Bike Edmonton will be presenting at the City of Edmonton’s Lunchbox Series, Change Mobility for Climate: Try Cycling! Join us this Thursday, May 27, at 12 noon. We’ll be talking about the basics for starting to cycle in the city: safety, locking your bike, finding a pleasant route, and how to ride in traffic. Transportation accounts for 30% of our GHG emissions and 42% of our energy use. At this free #ClimateLunchboxSeries webinar, learn the many ways to get around town, and get an intro to cycling in Edmonton. http://changeforclimate.ca/lunchboxseries
Pedal Poll — Join the National Bike Count
Vélo Canada Bikes, the national voice for everyday cycling, is looking for volunteers to help between June 1-6 in the first national count of cycling! Volunteers will observe cyclists for a 2-hour shift using a simple phone app.
Volunteers stationed across the country will observe cyclists pass by and note key information for 2-hour shifts, on June 1st and 6th, or another fair weather day that week.
Vélo Canada Bikes, and university researchers will use the data to make cycling a part of the solution to climate change and managing COVID-19.
Join us and invite others to participate in Canada’s first-ever national count! Vélo Canada Bikes will provide instructions for communities to collect data in the same way so that it can be compared regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Capilano Park trail closures
Capilano Park is closed until August 2021.
Access to Gold Bar or to the Capilano neighbourhood and Forest Heights is extremely limited and inaccessible.
If you are approaching from across the 50 St bridge, you will have to traverse steep singletrack or hills to access the lower granular off-leash trail.
Users approaching from Gold Bar are directed onto the Moonraker singletrack trail, which is an intermediate mountain biking trail.
Neither option is very accessible if you have any disabilities, strollers, trailers, or even a heavily loaded bicycle. Detour signage is poor.
We have placed inquiries with the City for more details about the closure, better signage, and more accessible detour options, and encourage you to call 311, file an online report, or report through the 311 app to increase the attention on the lack of appropriate information and accessible detours.
Ribbon of Green and River Valley Planning Modernization Project
The City is asking the question: "How will we ensure that the River Valley, the backbone of our open space network, remains vibrant and ecologically resilient as the city grows?"
The project involves two parts:
Completing the Ribbon of Green Plan: The Ribbon of Green provides the strategic direction: the overall vision for the future of the River Valley, the high-level plans for the connected open spaces within it, and the policy that guides our decisions about what happens in that space. In the upcoming work, the City will build on what was created through the Ribbon of Green SW+NE to complete the planning for the remainder of the River Valley and Ravines System.
Modernizing the North Saskatchewan River Valley Area Redevelopment Plan (Bylaw 7188, also known as the River Valley Bylaw): The River Valley ARP provides the regulatory framework: the standards and rules that guide the evaluation of individual projects and development that is proposed for the River Valley. In the upcoming work, the City will update the ARP so that it aligns with the City’s strategic direction, reflects Edmonton’s current planning and development context, and strengthens the City’s ability to protect and preserve environmentally sensitive areas.
This work will be completed through four phases in 2021 and 2022. The current steps are the beginning of Phase 1.
Provide your feedback in the interactive portal and register for stakeholder or public workshops.
Northeast trails and Edmonton-Strathcona Footbridge
Why are people excited about the new Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge, which recently held engagement for the concept design?
The footbridge will connect two already-complete trails, the East End Trails near Edmonton’s northeast Horse Hill neighbourhood, and the Riverside Nature Trail and Trans Canada Trail in Strathcona County.
Both trails are complete, including shared path connections completely separated from traffic (you can bike all the way from Rundle Park to Riverside Nature Trail without biking on the road), but you won’t find them on Google Maps! If you haven’t been to the northeast in recent years since these trails were completed, it’s worth a visit.
Check out our map for a full river valley route (with detour around LRT construction) that can be biked. The route pictured includes some unpaved sections in Hermitage Park, but you can stick to the adjacent paved trail if you prefer.
You can also find the Edmonton-side trails in the Discover YEG Living Map.
