A presentation of the functional application of bicycle lanes throughout Europe was given to the Transportation Department of the City of Calgary on August 12, 2008. The talk was conducted by Justin Pruss, Andrew Sedor and Guillermo Guglietti, and explored the different alternatives for the integration of bicycles in urban centres.
Recently pointed by CBC as one of the most sustainable cities in the world, Copenhagen bases over 40% of its urban transportation in its bicycle network. Separated grade lanes, traffic lights, subsidized bike rentals and a strong educational campaign have turned this capital into a bicycle heaven. Likewise, Paris has successfully implemented the Velib, a bicycle rental scheme that has openly allowed Parisians to access over 26,000 bicycles around the city.
Personal experience using the mentioned systems was constrasted with Calgary’s biking network which, although having an excelent recreational infrastructure, it has significant room for improvement in its functional application. European alternatives and their possible application to Calgary’s reality were further discussed with the Transportation Department.
The meeting, which extended well over the original twenty minutes, was very possitive and we hope we were able to facilitate experience and valuable information to the Transportation Department.
