Calgary’s cycle track project under scrutiny after Manning Centre analysis

A conservative research organization is raising questions over how the City of Calgary interpreted data on the cycle track project.

READ MORE: Report on Calgary’s downtown cycle track presented to city council

The Manning Centre completed its own analysis of the data and spokesperson Paul McCaffrey claims the city administration has skewed the numbers in favour of the cycle track.

McCaffrey said the city measured 106 indicators and found 14 of them contained typos or calculation errors. He said in another 17 indicators, changes had been made to make it easier for the cycle track to meet certain targets.

“So the cycle track was sold as something that would make everyone safer,” McCaffrey said.

“Sure enough, the city survey shows that everyone feels safer, but when you actually look at the numbers, collision rates have gone up.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Sure enough, the city survey shows that everyone feels safer, but when you actually look at the numbers, collision rates have gone up."

READ MORE: ‘Trying to break the stereotype of what or who cyclists are’ –  Tweed Ride wants more people peddling

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McCaffrey said the data also shows a lot of drivers don’t like the cycle tracks, but the city suggested the opposite finding.

In the study by Ipsos, 10 per cent said driving was better with the cycle track, 44 per cent said it was the same and 43 per cent said it was worse. But, McCaffrey said the way the city sold the poll to Calgarians is troubling.

“The way the city presented that poll was to lump the 10 per cent who said it was better in with the 44 per cent who said it was the same, and say, ‘oh look, everyone loves it.’”

The Manning Centre’s assessment has also been questioned on Twitter, with some Calgarians claiming the centre used the wrong data to draw conclusions.

https://twitter.com/wklumpen/status/809498193922703360

https://twitter.com/wklumpen/status/809488459031191552

In response, the Manning Centre said it incorporated both 2014 and 2015 targets in its report.

McCaffrey said for each of the routes, the city set a target of a 10 per cent reduction in collisions, but he said the number and rate of collisions has gone up on every one of the routes.

“Some of them are double, or even triple, what the collision rates were before the cycle track.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Some of them are double, or even triple, what the collision rates were before the cycle track."

The city admitted collisions have increased on the network, but said that’s because usage has gone up in most areas. The city said on some tracks, ridership has tripled during the 18-month trial.

David Low, executive director of the Victoria Park Business Improvement Association, told News Talk 770’s Angela Kokott the cycle track has been a boon to Calgary businesses.

“Bottom line, end of the day, if I can push 400 or more people past your business, how is that bad for you?” Low asked. “That is the overall story of the cycle track: we are seeing more people come through the area than we did before–full stop. End of discussion.”

Low said there has been some concern over parking because of the cycle track, but overall the response has been positive.

The city is set to decide whether the cycle track will become a permanent project on Monday, Dec. 19.

With files from Global’s Kris Laudien