Draft concepts of 142 Street Bridge over Whitemud Drive
The City is accepting feedback on draft concepts for the 142 St Bridge over Whitemud Drive until May 30.
The City is seeking input on:
This is an exciting project which will complete an important missing link, as well as complete active transportation connections within Brookside, and connect to the coming shared path that will be constructed alongside Terwillegar Drive.
Construction of the bridge is planned for 2025. The pedestrian bridge is part of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion project, a three-phase project to turn Terwillegar Drive into an expressway, widening Rainbow Valley Bridge, constructing additional lanes onto Terwillegar Drive and 170 St, and upgrading both interchanges at Whitemud Drive and at the Anthony Henday. The initial two phases are expected to cost at least $223 million.
132 Avenue Renewal
132 Avenue between Fort Road and 127 Street is undergoing a renewal process, with construction anticipated to start in 2023. This corridor is a critical missing link identified in the Bike Plan,
Three options for cycling infrastructure are proposed in the 132 Ave biking information package, and you can provide your feedback on the options until Thursday, May 20.
Join the biking discussion on Engaged Edmonton to leave your comments and ideas.
You can also complete the online survey and leave comments about driving, traffic calming, walking, parking, and gathering spaces on the full engagement page.
Our preference is the protected roadway-level bike lane, similar to the downtown network. A shared pathway may have potential as well: a preferred option between the two will be dependent on specific design considerations and tradeoffs, details which haven’t been planned at this phase. If you are familiar with specific locations along 132 Ave where one option would be the clear choice, please provide that feedback to the City, and let us know as well.
The raised bike path option is not preferred as maintenance and design issues mean raised bike paths often fail to function well year-round.
As part of collector renewal process, the new design of 132 Ave will emphasize the following principles:
Create spaces along 132 Avenue that offer safe transportation pathways for all users
Enhance the community by creating beautiful spaces along 132 Avenue
Invest in infrastructure improvements that will create a more positive experience for all users of 132 Avenue and foster the maintenance and development of great local destinations, both businesses and recreational opportunities
Prioritize the safety of children at the many schools along 132 Avenue and those living in the communities along 132 Avenue
Full details, and registration for the upcoming online engagement sessions are available on the project website.
Job posting: Community Bike Workshop Assistant Manager
Bike Edmonton is hiring assistant managers for both of our community bike workshops.
The assistant manager will work with and support the shop manager, including managing daily shop operations.
This is a Canada Summer Jobs funded opportunities, with possibility of extension on a part-time basis.
Job posting: Bicycle Assembler
Bike Edmonton is hiring a Bicycle Assembler. This position will help us provide bicycles to the public by building a steady supply of refurbished bikes for sale. If you have strong bicycle mechanic skills, the ability to work with minimal supervision in a communal environment, and a desire to support our non-profit in helping more people to ride bikes, please consider applying.
Application deadline is April 5, 2021. Please submit applications and inquiries to [email protected]. View the full job description here.
Gateway Boulevard Reconstruction and Station Flats
Paths for People has highlighted missed opportunities in Gateway Boulevard draft concept plan. We would go even farther, and propose a shared use path on the east side of Gateway Boulevard, linking 80 Ave and 81 Ave to the south side of Whyte Ave, as a measure to improve connectivity around the railway. Unfortunately, there is currently no opportunity given for the public to provide feedback on the concept plan.
In the same area, a proposed development called Station Flats proposes to rezone and remove the municipal reserve (green space) on the corner of Gateway and Whyte Ave. Feedback is being accepted until March 5.
While this development is a project of Beljan Development, a developer with a strong history of well-done projects with a focus on walkability (including one of the first developments in Edmonton to include a bike garage in lieu of any on-site parking), we do have reservations about potential impacts on connectivity of the area south of Whyte Ave on either side of the railway, as well as the loss of the green space which, while neglected by the City, nevertheless serves as a gathering space for many members of the community.
You can provide your own feedback here until March 5.
