Calgary’s new wheel lanes oppose some southwestern businesses – Calgary | The Canadian News

Construction has begun on a new stretch of separate bike lanes through Calgary’s oldest working commercial strip on the Beltline, but some business owners say they weren’t consulted and that the removal of parking will hurt their bottom line.

Epiphanie Chocolate at 11 Street SW is a small business that has thrived during the pandemic, but now, the store owners are concerned that the business may go from sweet to sour because they are losing parking spots.

“We’re a really good little business on this heritage strip, and we can lose business because people who come here can’t find a place to park,” said Epiphanie Chocolate owner John Fleck.

“We really need parking on 11th Street for our businesses, for service vehicles, and we also need parking for those who make deliveries in this area.”

The city is building new separate wheel lanes and sidewalk extensions to calm traffic on 11th Street, but that means parking on one side of the street will be sacrificed.

According to the city, the goal is to improve network connections and provide more options for different modes of travel, such as bicycles and scooters.

The City of Calgary website says: “We are planning improvements to 11 Street SW, from 12 Avenue to Cameron Avenue SW, by implementing changes such as reducing traffic to reduce vehicle speeds, improve accessibility, and complete missing links for shared bike and scooter lanes.. “

Kevin Schlauch, director of transportation for the Beltline Neighborhoods Association, says that more than two-thirds of residents and businesses who participated in the city’s engagement process were in favor of having separate lanes.

“The area has been in dire need of traffic calming for a long time. The city was very committed to this, ”said Schlauch.

“This is a case in which they involved citizens and companies. There was a very clear desire for this type of infrastructure, for this type of project, and the city listened ”.

The owner of Peaseblossoms Flowers said the project was a predetermined plan.

“This mobility project was presented to us by postcard last September. There has been no consultation process, ”said Marika Styba.

Styba said he’s worried about losing potential customers who can’t find a place to park.

“Most of us have had our businesses here for decades and we felt that as stakeholders and residents we have a very good understanding and perception of how the street works, and none of those things were taken into consideration,” Styba said. .

The city said public participation for the 11 Street SW community mobility improvements took place in August 2020 and stakeholder feedback was incorporated.

“I’m not sure who they asked, but it sure wasn’t us,” Fleck said.

Now a petition opposing the project has started.