Bike to Work Day and a City Cycling Strategy

A City of Calgary employee parks her bike in the lock-up at the Municipal Building.

As one of the cyclists in the Mayor's Office, I'm pretty excited that tomorrow is Bike to Work Day in Calgary. Now that many of the main bike routes are clean (or in the process of getting clean) the fair-weather cyclists can get back on their two wheels. And, oh yeah, I should mention that Bike to Work Day also involves a free Pancake Breakfast at Eau Claire Market between 6:30AM and 9:00AM for the first 500 cyclists. (You had me at "free pancake"...)

But The City of Calgary is doing more than just support events like Bike to Work Day. In 2010, Council asked for a comprehensive cycling strategy for Calgary and a safety review of our city's current multi-use pathway system.

Next month, that report is coming to City Council--and if you want a say in the future of cycling in Calgary, now is your chance!

Read the report

On Friday, June 10, the comprehensive cycling strategy will be made public as part of the agenda for the next Standing Policy Committee on Land Use, Planning and Transportation (LPT). You will be able to download the agenda from this page once it's posted.

The report was developed with support from a citizens' committee and public surveys, but the advance engagement is not the only time that the public can share its ideas.

Let Council know

If you're passionate about cycling in Calgary, I strongly recommend--once you've read the report--you share your feedback with the Council members at LPT. Hosted in Historic City Hall, the committee will meet on Wednesday, June 15. Each person who wishes to speak before the committee will have five minutes to share their feedback and may then be asked questions by the Aldermen. A quick guide on the public hearing process can be found here.

And if you just want to listen in to the presentations of other citizens and the committee debate, you can listen and watch live.

Learn more

But before that report gets to us, join me and others on Thursday, May 12th for an evening with Mia Birk who is a Portland author and cycling advocate. Co-presented by CivicCamp and the Calgary Public Library, Birk will share stories about how a group of determined visionaries transformed Portland into a cycling city and inspired so many other cities to do the same. Her recent book is Joyride: Pedalling Toward a Healthier Planet.

The event will be held at the John Dutton Theatre at the Calgary Central Library at 7:00pm. You can register for this free event here.

Mayor Nenshi on cycling

Mayor Nenshi strongly believes that Calgary must invest in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure as a broader strategy to help Calgarians get around the city easier in whatever mode of transportation they choose. He's advocated for an improved park-n-bike system and an expansion to our dedicated bike lane network. By making cycling an easier and safer transportation option for all Calgarians, we can reduce congestion and pollution and make our city even healthier.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team