This fall, Edmonton City Council is facing one of the most important active transportation decisions to-date. We are writing this post to explain what’s happening next!

First released in 2020, the City of Edmonton Bike Plan, laid out what active transportation infrastructure in Edmonton should look like – paths, programming, end-of-trip facilities, and more. City Administration then developed the Bike Plan Implementation, which laid out a set of approaches and priorities to carry out these changes in Edmonton.

You read more about the process leading up to this point in our previous blog post.

What happened at Committee?

After an in-depth discussion at the Urban Planning Committee on September 27, we were pleasantly surprised when Committee recommended that City Administration develop plans to implement both options A and C – our two favourites – within the 2023-2026 Capital and Opertaing Budget.

There were speakers from the community, community organizations, and academia. Many spoke about safety and accessibility, and the cost-effectiveness of better active transportation infrastructure (there are many co-benefits!). One speaker spoke about the importance of “critical mass” when it comes to building out a bike network. We can’t just build bits and pieces. A connected network of infrastructure across the City is necessary to make cycling a real alternative.

Councillors asked about integration with public transit, secure bike parking, and how to make protected infrastructure the default. They also brought up great points about how the costs for active infrastructure is much less than those for vehicle roads, which we don’t even talk about, and that there are opportunities for funding from the federal government’s active transportation fund. Importantly, they also highlighted that the city’s data showed that ridership increased significantly as soon as the downtown bike network was installed!

What happens next?

Administration will now return later this month or in early November with a draft “capital profile” and “service package” for this work. These will include full details, including the costs and benefits of construction and maintenance, to turn these plans into action in the 2023-2026 Budget. Councillors will have a chance to review these details before a public hearing on November 28 and 29. Lastly, the final budget deliberations in early December will decide if these service packages are adopted.

Between now and December, Paths for People will be;

• engaging directly with coucillors
• running community programming to build support
• facilitating a letter-writing campaign
• providing public workshop opportunities and one on one help to engage with your councillor

The option A+C being brought forward will likely be modified as it gets brought through the budget process. This means that certain parts of the Options will be added and/or removed based on feasibility and alignment with other city-building projects.

Regarding concerns we are hearing…

We’ve heard clearly 2 major concerns that may impact how the options involved.

• Cost – Some have raised concerns about the amount of money being spent. What we need to remember is…
  • The costs of implementing the Bike Plan are significantly less than what we spend on vehicle roads each year.
  • The benefits are widespread, and will even make driving better in the city by reducing congestion by inducing mode shift.
  • As we build a more multi-modal city with transportation options, we will need to comparatively invest more in active modes and transit because we have historically under-invested in these kinds of projects.
• Engagement – Some have raised concerns about how fast-tracking will result in limited engagement for some projects. What we need to remember is…
  • Transportation infrastructure is a core part of municipal services. This includes roads, buses, sidewalks, paths, bike lanes, LRTs, intersections, and more.
  • Certain projects/areas may require more engagement. But, many Bike Plan implementation projects will not. Upgrading a sidewalk to a shared-use path through a green belt. We can prioritize engagement on key situations while fast-tracking simple projects.
  • Using adaptive infrastructure can be a form of engagement, giving residents the opportunity to trial run a certain kind of infrastructure before permanently investing in it.
  • We build all ages and abilities infrastructure for people who aren’t yet biking. This means that those who will utilize the infrastructure may positioned to become engaged yet.

It’s an incredibly exciting time for active transportation in Edmonton. Many years of local advocacy and trends across the world – including a focus on wellbeing in cities, tackling climate change, and building vibrant communities – have made safe, accessible, and enjoyable active infrastructure a close-to-realized goal. However, we’re not at the finish line yet! Stay tuned in the coming week!