumes. So the alternative is to go a block off 17th. Unfortunately 16th Avenue is cut short, and anything south of 17th Ave doesn't connect well or runs into topography issues in Mount Royal. So we land on 15th Ave by default. It's not perfect, but it's an appropriate compromise and will be well used.