New Edmonton bike lanes confirmed by year’s end; mayoral hopefuls object
Contrary to the efforts of councillors who advocated for bike lanes to be a temporary measure, residents in Edmonton’s Delton neighbourhood received a city pamphlet indicating otherwise.
Contrary to the efforts of councillors, mayors, and even the provincial transportation minister, who advocated for bike lanes to be a temporary measure with no traffic impact, residents in Edmonton’s Delton neighbourhood received a city pamphlet indicating otherwise.
The city informed residents the project is slated for completion by the end of 2025. A reversal by the new city council and mayor, elected in October, could be costly.
The changes steamrolling forward come despite a petition showcasing a clear majority of residents in opposition being submitted to the city.
The city’s active transportation network expansion includes more than just bike lanes. Upcoming measures include speed bumps, curb extensions, centre medians, converting two-way streets to one-ways to accommodate bike lanes, and removing parking and driving altogether.
Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen previously said the province was not opposed to intervening to stop bike lanes that “don’t make sense” while celebrating Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek calling the bike lanes “temporary.”
Petition leader Jeremiah Rawling told True North he’s frustrated over impeded emergency vehicle access, after receiving the notice.
“The nearest fire station is just off 97th Street, just north of the Yellowhead. So when they come to our neighbourhood, they turn onto 124th Avenue. And now that the intersection at 96th Street is going to be blocked, as will it be at 92nd Street and 89th Street. So in my opinion, it actually has the potential to put lives at risk due to delayed response times for emergency services, which is way worse than losing parking,” said Rawling.
He added that some mayoral and councillor candidates he’s spoken with have pledged to tear the new measures out if they are elected.
“City council doesn’t care about what we—the majority—have to say. They just ignore us. We don’t have a voice in city hall right now,” he said.
Nine candidates for Edmonton’s upcoming municipal election attended a virtual forum on Sunday. During the forum, candidates discussed their opinions on bike lanes, ranging from calls for an outright freeze to openness only for alternatives such as multi-use trails or lanes separated from traffic.
Rahim Jaffer promised a moratorium, citing cases where bike lanes blocked access to housing developments. Tim Cartmell opposed removing road lanes from arterial roads, arguing Edmonton remains heavily car-dependent, while Andrew Knack said bike lanes should only move forward if context-sensitive, such as multi-use trails that do not disrupt traffic.
Michael Walters backed dedicating a small portion of the budget to bike infrastructure, provided it is separated from vehicles and transit.
Other candidates expressed more direct opposition. Olney Tugwell said he would review or remove bike lanes where neighbourhoods reject them. Vanessa Denman admitted she has no bike lane policy but believes council should “step back” if residents object. Omar Mohammad said the spending is “wildly disproportionate” to actual usage and should be redirected to roads and transit, while Abdul Malik Chukwudi criticized the projects as poorly planned and costly.
Andy Andrzej Gudanowski suggested projects of this scale should go to a referendum so residents, not politicians, make the final decision.
Alberta Director Kris Sims previously described a similar sentiment, estimating that a referendum would see 80 per cent of residents provincewide vote against bike lanes. She added that residents are being forced to pay for projects they do not want.
“This is a huge waste of money,” said Sims. “The vast majority of the time, very few cyclists actually use these lanes, and it’s going to cost a ton of money to remove these lanes, because it’s not as if these are a couple of pylons and some green paint. In most cases, there are cement barriers that they’re going to have to get crews with trucks out to remove them.”
She previously told True North that bike lane infrastructure in Edmonton will cost $100 million between 2023 and 2026, with an $11 million annual maintenance cost.
Edmontonians will pay for these bike lanes through property tax increases.
Disclosure: The journalist who wrote this article is a resident of Delton.