Cycle Tracks Planned for Centre City
http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5abad95f7660abd589fb03174&id=619cd0be4b&e=636a368517
On Wednesday, City Council's Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit received an update on the Cycling Strategy
from Tom Thivener (and comments from Bike Calgary). The update
included a plan for cycle tracks in the downtown core and the Beltline.
Instead of previously-planned painted bike lanes along 6 and 7 Street,
the Transportation Department has agreed to install innovative bike
facilities that separate cyclists from both pedestrians and car
traffic. There will be either two one-way cycle tracks along 6 and 7
St, or one two-way cycle track along 7 Street, as early as Spring 2013,
connecting the 8 Avenue SW bike route to the Bow River pathway. In
phase 2, 8 Avenue SW itself will get upgraded to a cycle track, and
connected to the Beltline through the 5 Street SW underpass. The
half-hearted attempt at a rush-hour only bike lane along 10 Avenue SW
will be reviewed, and may be replaced either with a permanent bike lane
or cycle tracks along 11 and/or 12 Avenues SW to provide connectivity
through the Beltline. Phase 3 (2015) is yet to be determined.
Bicycle facilities in the downtown core and the Beltline face
opposition, especially from businesses concerned about hourly street
parking. However, cycle track design options
include using parked cars as the physical barrier to moving traffic, as
in the most famous example of a two-way cycle track in North America, Prospect Park West in Brooklyn.
Moreover, on-street parking spaces may be added at the same time in
other places. Detractors often cite the notoriously high monthly
parking rate in downtown Calgary in this connection, but forget to
mention that in hourly on-street parking rates, Calgary's rates are in line with Vancouver's and Ottawa's,
and well behind Toronto's or Montreal's. At the same time, we can
expect significant benefits from installing bike infrastructure:
reductions in collisions, speeding, sidewalk riding, more people riding
bicycles (especially those not comfortable riding with traffic), as well
as increased acceptance by pedestrians and businesses. In installing
cycle tracks in the downtown core, Calgary would follow the successful
example of Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver.