Bike lane opens in downtown Calgary

Downtown bike lanes make ride safer for cyclists Dedicated bike lanes for commuters using bicycles to get into the downtown core opened on Tuesday. Bill Marks has details.

Cyclists who have been long awaiting a dedicated bike lane in downtown Calgary don’t need to wait any longer.

The 7 Street bike lane officially opened on Tuesday, providing bicyclists riding into the core a way to reduce the risk that comes with cycling on the busy downtown streets.

The lane is barricaded to regular traffic and is aimed at encouraging more bike travel.

Tom Thivener, cycling coordinator with the City of Calgary, says that the project has been in the works for a number of years and it's fabulous now that it is reality.

He says that the track was built to make cycling safe and attractive to more Calgarians. "We think this is a good move. We think it's going to make things really attractive for Calgarians to come out and ride."

Thivener is out with a number of members of his staff, providing information on the route. "We're starting with our education campaign. We have staff at key intersections along the route and we're simply letting them know about the project and how it works. If they want to stop and talk to some of the staff, we have handouts with information on how to share the road on the particulars of this project because there are a lot of unique things about this project."

The track is the first for Calgary, Thivener says. "We know that it may not get you to your destination today, but we hope it will give you an idea of what it is like in the future so when we start to connect these, you can envision what a network will be like."

A number of cyclists on Tuesday morning say they're glad to have the track in place. "I'm pretty excited. It's a much safer way to get into town. Hopefully it works for everyone."

One man says he used it to avoid worrying about traffic. "At about 5 a.m. this morning, a group of us took the cycle track and went and rode around the Glenmore Reservoir and turned around and came back using the cycle track. We thought, this is sort of nice, not having to worry about cars, especially coming back into town this time of day."

Drivers who park in the dedicated lanes or don’t yield to bicyclists will face fines.

The track runs along 7 Street, from 3 Ave. to 8 Ave. S.W.

Construction on the bike lane began back in early May.

The city will now be collecting data and feedback on the bike lane through to the end of the year.