Calgary joins the likes of Copenhagen, Melbourne, Vienna and Minneapolis to release its first Bicycle Program Yearbook
CALGARY – The Bicycle Program 2013 Yearbook measures Calgary’s progress towards improving conditions for cycling and monitoring The City’s Cycling Strategy. By tracking numbers, providing descriptions and offering the most recent and historic cycling information, this Yearbook becomes the tool to monitor the City’s ongoing commitment to making Calgary a bicycle-friendly community.
“By releasing this Bicycle Program 2013 Yearbook, we are moving forward our municipal efforts to monitor cycling progress,” says, Don Mulligan, Director of Transportation Planning.
Through the Bicycle Program 2013 Yearbook, Calgary joins the likes of Copenhagen, Melbourne, Vienna and Minneapolis to begin monitoring cycling data, cycling improvements and safety and education initiatives. Copenhagen was the first city to release a yearbook-style publication called a bicycle account in 1996. Since then only a handful of other cities world-wide have followed suit.
“In one comprehensive document, Calgarians have trackable measurements at their fingertips, allowing them to fully understand how The City is improving conditions for cycling,” Mulligan commented.
Notable highlights from Bicycle Program 2013 Yearbook include:
• The total number of bicycle trips in downtown Calgary increased 26 per cent between 2006 to 2013.
• Bow River pathway just west of 11 Street S.W. is the busiest downtown location for cycling.
• Bow River pathway at Crowchild Trail S.W. is the busiest cycling location outside of downtown.
• 29 Street N.W. at Foothills Hospital has the highest percentage of female cyclists.
• 86 per cent of cyclists wear helmets.
• Two months after the 7 Street S.W. Cycle Track opened, bike trips increased 430% from the year before. 1,160 daily bicycle trips were recorded – making this Calgary’s busiest on-street bikeway.
• To meet 2020 City of Calgary targets for other bike lanes and cycle tracks, The City will need to install an average of 5 km of cycle tracks and 20 km of bike lanes per year.
• The collision rate over the last decade has decreased, while the number of cyclists has increased.
The Bicycle Program 2013 Yearbook is available on The City’s website at calgary.ca/bikeyearbook.
About the Bicycle Program
As part of the Cycling Strategy and the Calgary Transportation Plan to provide Calgarians better transportation choices, the Bicycle Program was formally established in 2012 to help make Calgary a bicycle-friendly community.
The Bicycle Program operates within the Transportation department and aims to:
• Plan, design and build on-street bikeways
• Identify and remove barriers to cycling
• Educate and encourage cycling
• Increase the supply of bicycle parking
• Coordinate with other City departments and community organizations to improve cycling
Public Inquiries To:
Telephone: 311
-30-