News

The downtown bike grid could look like this by July 2017

On Wednesday, September 28, at 1:30pm, Stantec's technical assessment of a downtown Edmonton bicycle grid will be presented to council's Urban Planning Committee. The report describes a 7.1km network of protected bike lanes, separated from traffic, in downtown Edmonton, connecting a grid of north-south and east-west routes to shared-use paths surrounding downtown. The entire report is 55 pages long, but we have summarized it here for you.

If it receives support at the Urban Planning Committee, the report will go to all of city council on October 11 for a decision on funding and timing. One the two funding options presented would see the downtown bike grid opening as early as summer 2017. But council needs to hear from you.

Contact your councillor immediately

Please contact your councillor prior to the October 11 meeting to express your support for a downtown bike grid. Paths for People has created a quick tool for you to use to contact your councillor, including a sample letter for you to send.

Just these few lines can be immensely effective:

Dear Councillor,

I am writing in support of a grid of protected bike lanes in downtown to be built spring 2017. I would like to see your vote in favour on October 11, 2016.

Thank you, Your citizen from Ward #

They need to hear your voice to understand how important and urgent this is.

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We need organizations and employers too!

Does your workplace care about employee health, limited parking stalls, or the environment? Are you involved with an organization that is active downtown? If you host events downtown, or are connected to a downtown school, or businesses big and small, please talk to your organization or workplace about writing a letter of support for a downtown bike grid. This network will help ease parking concerns, improve employee satisfaction, and can increase attendance/sales.

Downtown Bike Grid

Calgary built a 6.5km downtown grid of protected bike lanes, also called cycle tracks, in 2015. It was given the same budget as proposed for Edmonton's ($7.5 million), but came in under budget and was built for only $5.7 million. Hugely successful, the network led to a 95% increase in weekday bike trips in the months after opening, and celebrated over 1,000,000 cycle trips across its three main embedded counters about a year after opening. (Its 10 automated counters tallied nearly a million trips in the first 6 months.)

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Will it feel safe?

Here are videos and images of Calgary's cycle tracks, which Stantec also helped design. Based on their experience, Edmonton's will be similar, with improvements based on lessons from Calgary.

Edmonton's Minimum Grid

You can view the full report here, but some of the highlights include:

  • The implementation is flexible. If adjustments need to be made with this design, they can be made quickly. Calgary has made dozens of adjustments to its cycle track network based on feedback from users, drivers, and businesses. Calgary already made adjustments as early as the first initial weeks of operation.
  • The report assessed existing capacity during AM/PM peak traffic conditions. Most roads are under capacity; those that were at capacity were removed from consideration. The analysis indicates that the bike lanes will not have a great impact on traffic. Calgary was much more constrained, but saw only limited impacts on travel time for drivers.

    existing-traffic-conditions

  • The selected routes connect to almost all the major existing bike routes leading into downtown, including 100 Ave, 102 Ave, the High Level Bridge/Railtown, 105 Ave, the Capital Line LRT shared use path, the Metro Line LRT shared use path, Grierson Hill shared use path, and the river valley.
  • The report addresses transit interactions (they're minimal on most of the selected routes) as well as maintaining access through downtown construction.
  • Maintaining on-street parking was prioritized in the route selection and design. Most of the routes maintain existing on-street parking; a couple routes maintain parking on only one side for some sections. Downtown Edmonton has an abundant supply of on-street and off-street parking, including an increased supply as previously private parkades are in the process of opening access in anticipation of demands from the arena.
  • The recommended barrier design includes self-watering planters for flowers, and a concrete base to better limit snow, slush and gravel from migrating into the bike lane. The report includes $625,000 annually for operating costs, including snow clearing at the same priority as the rest of the road (for downtown, this means within 24 hours of the end of snowfall).

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  • Over half of the capital costs are for upgrading intersections. Most of the intersection costs will go towards non-bike specific improvements such as replacing aging traffic controllers. The entire capital cost of the network will be paid using existing funds: no new funds need be allocated for the $7.5 million cost. Budgets are already allocated for traffic controller upgrades, a 102 Ave protected bike lane, complete streets, and active transportation. This downtown bike grid just gives a focus for those budgets.
  • The 104 Ave section will be a shared use path on the north side of the road.

You can review the full report to see detailed assessments, including road surface conditions, parking impacts, and the proposed design of each route.

A few things not fully covered in this report include:

  • Clear connections to the new funicular at 100 St and MacDonald Dr
  • A protected bike route connecting 107 St down Fortway Dr (behind the Legislature) to River Valley Road
  • Protected lanes along 100 Ave west of 110 St to the 121 St bike lane
  • Discussion of the south side of the river (University, Garneau, Old Strathcona). The original motion from council included a request to consider these areas as well, but due to time and funding constraints the scope of this report is limited to downtown.

