Drivers will be sharing a bit more of the road on Tuesday as a new cycle track has opened for cyclists in downtown Calgary.
The changes along 12 Avenue will take some getting used to, whether you’re in your car, on your bike, or even on foot. You’ll also need to pay close attention to ensure the commute goes smoothly.
The lane runs from 11 Street to 3 Street S.W., and will create new turn restrictions, traffic light adjustments, and multi-use crossings.
The new lane is part of a larger project to make the city more bike-friendly.
Statistics show that cyclists make about 11,000 trips in and out of the downtown core during the warmer summer months, equating to about 2.5 percent of commuters.
With the genesis of the new cycle track, the city hopes to increase that amount to four percent.
One of the first cyclists spotted using the track on Tuesday says as long as the lane stays around, he'll be using it.
"It's my first ride up it, so we'll see how well the lights are timed for it," says Dan Erhardt . "It's light traffic now, but it feels like a safe thing. I think it's long overdue. We have a long stretch that goes from east to west."
Mike McCarthy, another cyclist using the route on Tuesday, said he doesn't normally bike to work. "I go about a kilometre out of my way to take the cycle track. It feels great, I haven't had any troubles with it so far."
He says that it will be much safer for cyclists in the downtown core. "One of the big reasons why I don't typically bike to work is I work in the industrial park off Blackfoot Trail and you're kind of fighting with industrial traffic along the way. Having something like this is definitely more of a sense of security - it gives you more confidence."
But the new cycle track isn’t without controversy, with many saying that it impacts the area too much. Several parking stalls have been removed to make way for the track and a lot of the on-street metered parking is also gone.
Business owners in the area of the cycle track aren’t happy about that at all.
“Losing half our parking has been difficult,” says Laurel O’Leary with Escoba Bistro and Winebar. “Inconvenient – especially getting wheelchairs into the restaurant has been really difficult lately.”
The city says this is all an adjustment period which will be evaluated while the pilot project runs.
“I think it’s probably the most straight forward stretch; it’s the longest stretch. We are working concurrently on all the routes. This one was the one that was able to get to the stage where we can open it,” says Don Mulligan with the City of Calgary.
Other lanes on 5 Street S.W., 8 Avenue S.W., and 9 Avenue S.E. are all scheduled to open by the end of June.
A full report of all the commuter feedback, which will include details of how many people are actually using the lanes, will be brought to council in December.
Then, it will be up to council to decide whether or not to keep the tracks.
The cycle track system has cost about $7M.
More information on the cycle track can be found on the City of Calgary’s website.
