Hundreds sign petition against teardown of downtown Calgary bike lane – Calgary | 24CA News
Hundreds have signed a petition in opposition to the teardown of a cycle monitor in Calgary.
The cycle monitor that runs alongside Third Avenue South from eighth Street West to Centre Street was a brief route launched by the City of Calgary as a detour for development alongside the Bow Valley Pathway.
According to the town’s web site, the route was all the time meant to be non permanent till the Eau Claire Area Improvement Projects are full this fall. It was additionally imagined to be a long-term answer for Calgarians to “enhance the pedestrian environment.”
The metropolis stated everlasting infrastructure was added as a part of close to and long-term methods to profit pedestrians and all different customers of the roadway.
“In its true function as a detour it implies a degree of a temporary nature,” stated Dennis Hoffart, undertaking supervisor with the town’s city and neighborhood methods division.
“I would like to be clear that the removal of the detour has not in any way impact the any future projects or considerations of cycling on Third Avenue … Once that pathway system is fully open to the public, we would encourage those users to take advantage of that new infrastructure.”
But advocates are calling on the town to make the cycle monitor a everlasting fixture. As of Wednesday night, 984 individuals signed a petition on Project Calgary urging the town to rethink its plans to tear up the cycle monitor.
Molly Bennett, president of Bike Calgary, stated she the cycle monitor is a vital hall for individuals who reside downtown and connecting companies with clients.
She stated the removing of the cycle monitor goes in opposition to the town’s insurance policies round local weather motion and energetic transportation, and hopes the town will think about making it everlasting.
“This route is heavily used. We saw significant growth between 2021 and 2022, which goes to show that if you build infrastructure people will use it,” Bennett stated.
“People who use this cycle track is different from people who use the Bow Valley Pathway. They’re serving two different people with this cycle track.
“I think there was some misunderstanding and miscommunication on whether or not this will be permanent or temporary. We would like to see better engagement and better transparency from the city whenever possible.”
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