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Why a downtown bike grid?

  • It works. Calgary's city-wide cycling mode share has doubled since 2011. People feel safe enough to ride with young children; even to teach their children to ride. Separated bike lanes reduce the risk of collision by 90%.
  • Good bike infrastructure dramatically reduces sidewalk cycling.
  • Edmonton's lack of infrastructure doesn't work: at least 19 cyclists/year are injured within a 5 block radius of the downtown core. Many more incidents of harassment and collisions go unreported.
  • Public health: increased physical activity is one of the best ways to improve individual health and creates massive public health benefits, and therefore cost savings.
  • The selected routes are on roads with excess capacity. That capacity can be more equitably distributed.
  • A single lane is not very useful; a network is essential. This network passes near to all downtown destinations, and connects well to other heavily-used routes.
  • More people biking means less wear and tear on the roads, fewer potholes, less congestion, and more available and cheaper parking.

  • This is city building (and about as cheap as you can get it). It enhances the public realm, increasing vibrancy in Edmonton's downtown.
  • There is significant latent demand for cycling infrastructure that's safe for ages 8 to 80. Downtown has high existing and higher future concentration of people, jobs, and destinations, but due to high traffic volumes and lack of safe infrastructure, the majority of people don't currently feel comfortable biking downtown, even though the majority of Edmontonians are interested in cycling.
  • The current allocation of our roadways is inequitable. We all pay for the roadways through our property taxes. People shouldn't be treated as second-class citizens simply because of their mode of transportation on any given day. The average Edmonton household spends over $11,068 each year on transportation. The median household income in downtown Edmonton was $35,858: almost 31% of the household income went to transportation.

Please, use this easy form to contact your councillor to support the downtown bike grid.

Zero points for Edmonton's confused Vision Zero

 
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When you step out of your car, do you immediately don your safety vest? When you step out of the office after work, do you flick on the flashlight that you always carry with you?

Are you properly equipped to cross the road?

According to the City of Edmonton's latest "traffic safety" campaign:

"wearing a strip of reflective material or a reflector can save your life."

"pedestrians always come out the losers"

"If you are lucky, it will only bump you."

 

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Zero Vision

Under the banner of Vision Zero, Edmonton's "Heads Up" campaign firmly offloads responsibility for pedestrian injuries and fatalities from the City's poor road designs and dangerous speeds and onto pedestrians themselves.

This is the antithesis of Vision Zero.

Give the City your feedback

The City is conducting a survey that includes a question about this ad campaign. You can give your feedback until noon, Tuesday, September 20.

Vision Zero is the Swedish approach to road safety thinking. It can be summarized in one sentence: No loss of life is acceptable.

The core principle of the Vision Zero concept is that in every situation that a person might fail, the road system should not.

 

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In Troy Pavlek's excellent post on this campaign, he writes:

Vision Zero accepts that humans will make errors, so the system must account for that. Typical roadway design has focused on maximizing capacity, and then assigning blame to users when incidents occurred. But with Vision Zero design, the entire system is focused on increasing safety at every turn, so the system takes leadership in preventing scenarios where user error could cause injury.

 

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The City's responsibility in Vision Zero is to use its limited resources as efficiently as possible to make the roads safer. It can do this by designing better roads, improving pedestrian connectivity, and improving dangerous intersections. An ad campaign that misdirects responsibility and implies that pedestrians (even those wearing yellow or orange!) are "lucky" to only be "bumped" by cars does not improve safety.

 

Point, look & cross: Edmonton aims to be the Fashion Capital of Western Canada

 

To be clear: we know very well that as a driver, it can be difficult to see unlit pedestrians or bikes at night. We have hosted workshops on making retroreflective clothing, and making your own bike lights. We sell hundreds of bike lights, starting at $1.49, at both of our volunteer-run, non-profit community bike shops, BikeWorks North and South.

But the City of Edmonton is in a position to do much more than just admonish people to dress shiny: their focus here is misguided. Even if they truly felt that this was the best focus for their resources, they would likely be better served by spending the same money to hand out lights and reflective bands at busy trails and intersections.

But it's likely not the best bang for our buck: a New Zealand study of car-bike collisions found that "the most physically conspicuous group had a higher risk [of collision involving a motor vehicle] in Auckland", i.e. those that wore high-visibility clothing and reflective gear were actually more likely to be hit by a car. A study of Calgary and Edmonton found that "the risk of collisions with a motor vehicle was increased by wearing fluorescent clothing", even after adjusting for commuting and bicycling location.

