City councillor calls for better walking, wheeling infrastructure in northeast Calgary – Calgary | Canadian

Calgary is known for an extensive system of pathways and new infrastructure that’s making walking and wheeling safer, but some say not all areas are treated equally.

“If I knock on 10 doors, at seven doors I’m hearing the same story: Ward 5 — or the northeast — gets treated differently than southwest or other quadrants. We get second-class treatment,” said Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal joined members of Bike Calgary on Friday for a tour of some of the neighbourhoods he represents, including Castleridge, Falconridge, Taradale, Martindale and Saddle Ridge.

“It was an eye-opener for me,” Dhaliwal said.

Dhaliwal noted there’s a lack of separated bike lanes and east-west connections. While there is the Rotary/Mattamy Greenway, he said not as many opportunities exist for non-recreational cycling.

“Utility biking, which is non-recreational — there is no opportunity in Ward 5. We lack that infrastructure,” Dhaliwal said. “I felt that there are great pathways, but there are no class one or class two bike lanes. There’s none. It doesn’t exist.”

The president of Bike Calgary Molli Bennett said the city needs to invest in adding bike lanes to new and older communities.

“Part of the equation will be making sure the new communities are built to the best standards, but retrofits without a doubt are part of the solution for these older neighbourhoods that have been left behind,” said Bennett.

The disparity doesn’t end with pathways.

A new report from Nature Canada shows a correlation between tree canopy in Calgary and richer communities. It’s part of a pattern in other cities across Canada where people of color and lower-income communities tend to have less tree canopy and access to green space.

Dhaliwal said the city needs to plan better and residents in his ward, which includes many new Canadians, need to speak out.

“They don’t like to complain and the assumption includes that they’re happy.”

He said some people are too busy to call 311, there is a language barrier or some may come from countries where they don’t trust politicians.

“They are so busy and sometimes I tell them to please call 311 because I need the data. I need the help,” Dhaliwal said. “The minimum we can do is make an effort. Show people that there is no such thing as tier one and tier two treatment.”

Bennett said she noticed places that could use an upgrade on the Friday bike tour.

“I definitely learned about some frustrating places where you can come up to an intersection and see the pathway on the other side, but you have to travel quite a distance to get to it. There are areas all across the city that have missing links,” Bennett said. “The northeast portion of the city, in particular, has been sometimes a bit left behind with infrastructure, and we know there’s lots of room for improvement.”

Bennett said she’s grateful for the councillors who have joined Bike Calgary members for tours of the city.

“On our ride with a councillor, we ask them to imagine riding these sections of infrastructure with a small child, with a senior family member,” Bennett said.

“We asked them to imagine what it’s like to ride this infrastructure on a winter day and we ride in sections of infrastructure in their wards that are great, and we ride sections in their ward there not so great to allow them to see the contrast.”

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