Symon's Valley/Burma Road cycling

Honorable Alderman Farrell There is a lot of construction happening on Burma Road and Symon's Valley Road near where the two intersect. Is there a plan to allow for these roads to be safely ridden by cyclists when the re-paving happens (e.g. proper shoulders)? These roads are important access-points for riders leaving or entering the city for loops to the north and west. I am also curious as to whether the shoulders on Stoney Trail will continue on the extension reaching to Symon's Valley. It is worrisome to me that other major cycling corridors like Old Banff Coach Road above Cougar Ridge and Country Hills Boulevard (at least West of Nose Hill) have been recently re-developed but still lack any sort of accommodations for cyclists. Thanks, mike warren Kensington

Hi Mike, I asked Blanka Bracic, from Transportation Planning to respond to your inquiry. This is well outside Ward 7, and I am not familiar with the area. However, Blanka is the expert and should be able to provide you with the answers. The City of Calgary has started to construct bike lanes throughout the City, and although we are several years behind, the Transportation Department agrees this is an important method of transportation. Regards, Bill Biccum

Executive Assistant, to Alderman Druh Farrell, Ward 7

Dear Mr. Warren, Thank you for writing to Alderman Farrell with questions about on-street cycling. I have been asked to respond to your note. Major roads in Calgary do not typically include shoulders. At present, new major roads require a 4.3m wide curb lane, which provides an additional 60cm over the standard lane width. The wide curb lane is intended to provide on-street cyclists with extra space. Developers will often build half of the major road adjacent to their development; the second half is built by developer that develops the land on the other side of the major road. This may be what you have noticed on Country Hills Boulevard and Old Banff Coach Road. At the intersection of Burma Road and Symons Valley Road, Burma Road is classified as a major road. At its ultimate configuration it will include a 4.3m wide curb lane. Symons Valley Road at Burma Road is classified as a collector road. Collector roads at present do not have dedicated space for on-street cycling. For information about Stoney Trail, which is a project owned and managed by the Province, please refer to the website of Alberta Infrastructure and Transportation: http://www.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/INFTRA_Content/docType490/production/cphpmap.htm or call 297-5813. Regards, Blanka Bracic Cycling, Walking and Community Transportation, Transportation Solutions Transportation Planning

"Bracic, Blanka" <Blanka.Bracic@calgary.ca> writes: > Thank you for writing to Alderman Farrell with questions about > on-street cycling. I have been asked to respond to your note. > > Major roads in Calgary do not typically include shoulders. At > present, new major roads require a 4.3m wide curb lane, which > provides an additional 60cm over the standard lane width. The wide > curb lane is intended to provide on-street cyclists with extra > space. Developers will often build half of the major road adjacent > to their development; the second half is built by developer that > develops the land on the other side of the major road. This may be > what you have noticed on Country Hills Boulevard and Old Banff Coach > Road. The only place I notice a wider lane on Old Banff Coach Road is outside the city (west of 101st street); the area above Cougar Ridge (i.e. south of this suburb) is actually much *worse* since re-development, as there is only one lane (and it's not very wide) with a cement median in the middle which prevents cars from passing *at all* when there's a cyclist, even if there's no oncoming traffic. In 2005, you told me: ``The roads you describe [OBRC and 12 Mile Coulee --mike] are classified as major roads and will have four lanes once they are fully built. The outside (right-hand) curb lane in each direction will be wider to accommodate cyclists.'' We must have miscommunicated, since there are only 2 lanes (1 each way) on OBCR south of Cougar Ridge and the single lane in each direction is not, in fact, "wide" (it appears to be the 3.7m width). Also note that my handlebars (typical for road-style bikes) are 44cm wide, so not counting my hands this leaves just 16cm of extra space (so 8cm on each side) for "maneuvering" which is not very much. Perhaps this "60cm" measurement should be reviewed and widened? > At the intersection of Burma Road and Symons Valley Road, Burma Road > is classified as a major road. At its ultimate configuration it > will include a 4.3m wide curb lane. Symons Valley Road at Burma > Road is classified as a collector road. Collector roads at present > do not have dedicated space for on-street cycling. I would like to advocate that Symon's Valley (at the bare minimum) should get a wide outside lane also; it is one of the few ways to get into or out of town with a bicycle to the north, especially from areas north of Nose Hill. Probably all (new) so-called "collector" roads should also get the same treatment. Thanks for your time, -- mike warren