In Edmonton in 2015, 225 (68%) pedestrians were injured or killed while crossing with the right of way. Only 57 were crossing without the right of way. The majority of pedestrian collisions occurred during regular work hours, between 8am and 6pm. 40% of fatally injured pedestrians have been drinking; before you drunkenly stumble out of the hockey game, will you always don your safety vest and contemplate the anti-jaywalking billboard you saw earlier in the day?

What is the problem, and what are the solutions?

The problem is the City placing lights that illuminate only the road but not the sidewalk. The problem is the City poorly lighting or poorly marking crosswalks. The problem is the City creating long stretches of road without marked pedestrian crossings, encouraging pedestrians (especially those with small children or mobility challenges) to cross without a marked crosswalk. The problem is the City designing road networks that don't have strong pedestrian connectivity, forcing pedestrians to walk along either busy arterial roads or dark, unpopulated trails. The problem is the City designing roads for more cars to move faster and faster without having to worry about slowing or stopping, and then using long signal timings or other anti-pedestrian measures to deter walking.

The problem is the City continuing to unfairly direct blame onto pedestrians rather than taking responsibility.

 

Don't stop speedin' Hold on to that feelin' Pedestrian people Won't be interferin'

 

Imploring anyone on foot to arm themselves with personal protective equipment in case they get "unlucky" is not a solution.

It is a signal of the City's failure to protect its citizens and to provide them with safe, healthy options to move about their neighbourhoods and their city.

Notice of special resolution: proposed changes to EBC bylaws

Notice is hereby given to all EBC members that there is intention to propose the following resolution to be passed as a special resolution during the EBC Annual General Meeting on October 2, 2016. WHEREAS the Board of Directors of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society recommends amendments to the Society's Bylaws;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Bylaws be amended as follows:

  1. Delete from Section 4(a) [Duties of the Board of Directors] in its entirety and replace it with:
    • 4(a) "The Board is required to hold a meeting, which shall be chaired by an Interim Chair who shall be an outgoing Board member or a member at large, within one calendar month of the AGM. The date for this meeting must be set at the AGM. At this meeting, the Board shall elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. No person who has held any combination of these positions during each of the previous four years shall be eligible to hold any of these positions for a fifth consecutive year. The Duties of the Interim Chair shall terminate on completion of the election of officers."
    • 4(a) The Board is required to hold a meeting, which shall be chaired by an Interim Chair who shall be an outgoing Board member or a member at large, within one calendar month of the AGM. The date for this meeting must be set at the AGM. At this meeting, the Board shall elect a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Duties of the Interim Chair shall terminate on completion of the election of officers.
  2. Delete from Section 6(g) [Election of the Board of Directors] in its entirety
    • 6(g) No board member who has served four years or more consecutively shall be eligible for re-election.
  3. Renumber Section 6 accordingly.

For any questions or concerns, please contact us.

High Level Bridge safety audit released

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A safety audit of the operation of the High Level Bridge for walking and cycling has just been released. You can view the full report online. There are many good recommendations in this safety report, including:

  • enhancing the barriers between the roadway and the paths (ideally in a way that minimizes splashing from cars, ice build-up, and wind), both on the bridge itself and some of the approaches,
  • better marking hazards,
  • removing barriers such as signs and posts and some redundant fencing,
  • fixing uneven surfaces,
  • installing rub rails,
  • improving lighting,
  • widening the approaches and improving sightlines at intersections

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One-way operation is not supported

One recommendation that we do not support at this time, however, is the safety audit's recommendation to make any of the paths one-way.

Edmonton claims it wishes to promote active transportation. Placing further barriers to active transportation belies this claim.

Mandated one-way operation would further reduce capacity on the High Level Bridge: a problem now, and in the future if we wish to encourage more people to walk and bike. It would also make the bridge much more difficult to use, requiring long and dangerous traverses.

Have you seen trucks, trailers, or buses rolling over this curb at 109 St and Saskatchewan Drive? Let us know.

Posted by Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society on Wednesday, August 17, 2016

The City should be looking at solutions that improve the conditions, not jump to rash, anti-solutions that address one problem by making conditions worse.

First, the City should monitor usage and safety issues on the bridge, comparing them to statistics from before the suicide barriers were erected.

We collected many self-reported anecdotes, mostly when all traffic was routed to the east side. These are not scientific numbers. The City needs to collect robust numbers and compare them to pre-barrier baselines. Now that both sides of the bridge are open again, if the injury rate hasn't changed significantly from before the barriers were installed, is there really urgency to change the operation of the bridge?

If the City is able to collect data demonstrating that there continues to be an unacceptably high injury rate, and urgent changes are needed, we may be supportive of limited one-way operation, but only as a near-term mitigation method in conjunction with other changes, potentially with narrowly-defined hours and direction (e.g. east side operates as northbound in the AM peak, southbound in the afternoon peak, and unrestricted otherwise).

