Has One of Canada’s Top New Bicycle-Friendly Cities Hit a Wall?

A new protected bike lane and traffic-calming project in Edmonton is drawing some familiar and tired opposition from some local residents, who are now appealing to the Alberta government to halt construction.

Edmonton has done wonderful work over the past half-dozen years establishing a fulsome, safe cycling network in the Alberta capital including more than 200 kilometres of “high comfort” bike lanes such as separated cycle tracks.

The project in question, part of the city’s broader push to expand its growing network, includes a protected bike lane along 96 Street from 119 Avenue to 124 Avenue. It’s one of several initiatives funded by a $170 million investment into new cycling infrastructure by 2026.

In addition to the bike lane, the plan includes lowering the speed limit to 30 km/h, removing some street parking, and implementing traffic calming measures such as speed humps, curb extensions, and diverters.

A group of residents from the Delton and Alberta Avenue neighbourhoods is not happy over the potential disruptions. They cite the same worries that are always cited without facts or data about reduced street parking, impacts on accessibility for people with disabilities, and emergency vehicle access. A petition has been submitted with a few hundred signatures and are requesting the province to review Edmonton’s public engagement process, claiming they were not properly consulted.

City officials maintain that consultation on the plan was conducted over several years, though they acknowledge that concerns often intensify when construction is imminent.

Edmonton bike lanes (photo: Twitter @tylergolly)

A representative from Bike Edmonton responded to some of the complaints.

While opposition has grown more vocal in recent weeks, not all residents are against the changes. Some community members see the bike lane and traffic-calming measures as a positive step toward safer, more accessible streets.

Worse, and eerily similar to what is happening in Ontario under provincial ‘leader’ Doug Ford, the Alberta government has acknowledged the pushback and is reviewing controversial bike lane and traffic-calming projects across the province, signaling a possible shift in how these projects are evaluated and approved. A similar occurrence happened in Toronto where a bicycle-friendly city council expanded the city’s network only to see Ford and his suburbanite provincial government intervene in an anti-democratic way passing legislation to remove bike lanes.

Heslinga doesn’t like it.

Construction on the Delton and Alberta Avenue project is set to begin in the coming weeks. And hopefully Edmonton can continue its winning bicycle-friendly ways into the future with groups like Bike Edmonton leading the charge.