Why is the City of Lethbridge spending $43.8 million on cycle paths?
By Letter to the Editor on February 19, 2021.
The City of Lethbridge Cycling Masterplan was adopted by council on July 17, 2017. This plan identifies two phases with estimated costs (using 2016 dollars) of $21.9 Million per phase, for a combined total cost of $43.8 Million. According to the plan, community input was gathered in a telephone survey of 400 people from January 18 to 25, 2016, and through a series of events between March and December 2016.
What will this $43.8 million expenditure do for Lethbridge? The plan states the following goals: “More people cycling, Cycling is safe, Cycling is desirable, Cycling is connected, Cycling is understood, and Cycling is implemented”.
Wow. Is this a marketing plan to convince people to try cycling?
We have significant concerns. First, at least two of the events used to gather community input — Jane’s Ride and Tour of Alberta — are cycling events. It would be expected that attendees of those events would be biased in favour of cycling initiatives.
Second, the telephone survey only surveyed 400 citizens. Of those 400 people, survey results were based only on people who actually owned a bike (65% of respondents).
All Lethbridge taxpayers are going to foot the $43.8 million bill for the Cycling Masterplan, but only the 260 bike owners who answered their phone had direct input into the survey?
Even more interesting? Here is what they said:
¥ 232 people said they would ride more if they felt safer.
¥ 76% don’t ride at all in the Winter, another 10% ride less than once a month
We would like to know from those 232 people how much more they would ride if they felt safer? Once? Once a week? Once a month?
More importantly, we would like to know if any community members were asked if they were willing to spend $43.8 million on bike paths?
Before spending any more money to implement this plan, city council and administration should ask some critical questions:
How important are bicycle paths (unimportantÉcritical?) to the general population?
How much are the existing paths and lanes used and when? A simple bicycle usage traffic count would suffice. We shut down 7 Avenue at 13 Street, yet you can wait a long time before seeing a lone bicycle that could have crossed at a light instead.
Are these lanes worth the restriction to traffic?
Does the public consider the estimated expenditure of $43.8 million a good use of funds?
To access the Cycling Masterplan: https://www.lethbridge.ca/living-here/Projects-Initiatives/Current-Projects/Pages/cyclingmasterplan.aspx
Lethbridge Transparency Council
-1
The last time most of the Transparency Council curmudgeons rode a bike, it was The Royal, with the giant front wheel.
It’s a new world fellows. The City had a long public consultation on this master plan, and this is what a large segment of the population valued. There are diverse needs in our active city for people of all stages of life, from the golf course to curling rinks to seniors’ community centres to the shooting range to bicycle paths. All of these people pay taxes. But once again the Transparency Council singles the one they don’t use for their outrage.
how often do you ride a bicycle? what I have noticed in town is the indigenous have abandoned their horses for bicycles.
“By some estimates, there are already more than two billion bikes in use around the world. By 2050, that number could be as high as five billion. Over 50 percent of the human population knows how to ride a bike. In China, 37.2 percent of the population use bicycles. In Belgium and Switzerland, 48 percent of the population rides. In Japan, it is 57 percent, and in Finland it’s 60 percent. The Netherlands holds the record as the nation with the most bicycles per capita. Cyclists also abound in Norway, Sweden, Germany, and Denmark. The Danish capital, Copenhagen, is considered the most bicycle-friendly city in the world. It’s known as the “City of Cyclists,” where 52 percent of the population uses a bike for the daily commute. Bicyclist commuters are generally healthier than those who drive motor vehicles to work.”
“The bicycling industry not only provides economic benefits, but shifting trips from cars to bicycles helps reduce congestion, air pollution and CO2 emissions as well as improve riders’ health. The value of the contribution of cycle use in Europe has been estimated at between €143-155 billion annually, with 80 percent of those benefits arising from reductions in mortality alone. Danish research found that the risk of death for daily cycle commuters is almost 40 percent lower than for non-cycle commuters, even after taking into account leisure transport and other physical activity (Andersen et al, 2000).”
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/02/why-we-need-to-encourage-cycling-everywhere/
every place in the world except the waste domain of Canada. most of the places you mentioned, a bicycle could go from one end of the country in a day. In Canada it may take a month or more. Even our cities are so wide spread they would be difficult to traverse by bicycle.
hmm, and yet there are so many cycling in our cities. i think you do not understand on this one, phlush, that the bicycles being referred to are not the stationary ones.
oh, I totally understand. there are a lot of bicycle riders but they are dwarfed by the number of motor vehicles. For example, take the Netherlands, compare it’s size to Canada or even Alberta, then compare the density of population. The logistics are so vastly different. Even if you compare the logistics between Lethbridge and Calgary, they are totally different. Lethbridge is 8 to 10 miles across while Calgary is 50 to 60 miles across. The more compact the area the easier the access with bicycles and the more common the use. I agree with bicycle ridership as being environmentally positive. When i grew up, on a farm, my main mode of transportation was bicycle, and I would ride 20 miles on gravel roads to visit with friends. Bicycles did not even require roads at that time, let alone having to spend several millions to build bicycle pathways in the City.
despite the varying city sizes, for the vast majority distances to work, stores etc is easily within biking distance, no? i believe the real blockers to greater cycling numbers are health (and laziness and habit), safety, and weather. improving safety will get more on board, laziness can be overcome at least somewhat by electric bikes increasingly in vogue. weather will require some modifications in add ons to bikes or to apparel, and a bit more hardiness from people. the numbers willing to ride even during the last wicked cold snap have increased over the years, and i am not just referring to your proverbial “native” riders.
btw: i appreciate your comments, phlush. not that we always agree, but that you are willing to examine the bigger picture, that you can acknowledge various ideas, and that you understand the necessity of change and adapting to realities. also, you have a sense of humour 🙂
riding bikes is a great idea, and technology has been making cycling an easier option. in our part of the world, there is room for improvement still, in terms of ways to protect from the worst elements. however, it is hard to imagine that creating a more favourable cycling environment in lethbridge should be costing 43 million dollars! sheesh, there goes the much needed annex to the casa.
perhaps there is a far less expensive approach: create cycle safe paths the length of mayor magrath and scenic dr, and reduce speed limits on almost all roads to 40 km/h, which would increase safety by reducing the difference in speeds between autos and bikes.
Calgary has had the vision to adopt this.
So 400 people decide the $43.8 million for cycle pathways is typical of our tone-deaf council to approve, that is why we have close to a $300million debt on the books. The majority of cyclist are ignorant and a dangerous hazard they ignore the regulation on riding in crosswalks , the speed on the walkers pathways. The pathways in this City were built for walkers not bikers. But what is next ,of course the electric bikes,e-scooters, e-skate boards, e-hoverboards, the e-bikes with speeds up to 60k . You should look to other cities and the banning of E-scooters and the accident frequency mostly head injuries in Calgary. I have been hit three times by bikers in crosswalks, damage to my car of course the bikers carry no insurance. you get the finger They require licenses for all types which will be classed as vehicles.The majority of bikers pay no taxes a 300 person poll.
As an executive member of the Transparency Council, snowman, maybe you can explain how it is that you all begin your complaints after the process is finished. I’m sure your expert perspectives would be welcome during the planning.
BTW I’ve seen you drive – you probably deserved the gestures for cutting off cyclists : )
Fescue ; I have seen you drive too like the ones that yield to cycle and electric scooters riding in crosswalks that cause near rear-end accidents.Fescue tell the readers and me, is it legal for cycles, scooters, hoverboards classed as vehicles to ride in crosswalks. My car camera will speak to how I drive and also other vehicles. What does your Transparency Council do about issues, write letters?