Improve intersections, irrespective of other changes

One change that should happen before any changes to travel direction on the bridge is improvements to crossings at both the north and south ends of the bridge. At the least, without any dramatic or expensive infrastructure changes, light signal timings could be altered to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the intersection in one phase, rather than multiple phases. There already exists a phase on the south side when no pedestrians are allowed to cross in any direction. There could also be a phase where no cars are allowed to move in any direction, but pedestrians and cyclists could cross in every direction (and clear the intersection much more rapidly).

This improvement, which still falls far short of more substantial improvements to the intersections, would improve safety and recognize the 3500 daily pedestrian and cycling users as more than just interlopers, ducking between turning cars and taking refuge on narrow concrete islands.

Additionally, we know that one of the best ways to influence behaviour (and encourage "desireable" behaviour) is through design. Enforcing one-way operation of the High Level Bridge paths would be extremely difficult, at best, and even more challenging if the City simultaneously maintains the many barriers between the west and east sides. By improving the intersections and making them easier to traverse, many people would opt to use the west side of their own accord, reducing pressures on the east side (and possibly any potential need to make it one-way).

Committee Meeting

City administration's report to committee, which talks about "solutions to make the pathways more cyclist and pedestrian friendly," lists one-way operation under "further investigation" and clarifies that "prior to making any further changes to the current condition, Administration will continue to engage the public to review options to enhance the operation of the two sidewalks/shared-use paths."

The City hosted a meeting with over a dozen stakeholders in August to review the draft safety audit. The consensus in the room was that one-way operation was not currently an acceptable option.

Finally: the committee report lists metrics, targets and outcomes. We are disappointed that none of the metrics consider public health or user safety. We strongly support suicide prevention measures and stronger mental health supports for Edmontonians. Thit is not a mutually exclusive goal from increased active transportation: in fact, the two are complimentary. If additional barriers to active transportation results in fewer people choosing to walk or bike, or indeed in direct injuries, that information should be captured in the City's metrics.

The Urban Planning Committee meets on September 14 to discuss this report. You can request to speak to the committee, or contact your councillor directly.

You Can Ride 2 Fall Bike Intake Volunteer Call-Out

Please consider volunteering for EBC's YCR2 on October 1st and 2nd - bike intake days! Both mechanics and non mechanics can help out. Here's a handy sign up sheet: Volunteersignup You Can Ride 2 is an EBC program. Our main goal for this program is to loan out modified bicycles to children who would otherwise not be able to participate in cycling. We try to find the best bike for every kid! Sort of magic, really :)  

Annual General Meeting 2016

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Please attend our Annual General Meeting on October 2, 2016 from 1pm-3pm at the Downtown Edmonton Community League (10042 103 St NW). Everyone is welcome to attend! Our President (Jonathan) and Treasurer (Geoff) will present their exciting reports of the board's activities this past year and the direction we're heading.

Our Executive Director (Chris) will present our Annual Report describing our programs, advocacy, and public events.

Our BikeWorks Manager (Coreen) will be presenting Volunteer Awards-- nominate a great EBC volunteer for an award here: http://edmontonbikes.ca/about/volunteer/awards/

EBC members will vote on bylaw amendments and the 2016-2017 budget.

Finally, members willl vote in a few new Board of Directors. If you are interested in helping to set the direction of our organization and strengthen our current awesome governance, please consider joining the Board of Directors. Nominations can be submitted at http://edmontonbikes.ca/nominations

Isaak Kornelsen Memorial Ride and Parklet

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On Friday, August 26, 2016, join us at 5:30pm in front of Edmonton City Hall (Sir Winston Churchill Square) for a memorial ride in honour of Isaak Kornelsen. The ride will proceed slowly and in legal order to the Memorial Parklet for Isaak Kornelsen at 10151 82 Ave. This ride is both a celebration and remembrance of Isaak’s life, as well as a demonstration in support of dedicated, safe cycling infrastructure. The destination memorial will take the form of a parklet, a small urban park set up temporarily in two metered parking spaces. The parklet will be a one day public space on Whyte Ave in honour of Isaak Kornelsen.

Isaak’s life was tragically cut short on August 27, 2012, at the age of 21 while cycling on Whyte Avenue. Isaak was a Strathcona High School valedictorian, University of Alberta Philosophy student, and runner for both the Golden Bears and Edmonton Thunder. But most importantly, he was a sincere and loving individual who brightened the lives of everyone he met.

The parklet is designed to symbolize various aspects of Isaak's life, and the ideals he upheld. By portraying these ideals we aim to inspire people to think more deeply about the world they live in, and to leave with a renewed yearning to discover and experience what the world has to offer.

