10-Year Plan to Build Complete Ward 7 Protected Cycling Network
The vision of the complete 2035 Ward 7 protected cycling network collected from various City of Calgary planning documents. View an interactive version of the map below.
2024 was the most dangerous year on Calgary streets in the past decade
In 2024, Calgary reported the highest number of traffic fatalities since 2013. This is absolutely unacceptable and we need to stop simply hoping things will get better. We must actively pursue changes to the ways we design streets and prioritize funding our safe mobility network to provide real transportation choices for how people get around the city.
The best plans are worthless if you don’t fund them
While successive city councils and administrations have published numerous high-level planning documents and maps for a safe cycling network, funding to design and build this important infrastructure has not aligned with the visions presented. Meanwhile, the City will often spend more money on a single road-widening or overpass project than the full 4-year capital budget for safe mobility infrastructure across the entire city.
Several pieces of Ward 7’s current cycling network need to be improved.
If you wouldn’t want a child to ride on it, it’s not bike infrastructure.
Actionable timelines are needed
Currently, actionable timelines for implementation are virtually non-existent. Calgary’s Climate Strategy approved by city council in 2022 pushes the date of a completed 5A (Always Available for All Ages & Abilities) Mobility Network out to 2050–far beyond the accountability of any current-day decision makers at city hall.
Turning plans into action: Build Out Ward 7’s Protected Cycling Network by 2035
We shouldn’t have to wait for our children to grow up and move away before they can bike safely to school in Ward 7 neighbourhoods. We can take action to accelerate the design and build out of the protected cycling network by ensuring adequate funding is in place, coordinating “build back better” to lower construction costs by coordinating changes with regular road and sidewalk maintenance, and establish clear targets for implementation by City Administration.
If elected as your Ward 7 city councillor, I commit to developing and funding a plan to design and build the complete safe cycling network over the next ten years.
The separated cycle lanes on Bowness Road in Montgomery are a great example of quality bike infrastructure in Ward 7.
Current State of the Ward 7 Mobility Network
It’s important to understand the current state of the Ward 7 mobility network so we can begin to address the task of building the full network within 10 years. Future plans for Ward 7’s cycling network are documented across local area plans for South Shaganappi, Riley, and North Hill Communities, as well as the draft Calgary Plan. However, there is currently no way to view the collection of these various plans in a way where you start to understand the complete network. That’s why I have compiled a comprehensive record of the bike network identified in the above City planning documents and their current conditions so we can begin the work of making these plans a reality.
Feedback wanted!
Are there missing links you would like to see? How would a complete, safe mobility network change the way you live in your neighbourhood? I’d love to hear your feedback! Email hello@mykeatkinson.ca.