"Best" Bike Stories in Calgary 2014

2014 was another year forward for bicycling in Calgary. More people choosing to ride, more bike infrastructure going in, bigger and better bike events, and a generally bike-friendly city administration working harder then ever to make cycling a real choice for more people.

The following list of "Best Bike Stories" was suggested by the #YYCBIKE people on Twitter after we asked for their suggestions.  It is by no means complete so if you feel like we missed something, let us know by leaving a comment of your "Best Bike Story".

Happy Christmas and a jolly New Year!


WINTERPALOOZA!

@BikeBikeYYC @TomBabin @bikecalgary @Cyclepalooza After a great year, too hard to pick. @CSParade is definitely up there, #winterpalooza too
— Kimberley (@BluHrGirl) December 23, 2014

Inspired by the successes of Cyclepalooza over the last few years and driven by the anecdata (one of my new favorite words) suggesting more and more people were choosing to cycle in winter, #Winterpalooza was born.

Events including ice racing, a vegan/veggie dinner ride, winter-bike-to-work day, a photo booth, and many others spanned just over a week and helped highlight the growing legion of Calgarians who are choosing to embrace winter on a bike rather than hiding from it.

Winterpalooza 2015 is coming up this February and promises to be just as much fun as last year.  Hope you can make it!


CENTRE CITY CYCLETRACK NETWORK PILOT!

@BikeBikeYYC @bikecalgary @Cyclepalooza Gotta be the downtown cycle track trial network.
— Tom Babin (@TomBabin) December 23, 2014

After many years of hard work/advocacy and much hand-wringing by certain members of council, a majority of council finally gave the go ahead for a small network of cycletracks in the centre city area.  While not complete, it signals a huge leap forward in accepting bicycles as a year 'round transportation option for people in the downtown area of Calgary.

The network is due officially open July 2015 with the pilot lasting just over a year. Hope to see you out enjoying them!


LIVE EVENT COVERAGE!

@BikeBikeYYC @TomBabin @bikecalgary @Cyclepalooza #crowbomb
— Cee.     (@ruebyretro) December 23, 2014

2014 was the first time that a local TV station decided that using traffic helicopters to film 8 people on bikes, out for a legal ride in safe conditions was a good use of their economic and human resources. 

It was like the OJ chase all over again. But way more boring and nobody was hurt.

In reality, the story was really about an "Uncle Fred"  baiting media and anti-bike politicians into a wanky kind of pseudo-hysteria that accomplished one thing - raising the profile of cycling issues in our city.  Thanks "Uncle Fred".


ELBOW RIVER BRIDGE TRIO IS BACK!

@BikeBikeYYC @TomBabin @bikecalgary @Cyclepalooza The re-opening of the flood damaged elbow bridges was amazing!
— Rand RT (@RandRT) December 23, 2014

The Floods of 2013 devastated Calgary and surrounding areas as well as knocking out bridges all over the region. 3 pedestrian bridges in downtown Calgary were also washed away, critically wounding the pathway network and making it difficult or for some, impossible for others, to use their bike for transportation and recreation.

Thankfully, the bridges were rebuilt relatively quickly and are all now reopened! Rejoice!

Huge thanks to the City of Calgary for rebuilding them and making them better than ever!


BIKES IN THE STAMPEDE PARADE!

Parade Time! #yycbike pic.twitter.com/rIQT7FQhFf
— Bike Calgary (@bikecalgary) July 4, 2014

Thanks to the incredible effort of Kimberley Nelson, the nice folks on the Board of Bike Calgary, and the volunteers at Cyclepalooza, bicycles were finally seen in the Stampede Parade!

With their banner "On A Steel Horse We Ride" leading their "float" members of Calgary's bike community and various bicycle advocacy groups paraded their western-themed bikes and outfits in front of thousands of live spectators along the route and millions of views on TV.

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 What will 2015 bring? :)

Top Bike Stories for Calgary in 2013

2013 was another great year for cycling in Calgary.  The city has continued to see more people choosing to cycle more often, even in winter.  Although many wish the pace of bicycle infrastructure installation would move faster, myself included, we should consider 2013 another great leap forward for a more healthy, safe, and connected Calgary.