Creating a one-day parklet installation on Whyte Avenue will not solve unsafe cycling conditions on Edmonton's busy streets; however, it can raise awareness for the need to better balance all modes of transportation in Edmonton.

Art Bike Tour 2

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bike tour handbill front editing 2016-page-001 Join EBC and Harcourt House as we ride to different galleries in downtown Edmonton for an afternoon. Take in art, speak with curators and enjoy a few gallery tours.

Our schedule for Saturday, August 20:

  • 2:00 - Nina Haggerty
  • 2:55 - Borden Park
  • 3:50 - CARFAC
  • 4:25 - Harcourt House

This event is free. You are responsible for bringing your own safety gear, lock, equipment, and water. We will meet at Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts (9225 118 Ave).

Don't forget: the 2016 Community Garden Bicycle Tour is happening the morning of August 20 as well! You can participate in both!

Let us share your story at City Hall

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Are you comfortable biking home at night through the river valley? Have you been the target of catcalls or other verbal harassment while riding to work? Do you worry about being run off the road or injured while running mundane errands? Tell us your stories of being the target of harassment, threats, or aggressive driving, while riding your bicycle. And tell us about any other safety concerns you have had. Many people don't realize the adversity faced in just trying to bike somewhere: help us paint a clearer picture. Very few people will intentionally endanger another person on the road, but how do those rare instances impact your desire to ride?

You may not have the opportunity to speak to Council at a committee meeting or, but if you tell us about it, we can make sure that Council hears your story.

Share your story with us

Share your story to help us advocate for better bike infrastructure in downtown Edmonton. Please submit your incident or concern by September 9, 2016.

Additionally, if you're willing to record a short video clip of yourself (around 1-2 minutes) telling your story, we will present a compilation to Council. Upload your video to your choice of service (e.g. YouTube, Dropbox, MegaFileUpload, Facebook) and e-mail the link to info@edmontonbikes.ca.

Stantec is currently conducting a technical study of a minimum grid of physically separated bike lanes in downtown Edmonton. They will present the report to City Council's Urban Planning Committee in September 2016. The report examines using inexpensive, temporary infrastructure, such as bollards and mobile concrete curbs, to build a network of protected bike lanes, similar to Calgary’s wildly successful downtown cycle track network.

We need dedicated bike routes to provide safe, equitable, and efficient transportation through Edmonton's core. Edmonton is the only major city in Canada without any dedicated bike infrastructure downtown.

Designating space for cyclists ensures that more people have safe transportation choices and reduces conflicts between users, such as the abhorrent recent incident of racism and road rage.

6 ways to improve the High Level Bridge

In the last two weeks, we have received nearly 60 reports of collisions or near-misses on the High Level Bridge.

In Monday's Mayor's Q & A on CBC Edmonton AM, Mayor Don Iveson was asked about safety issues on the High Level Bridge. He said, "If it becomes necessary...that we have to turn the east side into a proper sidewalk and keep the west side as the shared-use pathway that you can continue to ride, that's something that will be evaluated and decision will be made in due course."

We do not support making the pathways single-use or single-direction, for several reasons:

  1. The City is trying to encourage more people to walk and bike. During rush hour, both sides of the High Level Bridge were congested even before the installation of the suicide barriers. Now, both sides are significantly reduced in width and capacity.

    2015-05-22 to 2015-06-30 average daily users

    The High Level Bridge is the busiest cycling route in the city, with 3000-4000 users daily, most of them on bike, sharing less than 5 metres of width between both sides of the bridge. As the city grows (in the next 25 years, downtown Edmonton’s employment will grow to 91,000) and more people walk or bike, and as more people are encouraged to ride through proper infrastructure, these numbers will just continue to grow. Further reducing the capacity of the bridge for all these users is self-defeating and directly opposes the City's own goals, visions, and efforts.

  2. Most of the current conflicts can be resolved with courtesy and awareness for users: cyclists slowing down when passing, ringing bells, and yielding the right of way to pedestrians, with pedestrians staying to the right and single-file. This retains the flexibility for all users to access the bridge, and allows people to exercise discretion. Many of the conflicts can be reduced through education; those who are impervious to etiquette and education will also be unlikely to comply with new, unenforced rules, while the rest would be punished without benefit.

  3. People walking their bikes across the path would further increase congestion, as more users would be bottlenecked on the bridge, and a person walking a bike is twice as wide as a mounted rider.

  4. There are indisputable design problems with the suicide rails that increase the risk and severity of collision and injury. Both east and west sides are now below the City's own standards for minimum required widths. Addressing these problems by improving design is the correct solution: not further punishing pedestrians or cyclists because of bad design.

