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Cycling and Active Transportation in Edmonton

With LRT construction coming in the next few years for the Capital Line extension to Ellerslie, it seems that the 111 Street multiuse trail will likely be subject to closures as it has seen intermittent ones already this year for utility work.

While the city did a great job with the Blackmud Creek bridge (the former Connors Road pedestrian bridge), this is the condition of the road leading down to it on the south side, the old 111 St rural road. Seems this'll be a pretty important detour for active transport coming from the Ellerslie/Heritage Valley area during the LRT construction as the only other ways to get into the city from that side of the Henday are by the trail on 91 Street (requires crossing Hwy 2) or Rabbit Hill Road (requires going on the road on the narrow two-lane section of Ellerslie up to the Eco Station). Would sure be nice if this was fixed this up so it isn't a flat tire (or worse) waiting to happen.

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archited said:
^^^^ Yes... proof of concept needed here. Find one building owner prepared to "donate" space for this or one retailer who would be moved by this concept and I will eat my shirt (I have one made out of tasty wheat biscuits).
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I can see the City installing these type of lockers on the unused portion of site where the Y was on 105th. A nice trial project and maybe a long term solution until one of the downtown parkades renovates an area for secure bike storage and realizes it is a business opportunity. Of course the City of Las Vegas already has secured bike storage at its 3 transit centres in the downtown and central area and the one at Bonnyville Transit Centre has been licensed for bike repairs as well. I checked it out when I was last there - pretty cool. Unfortunately the bike storage is 100 bikes - but I hear they are getting an automatic rail system so they can go up many levels. Yes the City is doing it.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/bikecommuting/comments/a8om2s

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TAS said:
City is out today adding some paint and symbols to the Victoria Promenade bike lanes to make it easier to follow in each direction.

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For comparison's sake, here is a picture of Beach Ave in Vancouver. The City of Vancouver converted it in 2020 after much opposition from local residents because of concerns over emergency access and parking (where have we heard that before). Now, it is one of the more pleasant rides in the city.

Both roads are about 8.5 m wide with limited access at either end and heavily enjoyed as a promenade.

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I remember when bicycles used to be affordable, now people are willing to fork out thousands just to shave a pound off the bike. E-bikes cost as much as scooters.
 
itom987 said:
I remember when bicycles used to be affordable, now people are willing to fork out thousands just to shave a pound off the bike. E-bikes cost as much as scooters.
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True. I still think there are lots of different price points and some used bikes for great prices, too.
 
itom987 said:
E-bikes cost as much as scooters.
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I was wrestling with this exact thing a while back and ended up building an e-bike. Given the choice between the e-bike and a scooter, I think the e-bike wins if nothing more than you can use bike lanes/cut through the river valley parks and don't have to fight traffic while only having 50cc to play with, plus insurance.

As an aside, there's a YouTube channel called Fortnine and the host made a point it's not that fuel efficient for a 3000lb car to move a single 200lb man without any cargo. That efficiency calculation gets real compelling when an e-bike only weighs 70lbs and requires minimal assist from you. E-bikes aren't cheap, but they can put a decent size dent in the need to pull a car out for commuting at least.
 
Just received an email from Michael Janz that 2023-26 budget is grim and includes no money for active transportation.
Anyone interested in attending a virtual meeting he is hosting on Monday Nov. 7 at 7pm can do so here:

www.michaeljanz.ca

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: Making the Bike Plan A Reality. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

Join City Councillor Michael Janz and special guest presenters for a walk through the four year capital budget and learn how you can use your voice to make the bike plan a reality. Volunteers are needed, so please share this invitation with a friend or on your social media. Background...
www.michaeljanz.ca www.michaeljanz.ca
 
thommyjo said:
Bike lanes are such a cheap investment and carrying huge ROI. We have to prioritize them this cycle! So quick and easy to create vs all other infrastructure types.
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Exactly, and the city also has an important target (with environmental and economic implications) of transitioning to 50% of all trips as active transportation and public transportation combined as part of the City Plan. We need the infrastructure in place to support that. And with our population expected to grow significantly, we need other transportation options or vehicle traffic and congestion will get worse, commute times increase - not to mention all the parking spaces required.
 
edmonton.taproot.news

Project adds hundreds of kilometres of bike paths to Google Street View

With the help of funding from a Community-Based Budgeting Project created by two city councillors, Eugene Chen has added more than 500 kilometres of bike paths to Google Street View. Now he is hoping to keep the project going by enlisting the help of community groups and volunteers.
edmonton.taproot.news edmonton.taproot.news

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Montreal has done a lot of work on their bike network, and one aspect I really like is that their primary network is treated as a form of urban cycling highway - designed to get people around quickly to places they want to go. If I had one criticism of Edmonton's bike plan (which I generally like), it would be that cyclists are too often shunted off to secondary roads that may not be fast or lead to where the cyclist wants to go.

Interesting that the article points out people who question priority given to cyclists in Montreal:
When is the Vision on the quality of our pavements?" one commenter tweeted in response.
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