142 St Bridge over Whitemud Drive
The City is accepting feedback on options for the 142 St Bridge over Whitemud Drive until March 5.
This important connection is a significant "missing link", isolating neighbours from each other, cut off by Terwillegar Drive and Whitemud Drive freeways.
Three options have been presented for feedback. Our recommendation is Option 2: the most direct path.
This is cheaper than the long span of Option 1, and avoids potential slopes and confusing, needless detours of Option 3.
Concept Idea 2: direct connection
The pedestrian bridge is part of the Terwillegar Drive Expansion project, a three-phase project to turn Terwillegar Drive into an expressway, widening Rainbow Valley Bridge, constructing additional lanes onto Terwillegar Drive and 170 St, and upgrading both interchanges at Whitemud Drive and at the Anthony Henday. The initial two phases are expected to cost at least $223 million.
Duggan Bridge closure and Strathcona shortcutting
In late December and throughout January, we noticed increased traffic shortcutting through the Strathcona neighbourhood due to the Duggan Bridge closure at 107 St on Saskatchewan Drive. The closure is planned to last until late 2021.
This increased traffic has been creating significant hazards for pedestrians and people on bikes throughout the neighbourhood, in particular on 107 St, as well as at 85 Ave and 106 St (crossing the separated bike lanes).
Have you observed or experienced any near-misses or collisions in the neighbourhood? Let us know.
We contacted the project manager with specific requests and have seen some small changes and improvements to the intersection at 107 St and Saskatchewan Drive (including an east detour walkway, as well as pylons to discourage cars from driving on the sidewalk), but the high traffic volume trying to speed through the neighbourhood continues to pose a danger to community members.
We are calling on the City to implement stronger measures to discourage drivers from shortcutting through Strathcona. The official, signed detour directs drivers to use 109 St and Whyte Ave, but currently cutting through the neighbourhood is more appealing. Ensuring that Saskatchewan Drive is used only for local traffic during the Duggan Bridge closure is essential for the safety and comfort of this neighbourhood, especially as spring returns and more people are out walking and cycling.
Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion concept plan
The detailed concept plan for the largest section of the Yellowhead Trail Freeway Conversion is currently open for feedback until March 8, 2021.
There are significant safety issues with the current plan, highlighted in the images below.
Slip lanes throughout the design, including those at St Albert Trail, and in particular the double slip lanes on the northwest corner of 127 St and Yellowhead Trail, encourage high turning speeds. Slip lanes are recognized dangers to pedestrians and people on bikes, and the design of these lanes violates Vision Zero principles.
Edmonton’s Safe Mobility Strategy states:
"People of all ages and abilities, using all modes of transportation, and in all seasons, deserve to be able to travel safely along Edmonton’s streets and pathways. During planning, design, activation, and maintenance, we will proactively reduce exposure to risk and harm."
The intersection of 126 Ave and 127 St, just north of the Yellowhead, includes a wide radius turn on the southwest corner, which encourages drivers to encroach onto the crosswalk to turn, while also allowing for higher speed turns. Meanwhile, the shared-use path directs bikes into the middle the intersection, rather than towards either crosswalk, which puts people in conflict with traffic flow regardless of the state of the crossing lights.
The crossing at 124 Ave and 107 St requires signal lights as traffic leaving Yellowhead Trail will not have any cues to slow down.
Action request for you:
Please share this feedback with the City, as well as any of your own, through the online survey before the end of March 8.
View the full concept plan here.
You can register to attend public learning sessions (and submit questions to [email protected]):
Unfortunately, though this project has a budget of $1 billion, there are very few details relating to active transportation in this engagement. The City has an information video about this portion of the project. You can view the original 8.5 minute video here, or watch the below video, which we have shortened to 1 minute to highlight the portions that mention active transportation.
Speaking Municipally: a weekly podcast about Edmonton's municipal politics
One of the best ways to stay informed about what’s going on in Edmonton is to sign up for The Pulse, from Taproot Edmonton. The Pulse is your daily Edmonton news brief, letting you know what's going on in Edmonton, both around town and at City Hall.