  5. The intersection of Saskatchewan Drive and 109 St can take up to 3 minutes to cross from the east side to the west side, sometimes requiring waiting through 3 light cycles, which currently prioritize car traffic (including phases where cars are moving but no pedestrians are allowed to move in any direction). There are also 6 turning lanes at that intersection, which increases the risk to pedestrians and cyclists.

    The traverse at the north end at 97 Ave is even worse: a walking detour of 300m and again waiting for a minimum of two light cycles to cross the streets, including a free-flow turning lane.

    With access limited to one side of the bridge, many users would have to cross 109 St at both ends every time, adding 5-10 minutes just to get to the right side of the street. The narrowed pathways already deter people from walking and biking. Creating even more barriers would exacerbate the problem.

Walking your bike across the High Level Bridge adds 9 minutes to your trip compared to cycling at a moderate speed of 20km/hr.

In comparison, reducing the speed limit on Whyte Ave between 112 St and 75 St from 50 km/hr to 30 km/hr would make conditions for pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists much safer, while only adding 4 minutes of travel time (assuming free flowing traffic with no lights, a condition which never happens; in practice, the travel time change would be even less than 4 minutes):

There are several solutions that can help improve safety and comfort for pedestrians and cyclists using the bridge, without punishing either:

  • Put additional resources into completing the installation of the suicide barriers sooner rather than later. Construction began in September 2015 and was originally scheduled to be complete by June 2016: already a very long timeline to install two fences. As of July 12, 2016, it is still not complete. The City has announced a "tentative" opening date of July 18.

  • A cheap, fast safety improvement would be the installation of "rub rails": railings that are designed to protect against handlebars catching on the posts. With the right design, they can reduce the risk and severity of collisions by removing hard right angles, without further narrowing the paths.

  • If, as an interim measure to address immediate safety issues, the City wishes to make one side pedestrian-only, it must first improve both the north and south crossings of 109 St. We proposed a list of improvements to the south intersection last year. Vancouver improved its own anti-pedestrian intersection of Burrard and Cornwall in 2014.

  • Although it doesn't address safety issues, the user experience of the existing suicide barriers could be vastly improved by applying the City's Percent for Art program to create a more humane space, turning the imposing barriers into part of an art piece. The project had a budget of $3 million, so under the policy, up to $30,000 could potentially be available for art.

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  • Part of the longer-term solution will be to replace the existing suicide barriers with one of the better options that were initially presented, which don't narrow the walkways:

    option 3

    Another advantage to this design is that it can also protect against suicide attempts from the upper deck.

  • Opening the upper deck to create a park, shared with pedestrians and the streetcar, and possibly cyclists, will alleviate pressures from the side paths, while also creating a signature public space for Edmonton.

    High Level Park

    The width of the upper deck is over 10m; it used to support two streetcars and a freight train passing simultaneously: archive streetcar

    In his Q&A, Mayor Iveson mentions that the City of Edmonton has a lease from the Province for the upper deck of the High Level Bridge, which the Province holds for the possibility of future high speed rail. We've already invested heavily to extend LRT to south Edmonton; making a rail connection at the end of the LRT line makes far more sense than blasting a high speed train through central Edmonton.

    Creating a public park for all Edmontonians, including the thousands that cross the bridge daily on foot or bike, and the many thousands more who will come just to enjoy a High Level Park year-round, is a far better use of this iconic bridge.

  • Allan Bartman, City supervisor with Infrastructure/special projects, said of the suicide barriers, including the lack of consultation and the design's negative impact on safety and accessibility: "We take congestion and public concern seriously, and while narrowed sidewalks aren't preferable, we're happy with the project. The goal was to get supplemental railing up sooner than later, to deter suicide attempts, within the budget and timeline."

    Hopefully the City can be consistent in this philosophy, and apply it to roadways as well: narrowing roadways to install protected bike lanes sooner rather than later, to prevent traffic deaths, even if it means a shorter consultation period or fewer on-street parking stalls.

    Art Bike Tour

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    bike tour handbill front editing 2016-page-001 Join us as we ride to different galleries in downtown Edmonton for an afternoon. Take in art, speak with curators and enjoy a few gallery tours.

    Our schedule for Saturday, July 9:

    • 2:00 - Latitude 53
    • 2:50 - Mile Zero Dance
    • 3:40 - SNAP
    • 4:30 - Alberta Craft Council

    This event is free. You are responsible for bringing your own safety gear, lock, equipment, and water. We will meet at Latitude 53 (10242 106 St).