I have asked the #YYCBIKE Twitteratti to weigh in on their bike story moments from the last year - here are the responses and a few of ours (in no particular order):

1. The Calgary Parking Authority is planning on adding more bike parking spaces in the parkades they operate downtown.  This is welcomed news as there are not enough secure public bike parking spots downtown. 

Bike parking in downtown parkades. #top10yycbike #yycbike @BikeBikeYYC
— Joshua Crough (@smokeycrow) December 28, 2013

2.  3 years old?  What?!  Wow!  This festival continues to grow, evolve, and enlight all who enjoy it.  CANNOT wait for 2014!

@BikeBikeYYC Cyclepalooza!
— Calvin French (@psysal) December 28, 2013

3.  The floods in June devastated the entire city and disrupted the lives, and livelihoods, of thousands of Calgarians.  Not only were roads and transit affected, the city's beloved pathway system took a very big hit.  3 bridges along the Elbow River as well as all the main bridges in Fish Creek Park were washed away making access by bicycle very difficult, or impossible, for thousands of Calgarians.

At this writing, all of the Elbow bridges are still out.  The bridges in Fish Creek have also yet to be repaired.

@BikeBikeYYC the flood - our poor pathways & bridges! Plus bikes came in handy after.
— Ryan (@carfreeyyc) December 28, 2013

4.  I was watching the final stage of the Tour de Alberta late at night, on a sofa in Amsterdam, stoked on the fact that the race went down the Crowbomb!  How cool is that?! Chapeau to all the Albertans that made the event so successful!

@BikeBikeYYC The @TourOfAlberta #top10yycbike
— Tom Babin (@TomBabin) December 28, 2013

5.  A fabulous event, well attended by the fashionable, irreproachable, and otherwise jaunty folk astride bicycles.  Bravo Josh!

Riding with 140+ other Calgarians dressed in tweed on Victoria Day! #top10yycbike #yycbike @BikeBikeYYC
— Tweed Ride YYC (@TweedRideYYC) December 28, 2013

6.  There is something about a fun ride through the city, with a huge group of strangers, that just never gets old.  Many of the rides this year saw groups of 70+ - astonishing for us to contemplate.  Exciting to see so many new faces on bikes!

@BikeBikeYYC the Full Moon Rides! #top10yycbike
— Ryan (@carfreeyyc) December 28, 2013

7.  Nenshi on a bike!  On the newly announced 1 St SE cycletrack no less :)

@BikeBikeYYC #Top10yycBike Does @nenshi on a bike count? pic.twitter.com/Ik1VQ14PuY
— Kimberley (@BluHrGirl) December 28, 2013

8.  The rise of fatbikes, or more importantly, the rise of winter cycling in Calgary.  More people are choosing to ride deeper into the colder months than ever before.  Winter cycling products are becoming more available and innovative.  New bike designs too, like fatbikes, are making winter cycling more accessible - and fun - than ever before.  And more safe bike infrastructure, like the 7 St cycletrack, encourage more people to keep on pedaling.

Raise your hand if you've seen a huge increase in the number of people winter cycling in your area over the last few years.  

@BikeBikeYYC the rise of fatbikes
— Pedro (@MeAndMyBikes) December 28, 2013

9. Calgary's very first physically separated cycletrack opened on 7 St SW.  While the usual "bikelash" type complaints were levelled against the new infrastructure, its hard to argue with the numbers of people who use it - 4x more than the city expected.  Here is a short video I took of the cycletrack on opening day.

@BikeBikeYYC opening of 7th street bike lane
— mike styczen (@mstyczen) December 28, 2013

10.  Which brings us to this - if bike lanes are so bad, where is the "bikelash"?  Besides the Calgary Sun ranting and raving that bikes are going to take away your liberty, force you to sell your car, and generally ruin your life, there has been veryu little negative blowback in Calgary regarding new bike lanes.  Personally, I think most Calgarians are reasonable people and as such, understand that making it easier for people to ride bikes in this city is nothing but a good thing.

