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Cycling and Active Transportation in Edmonton

Gronk! said:
globalnews.ca

Winter cycling in Alberta growing more popular | Globalnews.ca

When Edmonton city council approved $100 million to build out a network of bike lanes, many condemned the decision, saying Alberta’s climate is not conducive to cycling.
globalnews.ca globalnews.ca
Click to expand...

I like this from the story:

Edmontonian Nicola Dinicola started cycling through the winter months in 2018.

“I’m just a normal person, average fitness,” she said. “Kind of lazy, unmotivated, sometimes cheap. So it’s really handy to not have a car and not worry about parking or insurance or maintenance.”

Dinicola said her cutoff point is around -20 or -25 degrees with the windchill.

“If it was hard, I probably would not do it because I am not one of those with something to prove. I’m just cheap and I just want to roam free,” she said.

Story also talks about how 'normalized' winter cycling has become over time in places like Finland. It was -17C the day this pic was taken there and 1,000 of the 1,200 kids at this school get there by bike.

Screenshot_20221221-075422_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
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It's funny, I was at a dinner party at a friend's last night - an annual thing for New Years - and for the previous few years the most heated topic of debate/discussion was usually Donald Trump or the UCP. But last night, it was bike lanes, haha.

"It's stupid to have bike lanes when its -40c here."

"They took away money that should have gone to the homeless."

In a letter to the editor in the EJ yesterday, a person actually argued that bikes/bike lanes are for the privileged!

It was 5-4 at the party in favor of the lanes though - although one in favor was from Calgary, who was envious.
 
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TAS said:
It's funny, I was at a dinner party at a friend's last night - an annual thing for New Years - and for the previous few years the most heated topic of debate/discussion was usually Donald Trump or the UCP. But last night, it was bike lanes, haha.

"It's stupid to have bike lanes when its -40c here."

"They took away money that should have gone to the homeless."

In a letter to the editor in the EJ yesterday, a person actually argued that bikes/bike lanes are for the privileged!

It was 5-4 at the party in favor of the lanes though - although one in favor was from Calgary, who was envious.
Click to expand...
To Janz credit, he is pushing for more balanced opinions to be shared in news media about bike lanes. He sends out emails encouraging folks to share their opinions and to date there have been some positive results. Hopefully will help dilute some of the nonsense opinions about bike lanes posted in the media.
 
That's a good point. Normally at this point in a political debate, we'll hear from those who are upset at the idea, no matter the reason.
 
I dislike the talk in absolutes. Too many say there should be no bike lanes while others talk about their hate for cars and that there should be no more new roads or even roads removed.

I am most impressed by those that can advocate for their position without diminishing others. Clearly many folks want good roads just as others want active transport infra.
 
I think one thing that could encourage more cycling are the 40 km/h speed limits.in residential neighbourhoods.
 
TAS said:
I like this from the story:

Edmontonian Nicola Dinicola started cycling through the winter months in 2018.

“I’m just a normal person, average fitness,” she said. “Kind of lazy, unmotivated, sometimes cheap. So it’s really handy to not have a car and not worry about parking or insurance or maintenance.”

Dinicola said her cutoff point is around -20 or -25 degrees with the windchill.

“If it was hard, I probably would not do it because I am not one of those with something to prove. I’m just cheap and I just want to roam free,” she said.

Story also talks about how 'normalized' winter cycling has become over time in places like Finland. It was -17C the day this pic was taken there and 1,000 of the 1,200 kids at this school get there by bike.

View attachment 446579
Click to expand...
I saw that youtube video and guess what, none of the residents in Europe were wearing helmets. Geez, we have a law that requires everybody to wear helmets while riding a bike, even in the winter! Maybe we should remove the helmet requirement for cyclists using dedicated bike lanes. They also mention that snow removal was the most important factor preventing people from riding bikes during winter. So we are spending 100 million on brand new bike lanes without any attention to proper snow removal and ignoring the inconvenience of wearing a helmet. That doesn't encourage me to ride a bike.

Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail!
 
itom987 said:
I saw that youtube video and guess what, none of the residents in Europe were wearing helmets. Geez, we have a law that requires everybody to wear helmets while riding a bike, even in the winter! Maybe we should remove the helmet requirement for cyclists using dedicated bike lanes. They also mention that snow removal was the most important factor preventing people from riding bikes during winter. So we are spending 100 million on brand new bike lanes without any attention to proper snow removal and ignoring the inconvenience of wearing a helmet. That doesn't encourage me to ride a bike.

Fail to prepare, then prepare to fail!
Click to expand...

There is no law requiring adults to wear a helmet while biking in Edmonton, but it's a good practice particularly in winter.

It's my understanding that money will also be allocated yearly in city operations to keep active transportation lanes barrier free as it is certainly a key factor whether people will and can use them.
 
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This is a very interesting article about EVs in Norway - where they are 80% of all new car sales.

Government provided all kinds of incentives such as free parking, free tolls and lower taxes versus gas vehicles to speed up the transition. EV chargers everywhere using green energy, too.

But that was just stage one. Those incentives are being removed and the next stage in the country's transportation evolution is now active transportation.

"The country has actually begun rolling back EV incentives in favor of reducing private vehicle ownership. Walking and cycling are being promoted in big cities like Oslo to help reduce the level of traffic and energy expenditure."

electrek.co

I went to Norway to see an electric vehicle paradise, but I found something more surprising

We often hear about how Norway is an electric car utopia, an example of a country that went all in...
electrek.co electrek.co

"The true end goal is a sustainable transportation landscape that truly serves the people in the form of diverse, efficient, and environmentally conscious options. Electric cars are part of that solution, but so are the electric trams and the efficient trains and even cycling/walking/scootering.

And all of this is happening in a country that is so cold that I was walking around with ice on my face without even noticing. If it can work there, it can work here. Wherever here is."


Screenshot_20230105-084453_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
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Let it be known I too am in favour of cyclists extensively using our many local and secondary roads, especially if they are closed to cars! Could you imagine if every local road is closed to through-car traffic? That would definitely be money well spent! You wouldn't need to spend 100 million on bike lanes, just change the traffic laws!
 
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