Calgary to get bicycling infrastructure overhaul

Calgary’s cycling community was pleased by Friday’s announcement from City Hall that the city has initiated a $28 million cycling strategy with the goal of having 4% of all the downtown core’s workers cycling by 2020. The heart of the plan is the creation of new integrated bike lanes downtown and in the Beltline, with low traffic streets converted first and then busier strips like Macleod later. Apparently, new bike lines are already being painted on 9th Ave. SW between Fort Calgary and City Hall.

Other proposals in the plan are for better snow and gravel clearance, a bike-sharing program like BIXI, more lockups and a “bicycle stations” with showers at LRT stations and downtown. The city has already budgeted $10.5 million to execute the plan.

Not surprisingly, the plan has its detractors. Some have questioned the wisdom of spending so much money on such a small percentage of commuters and others lament the loss of parking and free flow lanes for motorists.