[itom987]

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

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!

 

[TAS]

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!

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.

 

[TAS]

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."

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

"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."

 

[trevorhayden]

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!

 

[archited]

^^^^ How would you get your Amazon-delivered new electric bicycle?

 

[BrettB]

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!

I wouldn't go so far as to close roads to cars, but some well-placed traffic calming does wonders to make a residential street more clycleable. I'm looking at you 96 St between 111 - 118! (My brother constantly uses it as a driving shortcut instead of 95 St or 97 St, sigh)

 

[Avenuer]

I wouldn't go so far as to close roads to cars, but some well-placed traffic calming does wonders to make a residential street more clycleable. I'm looking at you 96 St between 111 - 118! (My brother constantly uses it as a driving shortcut instead of 95 St or 97 St, sigh)

To avoid shortcutting, 96th, along with 92nd, have been changed to one-way with the additon of the on-street painted bike lane. I live in the area and it seems to have helped prevent shortcutting somewhat.

 

[Airboy]

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.

St Albert Has a law for helmets and bells.

 

[itom987]

I believe only 5% of the population bikes to work everyday (minus the children biking to school) and some forumers on this forum are among that group. Having said that, proposing changes that make driving more difficult for the rest of us won't win anyone over to your cause. I have to remind you that 30% of Edmontonians now live oustide of AHD and biking to almost anywhere is not a good option, even if a magical yellow brick bike path were to appear in front of our houses leading to work in straight line. Why you ask? Just crossing the damn highway is a major trek, let alone biking further to where you need to go. Your biking options are much better if you live within AHD. I am in favour improving the existing network by adding under passes at intersections and short cuts that save travel time but the solutions will never serve the entire city.

 

[BrettB]

I see what you're saying @itom987 - the problem is, cyclists assume all the risk when they interact with traffic. So unless safety measures are put in place that benefit everyone (most drivers I know don't like passing bikes on the road any more than cyclists enjoy the experience), few will ever choose to cycle, even if they wanted to.

 

[itom987]

Ken's suggestion of labeling sidewalks multi-use paths to keep bikes and cars separate is an excellent solution that works for the majority.
I have to mention that cyclists do not assume all the risks in traffic because they are not forced to pay for insurance. You bike in a safe manner, you win! Everyone that drives a car collectively loses.

 

[BrettB]

Ken's suggestion of labeling sidewalks multi-use paths to keep bikes and cars separate is an excellent solution that works for the majority.

That is what most of suburban Edmonton already has - but the closer you get to the core, the more challenging this is.

 

[itom987]

Whyte Ave. and Jasper Ave. sidewalks are the only ones that have enough pedestrian traffic to make biking a problem.

 

[thommyjo]

Whyte Ave. and Jasper Ave. sidewalks are the only ones that have enough pedestrian traffic to make biking a problem.

This comments shows a lack of experience about the very topic you’re sharing a lot of opinions on right now.

Also, transportation isn’t just about commuting. A ton of trips, especially for women who are more likely to trip chain and have more local trips related to schools/kids/shopping/friends, are done within 3-5kms of their home. These are very bikeable. Our new suburbs have decent MUPs as a staple now along collectors which is a good first step. Better traffic calming or bike lanes are need between residential streets and those MUPs though. And better intersections are key as many outside the henday are 6-10 lanes wide and have no signage or markings for bikes, so things like right turns on red or left turns become very dangerous for pedestrians and bikers…especially if travelling over 15km/hr on a bike.

The idea the travelling to the henday is a hike is both funny and somewhat true/false. I can bike from 170st to a new home in rosenthal or Edgemont in about 15mins. That’s not that crazy. The fact that you mention that though also shows how silly our sprawl has gotten.

With ebikes, these distances are especially manageable. You could commute from outside the henday to downtown in 30-40mins, which isn’t very different than the time in a car.

All district connectors need to be bike lanes though. Not shared use. Shared use should only be used for local/residential routes. Especially when many of the SUPs are bidirectional because the parallel option is still a sidewalk, you can’t be sharing those easily. 102ave in glenora is a constant problem.

 

[Gronk!]

Here's the latest bike path map: https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/assets/PDF/EdmontonBikeMap.pdf

That $600 million is looking like it could be a sound investment.
I want to see the Oliverbahn extended west from 124 St to about 142 St.
I want to see the Oliverbahn extended east to 95 St.
I want to see the 100 Ave bike lane extended from 109 St to 116 St.
I want a MUP built on the west side of Groat Road from 107 Ave to Hawrelak Park - this includes a MUP on west side of the Groat Bridge (I'm still pissed off that this wasn't included in the recent renovation).
I want that pedestrian bridge across 100 St built.
I want to see construction of MUPs that will connect the central core to all directions in the city.