Brendan Van Alstine

and reliable way to get around the city and a great way to build physical activity into my day-to-day life.

Sometimes though, biking from one community meeting to another can be a little difficult and – depending on the destination – some trips can be outright nightmares. Simply put, there are many areas in the city where the cycling infrastructure is either poorly maintained, poorly connected or absent altogether.

The cycling community in Edmonton is flourishing and growing more each year, so it’s only appropriate that the infrastructure to support cycling should expand as well. Edmonton is famous for its river valley trails, but few everyday destinations are located in the valley.

The creation of more multiuse trails across the city would benefit not just cyclists but other groups such as walkers and joggers. Building a more comprehensive and complete network of bike paths – following the recommendations made in, and fully funding, the Bicycle Transportation Plan – would also allow more people to bike to and from their destinations.

Paths, however, have their limitations. To get where I need to go quickly, I ride my bike on the road almost all of the time, sharing the space with cars, trucks and motorcycles. At the same time, I know riding in traffic is not something that everyone is comfortable with or able to do. It can be scary and even dangerous to navigate fast-moving traffic on a bike. The creation of more dedicated bike lanes, multiuse trails, and sharrows (on roads with lighter traffic) would help immensely in helping to make commuting safer and more comfortable for cyclists.

Getting bike racks for all of the city’s buses is another one of my priorities. Integrating cycling with other modes of transportation is very important, especially in a city as large as Edmonton where cycling from one end of the city to the other can take hours. I would also lobby for the construction of end-of-use facilities for bicycle commuters in high bike traffic areas such as downtown. These end-of-use facilities could be incorporated into city rec centres and new and existing parks so as to be of benefit to other groups as well.

Encouraging Edmontonians to use alternative modes of transport such as walking, cycling, and taking the bus comes with many benefits, including saving Edmontonians’ money: biking lowers household transportation costs, health care costs decrease, productivity increases, local community businesses receive more support, and the city’s road maintenance expenses are also greatly reduced. All of this leads to lower taxes and a stronger economy.

Ultimately, it just makes sense to continue improving upon the cycling infrastructure in the city. Edmonton can be a happier and healthier place with increased levels of physical activity and improved air quality.

corridors) & improved multi-modal transportation (bikes on buses, bikes on trains, etc) will have my support going forward.

If you are ever interested in helping out with the campaign we are always looking for donations & volunteers to help out with door-knocking & dropping handbills at home, so please let me know if you might be interested in helping out/have some time to spare.

As far a photo at the moment I only have the one (attached) of me on my bike which is relatively recent, however we will hopefully be getting some more in the coming weeks.

All the best,
Brendan

side of the playground. We will be departing on the ride some time between 5:30 & 6pm – if you arrive late please call 780-974-2626 or 780-909-1891 to reach one of the organizers & meet up with us!

There will be signs available for people to carry with them or attach to their bikes (feel free, to bring tape, string, elastics, etc to attach a sign, though we will also have some materials available).

The ride will end off at St. Bernadette’s School (40 St & 119 Ave) where the ward 7 candidates’ forum will be taking place at 7pm – please feel free to join us at the forum following the ride!

the saturation of social housing in their neighbourhoods. They also expressed concern about crime and the need for better policing.

They want to see more bicycle lanes in their neighbourhoods and better transit.

While some voters feel their neighbourhoods are inundated with Habitat for Humanity projects, the candidates all said they support the non-profit agency and the work it does. Incumbent Tony Caterina thinks the cost of social housing should be shared citywide, while candidate Scott McKeen said he supports mixed neighbourhoods throughout the city. Here are the main points of the candidates:

Tony Caterina

Share costs of social housing citywide.

Reduce crime through effective policing.

Growth of City Centre Airport as an industrial transportation hub.

Increase LRT security, especially at Coliseum and Stadium stations.

“Good economic policy as far as I am concerned is what makes good social policy. Without a strong economic base we will never be able to deal sufficiently with the social issues.”

Scott McKeen

Redevelopment of City Centre Airport lands.

Reduce urban sprawl.

Detailed plan for the redevelopment for Rexall Place lands.

Neighbourhood-based recreational centres as opposed to big-box mega complexes.

More police in neighbourhoods.

Mixed neighbourhoods throughout the city.

“I am excited and optimistic that the redevelopment of the City Centre Airport lands will be the greatest opportunity ever for our northside neighbourhoods. We must stop urban sprawl to a crawl.”

Terry Roll

Neighbourhood Protection Act to make neighbourhoods safer.

Private funding for a new downtown arena.

Endorses recycling.

Community leagues need stronger ties to neighbourhoods.

“We have the potential to make our neighbourhoods better. Some people think Ward 7 only contains roads that lead somewhere else. I don’t believe that.”

Grant David Pullishy

Reducing violence and crime.

Keep City Centre Airport as a transportation hub.

Redevelopment of Northlands and Rexall Place if a downtown arena is built.

“In order to revitalize this community, you need to bring people into the community. And the number 1 issue is violence and crime.”

Brendan Van Alsine

Revitalize historic character neighbourhoods.

Better protection for heritage buildings.

Reduce urban sprawl.

Reduce car-dependency through improved transit and cycle-friendly policies.

Address root causes of crime and homelessness.

Improve relations between police and communities.

“I see Edmonton very much at a turning point with regards to things like the revitalization of 118th Avenue, of downtown and the LRT. I want to be part of the decisions to help Edmonton turn that corner.”

floyie@thejournal.canwest.com

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and walking are the ways I get around when cycling is not an attractive option (or for multi-modal trips IE bike on LRT etc). I am car-free.

> 3. Do you feel comfortable/safe riding on the road with traffic?

Largely yes, though improved cycling infrastructure (such as bike lanes on major roadway corridors) would certainly help me to feel safer. That being said, I recognize that bike lanes on major roadways aren’t going to be enough for all ages and abilities to ride safely and comfortably, and we will need to consider separated facilities and improved “bicycle boulevard” type neighbourhood street routes.

> 4. How do you celebrate Bike Month (June) in Edmonton?

Every month is bike month for me, but this year I helped organize the Every Day Challenge as part of the City’s Commuter Challenge events during bike month.

> 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?

I would like to see the city earmark more resources to improve walking, cycling, transit and multi-modal transportation to help reduce our car-dependence. Historical underfunding unfortunately puts us in a position
of playing catch-up, but bicycling infrastructure is one of the most cost-effective ways to spend transportation dollars.

> 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?*

Yes, absolutely

> 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, obviously, and as part of that ETS should be at the table to ensure multi-modal concerns are taken care of. Planning & Development should play a role just as it should in transit decisions: we need
bicycle-oriented development as well as transit- and pedestrian-oriented. Additionally, Capital Construction and Asset Management would help ensure that projects are well managed and take advantage of regular road maintenance cycles (and parkland). In addition to these, various community and transportation advocacy groups should also be invited to the table.

> 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?

We absolutely need more secure bicycle parking throughout the city, the city strictly enforces car parking requirements for new businesses and developments (which, in my opinion, are often excessive) and I don’t see
why bicycle parking requirements are not enforced similarly. The city should also work with existing businesses to improve bicycle parking where it does not already exist.

> 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?

Education is one of the critical “4 Es” that the city needs to be addressing to increase ridership (Education, Encouragement, Enforcement, Evaluation & Planning)

> 10. Do you have a recent photo of yourself riding your bicycle? Please send it to us digitally!

Yes, attached is one of myself and my campaign volunteers with our bikes all decked out in election signs

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Brendan Van Alstine, RSW
Candidate for Edmonton City Council in Ward 7

www.BrendanVanAlstine.ca