With the municipal election approaching in October, and many candidates already declared and campaigning, Taproot Edmonton provides an invaluable service for anyone wanting to stay informed about the city and the issues.
Don’t want more e-mail? That’s fine! You can subscribe to the Speaking Municipally podcast for your once-a-week focus on municipal politics.
The episodes are always timely, so you can start listening at the latest episode, but if you’re looking for a bit more, we suggest listening to this episode featuring Kalen Anderson, the [former] director of Edmonton’s City Plan. It helps provide a good introduction to what the City Plan is all about.
Trailheads: A History of Urban Planning in Edmonton
Want to learn more about urban planning in Edmonton? Hear from some of the people shaping the form of our city, and learn what the City Plan means for the future of this city.
Listen to this special six part series from the The Well Endowed Podcast, a production of the Edmonton Community Foundation: Trailheads: A History of Urban Planning in Edmonton.
Join guest host and producer Julian Faid (you may recognize him from his years with Rapid Fire Theatre) as he explores the many facets of how Edmonton is designed, the consequences and benefits of these design choices, and how this little patch of land on Treaty 6 Territory has evolved over time.
Trailheads: A History of Urban Planning in Edmonton
Part 1 – Pre-Fort Edmonton with Lewis Cardinal and Carolina Roemmich
Part 2 – Post-Fort Edmonton with Shirley Lowe and Erik Backstrom
Part 3 – Car Culture with Ashley Salvador and Julie Kusiek
Part 4 – Public Transit with Dr. Emily Grise, Danika McConnell and Carter Gorzitza
Part 5 – Urban Design with Jill Robertson and Dr. Robin Mazumder
Part 6 – The Future with Andrew Knack and Kalen Anderson
Win studded tires at Flying Canoe Volant!
Come visit Bike Edmonton at Flying Canoe Volant in front of La Cité Francophone (8627 Rue Marie-Anne Gaboury)! (Registration is required, but is now sold out.)
Show up with your decorated bike, and you’ll be entered into a competition to win two studded bicycle tires, thanks to support from WinterCity Edmonton. (A limited range of tire sizes are available.) We also have bells and lights to award, and information on how to enjoy our vibrant winter city by bike.
Online Winter Cycling Panel this Friday, January 29, 2021
This Friday, January 29th from 7-8:30pm, you can join us for a free Online Winter Cycling Panel discussion on Google Meets. To register, email [email protected] and we’ll send you the Google Meets calendar invitation. Four Bike Edmonton volunteers and the Bike Edmonton Project Coordinator, Molly, will offer diverse tips and tricks for staying safe and having fun on your winter ride. We’ll discuss motivation, keeping warm, preventing slips and falls in difficult conditions, creating habits for keeping your bike mechanically sound, and much more. Join us to learn more and hear engaging stories whether you’re an experienced winter rider or just starting to enjoy winter by bike!
If you’d like to register or have questions about joining us on Google Meets, please email [email protected] Thank you Alberta Ecotrust for funding this online panel discussion!
3.5 days left to join Explore Bike Edmonton Challenge and win prizes!
Sign up for the Explore Bike Edmonton challenge by the end of December 31, 2020 and you’ll be eligible for prizes. You have to fully register by completing the following 3 steps by midnight December 31, 2020. Take on challenges that suit you and win prizes! Prizes and free instructional opportunities will be awarded until the end of January.
Prizes include: studded winter tires, portable bicycle pumps, multitools, set of bike lights, the book Frostbike: the Joy, Pain, and Numbness of Winter cycling by Calgary's Tom Babin, or pogies (bar mitts)
3 steps to register
1. Fill in the Explore Bike Edmonton - entry survey
2. Register to log kilometers by making an account at explore.commuterchallenge.ca
Here’s some essential tips for creating an account.
