Transportation minister says Alberta is 'actively reviewing' bike lanes
CBC
Alberta's provincial government is "actively reviewing" bike lanes that draw the ire of local residents.
Devin Dreeshen, provincial minister of transportation and economic corridors, said the province is reviewing bike lanes that residents have raised concerns about. He said the reasoning behind the move is to continue Alberta's work to build a "safe, efficient road network."
"Alberta's government supports active transportation, but we're concerned when municipalities use taxpayer dollars to reduce road capacity at a time when our province is investing billions to expand it," said Dreeshen via an emailed statement.
"While we fund major infrastructure projects, like the Deerfoot, to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, some local decisions are moving in the opposite direction removing driving lanes."
When asked, earlier this week, whether the province is planning to review both active and future bike lane projects, and if any current bike lanes are already under review, Dreeshen's office did not reply.
The minister's statement follows a June 27 letter he addressed to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek where Dreeshen said he was concerned about bike lanes being built at the expense of road capacity, and with how this work affects provincial road capacity.
Gondek's response in a July 3 letter invited Dreeshen to a meeting on how to best support Calgary's transportation needs.
Calgary currently has roughly 290 kilometres of on-street bikeways and cycle tracks. City council approved $56 million for Calgary's network of pathways and bikeways in 2023, and its long-term transportation plan looks to expand the network more throughout the next 60 years, including several ongoing projects to build further bikeway connections around the city.
In April, Dreeshen also voiced opposition to Edmonton's planned bike-lane expansions. He said the province supports bike lanes "when they make sense," but won't support "tax dollars being used to reduce road capacity." In the past, Calgary residents have raised concerns about some of the city's bike lane projects, arguing they add more traffic congestion.
The purpose and process behind a provincial review of bike lanes is unclear, said Ward 8 Coun. Courtney Walcott in an interview with CBC News.
The infrastructure isn't under provincial jurisdiction, and within Calgary's central neighbourhoods, the lanes are far removed from the provincial road network.
"The provincial networks are highways. We're not talking about the Beltline. [From] the Beltline, it takes three different roads to get to a provincial road essentially, in many cases. And none of them will have cycling tracks on them," Walcott said.
When it comes to congestion, Walcott argued research has shown more lanes of traffic doesn't effectively tackle this problem. But alternative modes of transportation like bike lanes and public transit can ease congestion.
Regardless, when Walcott hears complaints from his constituents about bike lanes, typically it has more to do with parking than road capacity. For example, the pathways on 11th Street and 15th Avenue S.W. have drawn complaints for removing parking spaces or interfering with loading zones.
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