Edmonton city council rejects motion to halt unpopular bike lane projects

Plans to build more bike lanes in Edmonton will continue despite opposition from some residents.

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Plans to build more bike lanes in Edmonton will continue despite opposition from some residents. On Wednesday, Edmonton city council voted down a motion that would have stopped future projects until more public consultation was conducted.

The council voted 9–4 against a motion that would have suspended work on projects removing existing driving lanes until a full review next year.

Councillor and mayoral candidate Tim Cartmell moved the motion, which was seconded by Karen Principe.

“That all current construction work cease immediately on bike lane projects where a bike lane is intended to be constructed on an existing road where construction has not yet started, pending a complete review of all individual bike lane projects at the next Infrastructure Committee meeting in February 2026,” reads the motion’s final wording, and heavily debated motion.

Cartmell, Principe, Jennifer Rice and Sarah Hamilton voted in favour of the motion.

Erin Rutherford, Aaron Paquette, Keren Tang, Ashley Salvador, Andrew Knack, Anne Stevenson, Michael Janz, Jo-Anne Wright and Mayor Amarjeet Sohi voted against it.

“The city is ignoring residents who will be directly impacted,” Cartmell said during the debate, pointing to concerns over parking loss, reduced emergency access, and handicap stalls being removed. He warned the current designs would have “devastating impacts for the people who live here.”

While construction in the Delton neighbourhood was repeatedly referenced during debate, a petition showing a clear majority of residents opposed bike lanes was submitted to city council but was not mentioned.

Residents warned the project would eliminate parking, block emergency vehicles and undermine accessibility, but their opposition was repeatedly dismissed.

During the debate, councillors argued extensively over the definitions of “cease immediately” and “construction had begun.” For example, one councillor argued 75 per cent of construction in Delton was complete. No road has been dug out yet, so that percentage might just imply planning, measuring and painting lines.

Principe also highlighted her biggest concern: residents have complained to her daily about bike lanes set for construction on 132 Avenue between 82nd and 97th streets, primarily in school zones.

Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen even met with Delton residents to discuss their widespread opposition in August.

He said Sohi’s consultations on bike lanes involved less than one per cent of the population and were not community-specific.

Dreeshen previously told True North his government is drafting legislation to amend the Traffic Safety Act, forcing municipalities to conduct traffic impact assessments when implementing bike lanes that replace driving roads. He confirmed this is the best provincial intervention.

He added he hoped candidates’ stances on bike lanes would be a determining factor in October’s municipal election.

Upcoming mayoral candidates have generally expressed displeasure with bike lanes.

However, Knack—a mayoral candidate for the next election—voted against the motion.

Despite not being at the debate as he is not currently in council, mayoral candidate Rahim Jaffer has vowed to stop the expansion of bike lanes if elected.

Dreeshen previously revealed he was happy when Mayoral Candidate Jyoti Gondek called bike lanes “temporary.”

With the city planning to fast-track construction before the election and winter, a future council would have to tear out projects that cost millions to install if they chose a different direction.

Kris Sims, Alberta director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, previously told True North that $100 million is dedicated to Edmonton’s bike lane infrastructure between 2023 and 2026, which costs $11 million per year to maintain.

“We’ve spent tens of thousands on design, but the idea that tens of thousands on design means we should spend tens of millions on construction is the sunk cost fallacy,” said Cartmell.

Disclosure: The journalist who wrote this article is a resident of Delton.