In the "year of birth" field, please enter your year of birth or 4 numbers, eg 1234. Don’t leave this field blank
When they ask "Where do you work?", please select "individual/No affiliation" from the drop down menu. Please don't try to create a new workplace. You don't have to be working or riding to work to participate in our challenge and there's no advantage to selecting your workplace. We're borrowing this website and didn't choose the wording. The Winter Explore Bike Edmonton Challenge is about getting out there to winter ride! No matter where you cycle to, we want you to record all of your winter cycling kilometers!
Once you start adding your kilometers, your account will add up your kilometers over time, it will show you the calories you expended and the CO2 emissions you've avoided!
3. To complete your registration, start tracking your kilometers! You can start by entering the number of kilometers you’ve cycled this winter. If you haven’t ridden yet this winter, enter the kilometers you rode in the summer. Participants will be tracking kilometers for other chances to win until December 31, 2020. Here are a few tips for using the website:
If you don't have a bike computer or an app that tracks your kilometers, no problem! Use Google Maps to estimate your distances
You can win prizes even if you’ve ridden few kilometers.
Do you want to win prizes or just share your love of riding? Choose a challenge!
The following challenges and prizes are designed so that everyone in the program can pick 1 or more challenges, whether you're a seasoned rider or new to winter cycling. No matter what your travel obligations are right now, one of these challenges is bound to appeal.
1. Challenge: take on a challenge and get a free Bike Edmonton membership. If you participate in any of the following challenges and keep entering the kilometers you ride until December 31st, 2020 (for eg, enter kilometers every week), then you'll receive a free 1 year Bike Edmonton membership, value $20! If you've already updated your membership this year, we'll just add another year onto it.
1. Challenge: Choose to bike instead of driving. If you own a car or share a car and are choosing to winter ride instead of getting behind the wheel, you might be eligible to win 1 or 2 studded winter tires! We're starting to contact people tomorrow morning about this prize, so make sure you've logged all your kilometers on explore.commuterchallenge.ca
1.5 New! Give-away of another 10 sets of studded tires. These tires are generously funded by the City of Edmonton WinterCity fund. Stay tuned for details in January. Feel free to email [email protected] to tell us how you will use the tires. Submitted stories will be used by Bike Edmonton to inspire others. We won't use your name with the story without explicit permission.
2. Challenge: New and almost new riders ride. If you're new to winter riding, or have only ridden in the winter this year, you might win a prize for learning about winter cycling! Your challenge is to either
ask us questions by email, we'll answer, then report back to us after you've taken your next ride
book a video meeting to discuss riding strategies, then report back to us after you've taken your next ride
OR join an instructor for a small ride to learn techniques! If you choose to meet an instructor, we'll keep 2 meters apart and wear masks. Meeting up for physical activities is permitted under the health restrictions
you can pick what you want to learn and how you want to learn it. There's no obligation for a lengthy interaction and no obligation to ride a long way. No pressure (except in the tires, of course)!
Challenge: Ride more! We're watching the statistics roll in from the online kilometer tracking site. It's very exciting! On December 31st we'll be picking and announcing a few winners who are increasing their riding in a big way! This doesn't mean you have to ride millions of kilometers. If you didn't ride in the winter before and now you're out there riding in this winter city, you might win a prize! If you have ridden quite a bit in winter before, but are giving it your all, you might win a prize!
4. Challenge: Pictures speak volumes! If you're logging kilometers, even if you don't get out to ride much right now, you can inspire others by submitting pictures of one or more of your adventures. Show us the wonderful things you see while winter riding and make sure your bike or, if you like, you and your bike, are in the photo. By submitting photos, you are allowing us to use the photo to promote winter cycling. We won't mention your name when we use the photo.
5. Challenge: Tell us about your winter ride! Let the world know about your winter cycling experience. Write a few sentences, or a Haiku, draw a picture, or create a graphic novel. We want to hear what you have to say about winter cycling. We'll be using some of the entries to inspire others to winter cycle, so don't hesitate to enter a simple description. Your contribution might convince someone to get on their bike and enjoy the beauty of winter!
