Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean wants to see a pause on Calgary bike lanes that may be on the horizon, as municipalities await provincial direction on the wheeled corridors.

McLean will bring the Notice of Motion forward for technical approval at the Oct. 5 Executive Committee meeting, and it asks that the money be put towards missing pathway links and other mobility infrastructure.

It comes as the province opened an online complaint portal for bike lanes, soliciting comments from Albertans frustrated with bike lanes in their municipality.

Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, Devin Dreeshen, told LWC that they want to gather that information so it can be shared with councils in Edmonton and Calgary.

“It’s really going to help us having the conversations with Edmonton and Calgary councils going forward, because I think it was anecdotal information that we’d always get from people,” he told LWC.  

Potential legislation could not only prevent future bike lanes from being built without meeting proper criteria – including not removing traffic lanes – but it could mean that some lanes put in could get torn up.

McLean wants to get ahead of the issue and put the hand brakes on some of the bike lanes in the construction pipeline, so they don’t get to the point of being refused, or worse, being ripped up after the city has spent money on their installation.

“I’ve never had a problem, and I don’t have a problem… with bike lanes as a whole. I think they’re very effective and useful,” he told LWC.

“What I’m trying to solve here, is not waste a bunch of taxpayer dollars installing a bunch of bike lanes that that we’ve got maybe on the books or looking at, and then the province comes in and says ‘nope,’ and then they rip them up.”

Some Calgary bike lane projects already under construction

McLean singled out one potential project along 26 Avenue SW that could be a potential sticking point for the provincial government, as he said it ends up removing hundreds of potential parking spots.

The Notice of Motion calls specifically for a pause on all bike lanes that would remove existing traffic lanes or on-street parking stalls until provincial legislation has been introduced.

He’d like to see work continue on pathway missing links, regional or community use pathways, active transportation connections to schools, sidewalk improvements, and other mobility projects that don’t reduce roadway capacity or on-street parking.

“Let’s align with the province. Let’s see what they have to say first. Let’s put a pause on it,” he said.

“I’m not hating on the cyclist. I just want to align with the province to make sure we don’t waste money.”

Ward 8 Coun. Nathan Schmidt, who represents the area that covers the 26 Avenue SW bike lane, said he appreciates McLean’s desire to mop up missing pathway links and improve other mobility corridors. He said he’d just prefer that it wasn’t wrapped up in a city council motion that appears to be provincial government friendly.

Schmidt said these decisions were made at a time when cities had the power to make these kinds of local transportation choices for citizens. in fact, he said that construction has been ongoing on 26 Avenue as it’s being done in segments.

“Going back in time to change something, I don’t think is something Calgarians would want us to do, as far as pausing projects that are already underway, money that’s already been spent, and something that went through the necessary public engagement and council votes,” he said.

Schmidt added that they need to be making decisions for Calgarians, including if a bike lane is appropriate in a certain area.

“We should not be making a decision based on what we think the province may or may not do, because that’s the province’s decision, and they need to own that decision — we should not be owning that decision,” he said.

LWC asked the City of Calgary for a list of projects that might meet McLean’s criteria for pause. They have acknowledged the request but have not yet been able to provide a response. The story will be updated if that information is made available.

McLean’s motion wants that information delivered publicly by Q1 2027, along with an assessment of the impact of pending provincial legislation on active transportation projects.