@BikeBikeYYC @bluhrgirl @blmabr @rrrichardzach Could, yeah. The "echo chamber" didn't do too much against.
— Ryan (@carfreeyyc) December 28, 2013

Calgary Company Sets Up Own Bikeshare System

Scott Meyers from Matrix Solutions showing off one of the bikes they are using for their bikeshare program.  Photo Credit - Katie Turner, Metro Calgary.

A local Calgary company came up with a unique way to get between their offices and their clients offices that doesn't involve taxis or personal vehicles - they setup their own bikeshare system.  

We are really proud to have been able to help Matrix Solutions get this program up and running and without further adieu, I'll leave it to Scott to explain why they decided totake this bold step -

CBC Eyeopener interviews Scott Meyers from Matrix Solution

Metro Calgary Coverage

"When we started working on the idea to start a bike share for our coworkers we had to decide on a bike that would serve our purposes.  We desired a bike that would be sturdy, reliable, safe, and stylish.  We wanted to find a bike that would accommodate the largest number of rider sizes and abilities, as well as something that would be safe and fun to ride.  We were also looking for something that would be relatively maintenance free as we didn’t want a mechanic on staff to look after our fleet of bikes.  

The Batavus Bub caught our attention due to its sturdiness and ability to accommodate different types of riders. The three speed internal gear hub that our bubs are outfitted with is perfect.  The gears give the rider a few options. They can pick up some speed on a long straight stretch between home base and a meeting they are running late for or that pesky climb over the small hill they might encounter on their across-the-core lunch mission will be easily conquered.    With fenders and a chain guard the bikes are super clean to ride, keeping all of the road grime on the road. The Bubs also offer the possibility of adding a few accessories; such as a basket or rack, and fenders to make carrying a briefcase or some office supplies easy.   All in all, the Bubs offer a solution to all of the requirements we have for our bike share program and they are sure to give our employees many hours of sound use. 

Matrix wanted to use these bikes not only as a means to get our people around quickly and safely, but also as a means to showcase our company to the City. That Batavus Bub’s unique style catches the eye and we hope to draw attention to Matrix, and the Matrix Bike Share Program.

Matrix Solutions has an internal Environmental Committee that’s comprised of dedicated employees.

Vision:

The Environmental Committee is dedicated to environmentally-sound practices that reduce the Environmental Footprint within Matrix Solutions’ sphere of influence. 

Mission:

The mission of the Environmental Committee is to identify, promote, implement, and monitor environmentally prudent initiatives that stem from the company’s environmental goals and that coincide with current organizational goals. These initiatives will focus on reducing the Environmental Footprint in three key areas: our office practices, our field operations, and our local communities.

Guiding Principles:

1. Minimize waste through the reduction, reuse and recycling of materials. 

2. Reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. 

3. Educate staff members and the community on how they can reduce their environmental footprint and encourage them to do so. 

4. Develop purchasing practices that improve environmental conditions. 

5. Reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources."

It will be very interesting to watch how things go with this program and who knows, maybe other Calgary companies will see the benefit of such programs and start their own.

Congratulations Scott and Matrix Solutions!

Cyclepalooza!

www.cyclepalooza.ca

 

WOW!

I am completely blown away by Calgary area cyclists yet again.  A bunch of us met on a cold February day just 2 months ago and within that short period of time we are here, launching a bike festival like nothing Calgary has ever seen before.

10 days of events for all types of people - part of me thinks that Calgary may never be the same after this first year.  Lets hope!

For those of you reading this who are not familiar with what the festival is all about, check this out to get the skinny.  For those of you who like to organize things - check out the organizers information here.  Organizing an event does not need to be a big production - set a date, invite your friends, and go ride your bike!  It's that easy.

We've already added 2 events to the festival - how are you contributing?

Are We On The Cusp Of A Cycling Renaissance In Calgary?

There has been a lot of chatter in recent months about The City of Calgary's Comprehensive Cycling Strategy and whether we might finally see some progress towards getting safe, onstreet cycling infrastructure built here.

Am I dreaming in technicolour?  I don't think so.