Generous sponsors: Alberta Ecotrust. and Wintercity Edmonton
Photo credit: Crystal Ling
Touch the Water Promenade
The Touch the Water Promenade is an ambitious placemaking project for a central stretch of the North Saskatchewan River on its north bank between Government House Park/Groat Road and Rossdale (east of the Walterdale Bridge).
Placemaking is an approach to public spaces that considers spaces holistically, taking into account not just the physical environment, but also their social context, including Indigenous perspectives. Placemaking seeks to create public spaces that work for their communities, and are accessible, vibrant, and creative.
The Touch the Water Promenade project does not currently have a budget and is in the process of developing a vision through community engagement. It is seeking feedback on two concept design ideas: Gateways and Threads.
The Concept Options
The Gateways design features three large outdoor gathering spaces at Government House Park, High Level Bridge and Rossdale. It includes improvements to the shared-use path but largely focuses on creating three public square-like spaces along the project area.
The Threads design features seven smaller gathering sites spread out along the river’s edge, integrated with the promenade. It prioritizes connectivity and movement through a widened continuous pathway, with additional, separate pathways and lookouts nearer the river.
The Threads design is a better fit for this section of the river valley as a place for active transportation, recreation, and meeting. Smaller public spaces are more human-scale: a place you might linger with a friend for a few minutes or a few hours, rather than only when an organized event is occurring. Parallel pathways in the Threads option, especially at current chokepoints like under Groat Bridge and east of the High Level Bridge, also reduce conflict with trail users.
The Gateways option offers some appealing designs, in particular the remarkable daylighting of Groat Ravine. But its focus on larger, planned activities at the other two sites fails to allow for more organic and spontaneous interactions: pausing for a few minutes on your walk or bike ride, or meeting a friend for a picnic. The Rossdale design in Gateways also leaves less space for sitting near the water: most of the best areas for lingering are farther away from the water than the existing paths. The Threads design creates more gathering spaces right on the river’s edge.
Climate
A major failing of the draft concepts is a total lack of consideration for weather: both options lack any representation of winter (excepting the skating oval), and both are lacking in shelters from wind, rain, or sun. However, the Threads option, with its greater emphasis on movement rather than stationary attractions, at least creates places that facilitate movement with the potential for short breaks, enabling use throughout the year.
Challenges
Both options will have to deal with variable water conditions, including flooding, ice heaves, mud, and spring runoff debris. Year-round maintenance, safety and accessibility, and minimizing impacts on natural areas are challenges that either design will need to address as the project moves into its design phase.
Feedback
Give your feedback to the City by November 30.
You can visit the project website to learn more about it. Scroll down to the "Draft Concept Options Design Package to see the full concept design options.
You can give feedback in quick polls, share ideas or questions, and complete a more detailed survey, which closes on November 30.
Ride your bike: get free things
You’ve made the decision to ride this winter and we can help you meet your goals! Sign up for the Explore Bike Edmonton Challenge to track your progress, get personalized help, and earn a chance to win useful equipment! This program is generously sponsored by Alberta Ecotrust.
Here are some of the perks of participating in the Explore Bike Edmonton Challenge:
The first 25 people to join will receive free pogies (aka bar mitts), which can be very effective in keeping your hands warm.
If you’re choosing to ride instead of drive, you may be eligible for our studded tire incentive. Future giveaways also include multiuse tools and bicycle lights.
Receive advice from people with decades of experience and their various approaches to winter cycling. You can choose advice that works for you. You’ll have your questions answered by email, you can watch Bike Edmonton winter cycling video clips, or you can sign up to attend our online panel discussion for conversations with new and experienced cyclists.
Guided winter rides, one-on-one or in small groups, practicing practical skills to make your winter journeys safer and more enjoyable.
Your online account records your kilometers ridden, including calories expended and CO2 emissions avoided.
To join, just:
Fill in the Explore Bike Edmonton - entry survey
Then register by making an account at explore.commuterchallenge.ca
Start tracking your kilometres! You can start by entering the number of kilometres you’ve cycled this winter. If you haven’t ridden yet this winter, enter the kilometres you rode in the summer.