Bike lanes in the Gold Bar neighbourhood were a topic of discussion at city hall today after residents called on councillors to consider options that would still permit vehicle parking. The current estimated $2.4-million design for the bike lanes on both sides of 101 Avenue to Gold Bar Park Road allows for on-street, one-way, protected bike lanes from 102 Avenue to 109A Avenue with a small portion of shared pathways between 101 Avenue and 102 Avenue and 109 Avenue to Gold Bar Park Road. “This is an important route. It connects the north side and south side of the river communities together,” said Ward Métis Coun. Ashley Salvador. A report from city administration said the biggest impact of the current design is the removal of curbside parking on both east and west sides of 50 Street from 102 Avenue to 109A Avenue. According to a parking utilization review, if the curbside parking were fully utilized, it would translate to more than 340 parking spaces that would no longer be available as a result of the bike lanes. However, the 2025 review found that existing parking utilization ranged between zero and 27 per cent, amounting to about 50 vehicles along the stretch of 50 Street from 101 Avenue to Gold Bar Park Road. An alternative design option considers that half of the existing curbside parking could be retained from 106 Avenue to 109A Avenue which sees a parking utilization of about 30 vehicles. “Providing protected, safe and dedicated infrastructure is critically important,” said Salvador. “When we have the option to retain parking as well as those driving lakes, I think we should be thinking seriously about how we can do that.” Significant road work would be required to adjust the existing median and would cost more than double – about $4.9 million – than the initial plan. Mayor Andrew Knack said spending a little more is worth the “win-win scenario.” “I see no reason why you wouldn’t do that, even if that means you don’t do quite as much as what you were hoping to do under the original plan,” said Knack. “Here’s a great example where you can add bike infrastructure, maintain your lanes of traffic, maintain your parking … Everyone benefits from that.” Funding for city bike lanes comes from the Active Transportation Implementation Acceleration Program’s $100 million budget. The Alberta government is looking to introduce legislation that could force cities like Edmonton and Calgary to justify the construction of new bike lanes with data on traffic impacts and parking impacts as well as path usage. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson
