The following questionnaire has been submitted by the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society to all council and mayoral candidates that we have contact info for.
See more letters sent by individual cycling advocates by viewing correspondences with a particular candidate here. Write your mayoral, ward and school board candidates today!
Dear [candidate name],
Strong, healthy communities need to be people-oriented. When youth can walk or bike to school, and when adults can walk to the grocery store or bike to work or school, neighbourhoods come alive. Safe, pleasant, active and fun: good cycling infrastructure connects neighbours with each other and connects neighbourhoods across the city.
Whether they ride once or twice a week, only in fair-weather, or ride every day to work or school, cycling infrastructure matters to citizens.
This infrastructure doesn’t happen by itself. It needs strong support from you. The City of Edmonton has developed a well-designed Bicycle Transportation Plan (BTP). It calls for $10-million to be spent each year for 10 years. The result: a complete, city-wide bicycle transportation network, including connector routes and pathways to get around within your neighbourhood and a city-wide skeleton network, fed by the connector routes. The connector system will be on low-traffic roads, suitable for both transportation and family recreation, while the city-wide network will provide direct corridors for bicycle access that moderately-skilled cyclists will feel comfortable on.
The Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society is polling candidates to collect their opinions on cycling issues. We are a non-partisan, non-profit society with a 30-year history of working to make cycling accessible to everyone in the city–whether they cycle only a few times a year, 265 bike-friendly days a year, or don’t even own a bike yet. We’ll be posting your responses to these questions, as well as any other responses we receive, without further commentary on our http://cycleedmonton.ca website so that constituents can review and compare candidates.
- Do you ride a bicycle? For leisure? Exercise? Commuting? How often?
- Similarly, do you walk or take transit? How often?
- Do you feel comfortable/safe riding on the road with traffic?
- What about your family? If not, why? How would you change bicycle infrastructure to make cyclists feel more safe?
- How do you celebrate Bike Month (June) in Edmonton?
- The number of cyclists in this city grew over 150% between 1994 and 2005, with over 25,000 trips made daily by bicycle, and we’ve seen even more rapid growth since 2005. Last year, City Council moved to earmark 5% of the Transportation Capital Budget toward Active Transportation Projects. With this funding, the BTP and the Sidewalk Strategy would be completed around 2025. What are your spending priorities in relation to active transportation?
- The 10-year Bicycle Transportation Plan calls for bikeways to be constructed across the city, making safe paths within neighbourhoods and connecting them to a City-wide network of bike corridors. Nearly 500 km of bikeways, covering the entire city, can be built for less than the cost of a single overpass. Given that cycling reduces the use of single-occupant vehicles, easing congestion and freeing parking spaces, and builds stronger, healthier communities, and is extremely cost-effective: would you commit to fully-funding the Bicycle Transportation Plan (BTP) if elected?
- Which specific departments and branches do you feel have a say in cycling issues? Who needs to be at the table to coordinate an effective strategy?
- Edmonton Zoning Bylaw #12800 includes requirements for bicycle parking. Unfortunately, this requirement is minimal, only applies to developments since 2001, and isn’t always enforced, leaving the city with inadequate bike parking. Secure parking facilities are critical for cyclists, as bicycles are easy targets for thieves. About 10 bicycles can be parked in the space of a single car-parking stall. What is your opinion on car & bicycle parking requirements, especially in the downtown and also in new, mid- and high-density redevelopments?
- Most cities our size have a municipal education program to help residents, businesses and institutions choose healthy, active modes of transportation. Despite a visible increase in the number of cyclists in Edmonton, the City Transportation branch currently has no education programs for cyclists. How would you (or the administration) encourage more people to choose a bike over a private automobile?
- Do you have a recent photo of yourself riding your bicycle? Please send it to us digitally!
Thank you for taking the time to respond to our questionnaire, and good luck in your campaign!
Regards,
Chris Chan
President
Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society
http://edmontonbikes.ca/
