Dreeshen letter to Calgary mayor expresses 'concern' with city's approach to bike lanes
The on-again, off-again debate over bike lanes in Calgary has shifted back into gear, after a provincial cabinet minister penned a letter to Mayor Jyoti Gondek last week suggesting the city should hit the brakes on installing more of the divisive infrastructure.
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Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen's June 27 letter to Gondek expressed 'concern' with the city's approach to constructing bike lanes at the expense of building road capacity for motor vehicles.
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'As our urban populations continue to grow, we need to seriously consider on [sic] how to maintain adequate capacity for motor vehicle traffic flow for current and future traffic needs, not reducing capacity,' Dreeshen wrote to Gondek.
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'We are concerned with the impact to our provincial road network and its connectivity to the municipal roads. We are also concerned with future bicycle lanes and other lane-removal initiatives where taxpayer dollars are used to shrink, rather than increase, road capacity for vehicles.'
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Provincial roads in Calgary include Deerfoot Trail, the ring road (Stoney Trail/Tsuut'ina Trail and Highway 22X) and Highway 8 (Glenmore Trail).
The letter follows recent social media posts from Dreeshen panning bike lanes, and a call in April for the City of Edmonton to cancel a $96-million project to install cycling tracks along 30 blocks of 132nd Avenue N.
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'As our cities grow, we must expand road capacity, not shrink it,' Dreeshen's office said in a Friday statement. 'Our priority is keeping people and goods moving safely and efficiently.'
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Gondek responded to Dreeshen with a letter of her own on Thursday, suggesting the two should meet this summer to discuss Calgarians' transportation needs.
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Traffic flow remains 'one of the top concerns I hear from Calgarians,' Gondek wrote in the letter, which did not suggest either opposition or support toward bike lanes.
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'As the economic engine of the province and the fastest growing city in Canada, Calgary must find thoughtful ways to keep people moving – whether they're commuting to work, heading out for dinner, or shopping at local businesses,' she wrote.
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'Let's work together to explore practical solutions that balance the needs of all road users and support Alberta's continued growth and mobility.'
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Bicycle lanes have been hotly debated in Calgary for years, with opponents arguing they are underutilized by cyclists, unsafe and increase traffic congestion by reducing the number of car-dedicated lanes.
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The discussion ramped up in 2015, when the city removed street parking or vehicular lanes in the core to install 6.5 kilometres of protected cycle tracks. The downtown cycling lanes, which were separated from the vehicular roadways by a protective barrier, were installed along 12th Avenue, 8th Avenue and 9th Avenue, as well as 5th Street.
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Although the network was initially a $5.5-million pilot project, city council voted to make the lanes permanent the following year.
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Council's support of bike lanes has only amplified since then. In 2023, city council approved $56 million to improve Calgary's Pathway and Bikeway Network, 'aiming to offer year-round, healthy, safe, accessible and affordable travel options,' according to a city webpage.
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'As part of the Calgary Transportation Plan, we're committed to expanding this network over 60 years by filling gaps, adding features, and supporting various activities such as walking, cycling, and scootering,' the webpage states.
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'With over 4,000 kilometres of pathways and bikeways mapped out for the future of travel in Calgary, these new enhancements and paths will foster vibrant, connected communities.'
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Current projects include developing pathway and bikeway routes in Ward 9, including Marlborough Park, Albert Park Radisson Heights, Penbrooke Meadows, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Dover, Southview and Erin Woods; and in Ward 5, including Falconridge, Castleridge, Taradale, Saddle Ridge and Martindale.
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