New Cycling Strategy for Calgary

The City of Calgary is working on our city's first ever comprehensive cycling strategy and part of that strategy was to do some research on Calgarians attitudes towards cycling in our city in the form of a telephone survey and an online survey.  The results are in and Calgarians have spoken - the majority want more bike lanes and safer cycling facilities.

In this case, the old saying "build it and they will come" couldn't be more true!  Here are a few interesting tidbits from the online survey;

- 64% said they do not feel safe cycling in traffic
- 26% said they are currently bike commuting to work/school
- 74% would like to cycle for transportation more often
- 79% want more bike lanes and 79% want physically separated lanes
- 69% want more motorist education about cyclists

The telephone survey is in many ways a better gauge of general attitudes towards cycling than the online survey as most of the online survey respondants identified as a cyclist.  Here are some interesting tidbits from the telephone survey;

- 59% said they would like to cycle more often
- 72% are interested in cycling for transportation
- 6% ride everyday (60,000 people everyday!)
- 80% feel unsafe riding in traffic (ouch!)
- 50% want to cycle more for transportation

Overall, the results seem pretty obvious - Calgarians would ride more if they felt safer, Calgarians want to cycle for transportation more often, and there are a lot of cyclists who are currently riding everyday.

So, giddy-up Calgary City Council - the ball is in your court!

D.I.Y. Snow Clearing of Vital Commuting Link

Here in Calgary we are very fortunate to have a city that clears many kilometres of pathways during the winter, making bike commuting a year 'round option for those who live close to the cleared sections and want to continue to cycle.

Sadly, there are vital links in the pathway system that the city cannot (or will not for various reason) clear snow from.  One of these sections is shown below in the map.  It links the Bow River MUP near the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary to the MUP heading south towards Lynnwood and Riverbend.  Basically, it is the only connection available from the south heading towards downtown that is direct, safe, and efficient.


View DIY Shoveling Section in a larger map

A few of the cyclists that winter bike commute from the south end of the city have been struggling with getting through here this winter and decided to take matters into their own hands after repeated requests to the city to clear it.  Here is a link to the story on our local bike advocacy forum, Bike Calgary.  Armed with a handful of people sporting shovels - including local Alderman Gian-Carlo Carra, and one snowblower, these DIY'ers had the pathway cleared (right down to the asphalt in places) in a few hours - all in -20c conditions and a nasty wind making the wind chills even colder.  Here is more info from the organizer "Oggie" - 

"What follows is a 'brief' outline of our activities.  I think this weekend was the fourth time the pathway has been shovelled this winter; first time was in late November.  Most time we shovel 2+ kms of path.  It varies depending on how much path Roads crews clear; they've been good this winter so most times we just shovel from the wooden trestle to the Walker house.  Most of the volunteers are from BikeCalgary.  A few are pathway users we've run into while shovelling and decided to help us once we explained what we were doing.  We've shovelled the equivalent of 10 km of path, though it is probably more because of repeated passes of the same section.  This weekend was the first time we had the use of a snow blower, which made the job much easier.  We've used 80 kilograms of ice melter so far this winter, primarily on the wooden trestle and icy sections.  I've gone through one shovel already.

Response from pathway users, cyclists/joggers/walkers, has been very positive.  One thing I've noticed is that I'm seeing more cyclists using the path as the winter progresses, usually it is the reverse.  I think word is slowly getting out that the path is being maintained this winter and more cyclist are using the path and cycling this winter.  I hope the City eventually gets the hint and starts maintaining the path but we're prepared to keep at it until spring.  Alderman Carra has obviously been very supportive and is actively trying to get Parks to clear the path from Inglewood to Glenmore."

Bravo fellas!

A note to the City of Calgary - come on folks, why are average citizens doing your job for you?  This section should be included in the pathway clearing plan so that people in Lynwood, Ogden, Riverbend, Douglas Glen, and points south can continue to use bikes all winter.  Our opinion is that the MUP should be cleared all the way down to Fish Creek Park so that people can use the pathways for transportation all season long.

After all, every bike on the MUP's is one less car on the road, right?

*** UPDATE ***

I just received a message from Ald. Carra that this section will now be plowed by parks effective immediately on a Priority 2 basis and will be reviewed at the end of the season as to whether they will continue.  Great job to all involved!