    New protected bike lanes unveiled on Whyte Ave

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    People who ride bikes in Edmonton finally have something to celebrate, after years of looking with envy to cities like Minneapolis, which has a very similar climate to Edmonton, and Calgary, whose 1-year old downtown cycle track pilot has already counted over 770,000 trips. The City of Edmonton opened its first protected bike lane on Whyte Avenue today. The surprise move came quickly, through the use of flexible bollards and portable planters, both of which can be installed or removed overnight.

    Not everyone was pleased, as some motorists expressed displeasure at the change.

    "We take congestion and public concern seriously, and while narrowed driving lanes aren't preferable, we're happy with the project. The goal was to get protected bike lanes built sooner than later, to prevent traffic deaths, within the budget and timeline," City spokesperson Johanna Keevener said.

    With the protected bike lanes, the roadway is the exact same width as before, but just allocated differently. Keevener said the $3 million retrofit, guided by budget and time constraint and carried out without consultation from motorists, is a pilot program to prevent cyclists from being killed and to better protect pedestrians.

    A planned rethink of the road is projected in five to 10 years.

    "We will assess the road at that time, and look at different types of bike lanes and possibly widened sidewalks. It’s a heavily-used street, with 3-4,000 pedestrians and cyclists travelling it daily. So we’ll certainly speak to the public and consult road users about it at that time," she said.

    This post is satirical.

    Though overnight street transformations are possible, and even Calgary's downtown cycle track network was constructed in just 6 months, Edmonton's first two protected bike lanes, approved in 2014, aren't scheduled for completion until 2018. The majority of the content of this article is from the City's explanation of narrowing the High Level Bridge pathways without any consultation with the users.

    If the City were consistent in its commitment to preventing deaths, this post wouldn't be satire: it would be true.

    Write to your Councillor and the Mayor's office to demand a central network of protected bike lanes (a "minimum grid" or better), like Calgary's, and improvements to the High Level Bridge to increase safety and capacity.

     

    How Seville transformed itself into the cycling capital of southern Europe

    “In Spain there’s been a lot of planning about cycling, but then the plans get put into a drawer,” Cebrián says. “So there was no opposition during the planning process, as everyone thought the same thing would happen. The opposition only started when the infrastructure was being built, and by then there was no way back.”

    In fact, so surprised were some of Cebrián’s Seville council colleagues when the work did start that on the first day officials from the transport department, separate from his urban planning section, tried in vain to get the construction crews to halt.

    They didn’t, and the demand for the network soon became clear. Even before lanes were finished some cyclists squeezed between fences to use them, an unlucky few crashing into barriers marking the end of completed sections while riding at night.

    The net result is not Dutch or Danish levels of cycling, but nonetheless impressive. The average number of bikes used daily in the city rose from just over 6,000 (0.5%) to more than 70,000. The last audit found 6% of all trips were made by bike, rising to 9% for non-commuter journeys.

    — Read the full story at The Guardian.

    High Level Bridge: report near-misses, collisions and injuries

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    Have you witnessed any close calls or collisions on the High Level Bridge? Help us collect information to help advocate for improvements. While walking or cycling across the High Level Bridge:

    • Have you witnessed or been involved in a near-miss or collision?
    • With the bridge itself, or with other people?
    • Have you been injured, or witnessed an injury?

    We are collecting reports to gather safety statistics about the pathways on the bridge to help us advocate for improvements. Please fill out and share this survey.

    South Korean couple stranded in Edmonton after bicycle, passport theft

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    Mul-kyeol Choi and her husband are travelling across Canada, but her bike was stolen just west of Edmonton on Sunday. The theft included their passports, money, laptop, and even clothes. The couple are now trying to raise some funds to continue their journey across the country. If you'd like to support them, you can help them get back on the road by contributing here. You can also read more about the theft.

    Protected bike lanes, and High Level Bridge and Louise McKinney closures

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    Edmonton saw its first protected bike lanes yesterday. Sadly, they didn't even last till lunch. You can read CBC's story about the lanes, and their removal, here. One end of the vanishing bike lane connected to the High Level Bridge. Closures to the bridge have been extended for another month, until mid-July. The east path will re-open June 17, 2016 at 4pm. The west side will close again at 8am on June 20, 2016. EBC is working on recommendations to improve the condition of the narrowed paths. You can read more about the current situation in Elise Stolte's excellent story about it for the Edmonton Journal.

    Louise McKinney LRT closures

    Finally, in the beginning of July until summer 2019, full trail closures will take place in the areas of Louise McKinney Riverfront Park and Henrietta Muir Edwards Park, including the Cloverdale footbridge. Pedestrians and cyclists on the north side must detour up Grierson Hill. Note that there is no accessible detour route for those who cannot take stairs, including those with strollers, wheelchairs, or child trailers. We are working towards having an accessible trail or ramp constructed to connect the lower shared-use path (leading to Rossdale) to Grierson Hill, as currently the only connection is via stairways. You can read more on the TransEd LRT website.

