Edmonton councillors support spending $170M on new bike lanes by 2026
An additional 100 kilometers of bike lanes could be built in the Alberta capital after city councillors voted 4-0 Tuesday in favour of pushing a massive addition forward.
Edmonton currently has about 15 kilometres of protected bike lanes, mostly in the city centre.
"We have to get serious about building out our active transportation network," Coun. Ashley Salvador said during an afternoon meeting of the Urban Planning Committee.
City administrators presented four options that ranged in initial costs from $25 million to $170 million. The councillors that sit on the committee opted for the latter, which includes an additional $11 million in annual operating costs.
Final approval will be debated during budget talks this fall.
"Some people may say, 'Oh, we don't see cyclists in our neighbourhood yet.' And that's because the infrastructure isn't there to support them," Coun. Anne Stevenson said.
"You need that physical, separated, safe space in order to enable this transportation choice."
Coun. Michael Janz said voters made it clear in the last election that they want more bike lanes.
"We had one of the most animated, anti-bike lane characters and a slate of folks who were spreading misinformation about cycling, about active transportation and many of them lost not just in Edmonton, but across the world," Janz said.
"Folks will talk about the downtown bike grid and when you tell them the price was about $8 million, and about half of that was solely for traffic light upgrades, you get a different response. People don't realize there's been a fairly small amount (spent compared to roads,)" Coun. Andrew Knack said.
The plan calls for more bike lanes along major commuter routes, as well as better connections in neighbourhoods.
Mayor Amarjeet Sohi voted for the $170 million plan, along with councillors Salvador, Aaron Paquette and Karen Principe. Committee member Sarah Hamilton was absent from the meeting.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.