CALGARY – A plan that would see a permanent cycle lane on 1st street S.E. is running into some opposition from Mayor Naheed Nenshi, among others.
The proposed cycle track will be debated by a city committee on Wednesday.
Nenshi says the high traffic downtown road isn’t the best option.
“Frankly, I don’t like it,” says Nenshi. “I don’t like it because I have seen the impact of construction or a small traffic collision all the way to the 4th Avenue flyover.”
The plan would see one of four lanes of southbound traffic set aside for cyclists.
It’s a plan that has the support of the president of Bike Calgary.
A report finds it typically takes four minutes and 30 seconds to drive from 4th Avenue S.E. along 1st Street SE to 18th Avenue S.E.
Removing 1 lane of traffic would increase that drive by between 30 seconds and 1 minute.
Ward 1 Councillor, Ward Sutherland, is skeptical: “I’ve looked at the data, and they’re looking at a video and a lot of it is anecdotal and we can’t go that direction. We need some real facts.”
If a city committee backs the proposed bike lane when it meets on Wednesday, it will then go to city council in April.
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