    Norwood Boulevard Corridor Study

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    Can Norwood Boulevard (111-112 Ave from 82 St to 109 St) be redefined as a Main Street, like Whyte Ave, 104 St downtown, Jasper Ave, or 124 St? The City of Edmonton is having a public meeting on June 22 from 6-8:30pm at the Italian Canadian Senior's Association (9111 110 Ave) to discuss the Norwood Boulevard Corridor Study. You can view a copy of the information mail out here.

    The study will focus on:

    • improving transportation (particularly for pedestrians and cyclists)
    • establishing a unified vision for the future of Norwood Boulevard
    • updating current land use policies
    • promoting new design policies and other changes to help create a street of exceptional quality for all people to work, live, learn and play.

    Please attend if you're interested in the future of Norwood Boulevard and the surrounding communities.

    Date: Wednesday, June 22 Time: 6-8:30pm, presentation from approximately 6:30-7pm Location: Italian Canadian Seniors Association, 9111 110 Ave NW, Edmonton

    City staff will be available to explain details of the study and answer public questions.

    Invitation to Public Event

    Upshift! New earn-a-bike program needs help

    EBC is partnering with Boyle Street Community Services to offer youth, ages 17-26, a build-a-bike program called Upshift! If you're a mechanic and are interested in volunteering, please email Molly, the coordinator, at molly@edmontonbikes.ca. Classes run for 7 weeks on Wednesday afternoons from June 8th to July 20th, 1:30pm - 4pm.

    Participants and volunteers will work together to build a bike. At the end of the program, the participant will have a bike, a lock, a bell, lights and a wealth of stories and information about cycling in Edmonton. Similar to the EBC build-a-bike program 'the Spoke', Upshift is a capacity-building program that aims to equip youth with bikes and the know-how to get where they want. The bicycle is for transportation and the Upshift program is a vehicle for respectful interaction, a sense of struggle and pride in achievement, and a starting point for stories about enjoying life.

    Bike to the Symphony: June 4!

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    Join us for Bike to the Symphony 2016 this Saturday, June 4! We'll be leading a short ride from BikeWorks South to the Winspear Centre, where the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra performs pieces by Bruckner & Bruch. Alexander Prior conducts.

    Tickets are only $19 for EBC members ($24 otherwise), plus service fees.

    Full details of the event, including our pop-up bike workshop for 100 in 1 Day at the Winspear, a dinner special at Under the High Wheel, and after-party at the Mercer Tavern, are available on our website.

    Bill Eddins at Bike to the Symphony

    Edmonton Bike Swap: new location, Fort McMurray donations

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    The Edmonton Bike Swap, a non-profit annual one day bike buy & sell, is happening today, Saturday, May 14, 2016 at 11415 168 Street NW. Please note the new location as the original venue of Northlands has become a reception centre for wildfire evacuees.

    Bring your bike to sell it. Or come buy a bike if you don't have one! Or both.

    Additionally, the Edmonton Bike Swap will be accepting gently used bicycles for a special collection for those affected by the Fort McMurray wildfiers. During the intake period (8am-2pm), technicians will perform mechanical checks and reconditioning of donated bikes, and the swap will accept donations to help support those repairs. A separate area will be available during the sales period (2:30pm-4pm) for residents from Fort McMurray with valid ID to pick up a FREE youth bike for their child.

    All bikes in the swap should be able to be safely ridden away, so they will be checked by the swap's volunteer mechanics for safety.

    For full details, please visit the Edmonton Bike Swap website.

    Envision 109 St

    The City of Edmonton is hosting a public open house tonight to provide input into Phase 2 of Envision 109, a project to redesign 109 Street, between the High Level Bridge and 61 Avenue. The more commercial section north of Whyte Ave has been identified as a future Main Street, similar to 104 St downtown. The last open house was held in January. View the presentation for background on the project.

    You can provide your feedback in-person at tonight's meeting, as well as online after tonight at on the City's website. Some ideas you may wish to consider and to ask for:

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    The purpose of this public event is to provide a valuable input to Phase 2 of the project (Options Development) - The project team will present the major design considerations and guiding principles of the design of 109 Street to help participants achieve a better understanding of the multitude of factors influencing this project, and will sift through project objectives, design possibilities and constraints, in an attempt to come up with mutually agreeable design solutions that address the major project considerations in the best possible way, for both short and long term design options.

    Date: Thursday, May 12, 2016 Location: St. Basil’s Cultural Centre Address: 10819 71 Avenue Time: 4:30-8pm Formal presentations at 5pm and 6:30pm