Ed Gibbons

and exercise.

3. 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?
I feel safe knowing that my kids and grandkids ride in Edmonton.

4. How do you celebrate Bike Month (June) in Edmonton?
I love watching my grandkids ride their bikes!

5. 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. This falls short of the 10% required to complete the bicycle and sidewalk strategies, and delays their completion for 25-50 years. What are your spending priorities in relation to active transportation?
Right now my focus in on the expansion of the LRT and maintenance of infrastructure, but I am supportive of active transportation through the creation of more bike lanes and right of ways into the future.

6. 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?
I think that the infrastructure planning necessary for a Bicycle Transportation Plan is a slow process, but I would like to see it advance.

7. 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?
Transportation and planning and development are obviously at the forefront of this sort of strategy. Also important is input from the cyclists that will be using this infrastructure on a daily basis.

8. 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?
I think it is important that we enforce this Bylaw, as with all Bylaws. The requirements need to be met in order for commuters to be able to ride their bikes as well as to park them with confidence while they are at work or at home.

9. 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?
I think that Active Edmonton provides the citizens of Edmonton with a lot of the needed information regarding cycling and other forms of fitness such as walking and cross-country trails in the city. I would encourage more people to cycle by letting them know about the wonderful infrastructure of trails that we already have in place as a city.