Wheels are in motion for "Barley Belt" cycle path

More and more these days, people cycle to the office or pedal to the park, so why not bike to the brewery? At the moment, the lack of proper pathways is an issue, but owners of several southeast Calgary breweries are hoping the City of Calgary will pave the way to progress for their customers and staff.

CREB®Now looks back on 2016 with Calgary mayor

CREB®Now had the chance to sit down with Mayor Naheed Nenshi to get his birds-eye view on some of the city's most pressing issues over the past year, including who he believes is Calgary's hero for 2016. Here's what he had to say:

CREB®Now: There has been a lot of discussion regarding the cost of doing business in this city, both in the core and the suburban areas. What is the city doing to minimize their burden in the current economic climate?

Community cites lack of consultation

A bike lane proposed for northwest Calgary is meeting with some controversy from area residents who say the new lane could lead to increased traffic and parking woes.

While the new lane is intended to connect the city's growing cycle network from existing tracks along Northland Drive and Cambrian Drive/10th Street N.W., residents expressed concerns at a recent open house.

Toni Pilkey, president of the Triwood Community Association, said to those in attendance that the project has not undergone enough consultation with area residents and that the City is being "underhanded" in moving the project forward.

In October 2011, The City installed the bike lanes on 10th Street N.W., between Fifth Avenue N.W. and Cambrian Drive/Northmount Drive N.W., as part of a pilot project. The City monitored and evaluated the new roadway design for the next four seasons, and based on increased ridership, determined the bike lanes should be permanent.

Calgary falling behind on bike-sharing initiatives, say experts

The norm, rather than the exception: that's how cycling advocates describe the future of bike-sharing programs, which, like Car2go, offer a fleet of bikes (instead of cars) to the public for brief-period rental.

According to Google's Bike-Sharing World Map, 977 cities worldwide already participate in such systems.

Calgary is not one of them.

Citizen engagement front and centre of new initiatives

What is your vision for your community in the next 20 years?

The City of Calgary recently asked this question to a group of nearly 40 Dover residents; the general consensus was a community that is safe, quiet and fun for kids.

Based on this feedback, City representatives will return to the southeast community later this month to present a list of small-scale improvement projects that can be completed within a year. Community members will get to prioritize the projects.

Cycling Calgary's surrounding communities

On the rim of on-street bike lane initiatives in Calgary, more cyclists are looking to transport safe pedal-power to smaller cities around southern Alberta.

Met with controversy by some motorists, Calgary has approved 260 kilometres of on-street, 3.1-metre wide bike lanes to go along with a 550-kilometre pathway system.

While bike lanes may be the trail to two-wheel success in Calgary, many smaller centres are relying on an array of paved and non-paved pathways to accommodate a growing number of free-wheeling travellers.

But while multi-use pathway systems may be an attractive option for recreational riders and casual commuters, hard-core on-street distance riders like Nick Lynem have experienced some road sharing concerns with automobiles.

City releases Bicycle Count report

Calgarians love their bicycles, and the City has the numbers to prove it.

Released as part of the City of Calgary's first ever official bike count, data collected by the city
showed over 19,000 cyclists passed by one of 51 collection points during two six-hour periods (6:30-9:30 a.m. and 3:30-6:30 p.m.) in May, June and July.