Cycle Tracks Planned for Centre City http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5abad95f7660abd589fb03174&id=619cd0b...

On Wednesday, City Council's Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit received an update on the Cycling Strategyhttp://bikecalgary.org/node/3710from 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 optionshttp://nacto.org/cities-for-cycling/design-guide/cycle-tracks/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 Brooklynhttp://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/prospectparkwest.shtml. 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'shttp://www.collierscanada.com/en/%7E/media/Files/Research/2012/2012%20Parking%20Survey%20Report%20-%20final%20-%20Sept%2028%2012.ashx, 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 Montrealhttp://ville.montreal.qc.ca/portal/page?_pageid=4577,84235570&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL, Ottawahttp://ottawa.ca/en/city_hall/planningprojectsreports/public_consult/bikelane/index.html, and Vancouverhttp://vancouver.ca/streets-transportation/separated-bicycle-lanes.aspx .