Work has begun on an ambitious, $15.2 million bike lane on 2 Ave. S.W. in Calgary, under the shadow of Alberta’s Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen’s plan to introduce bike lane legislation when MLAs return to the Legislature in late October.
Dreeshen’s plan comes after more than 13,000 people visited a provincial website earlier this summer to identify problems with bike lanes in Alberta.
Under the plan, municipalities planning to add new bike lanes would have to prove they are needed and would not have negative impacts on the community.
The proposed legislation would also affect existing bike lanes by giving the provincial government the power to remove them if they do not meet standards, including lane usage, effects on motorized traffic and neighbouring roads as well as parking and impacts on businesses.
In addition, Dreeshen said Calgary and Edmonton could not approve bike lanes that take over driving lanes, if the legislation is approved.
Dreeshen acknowledges the plan will be met with opposition, saying there will be "loud special interest groups" but that the government is not afraid of making the right decisions.
He added some bike-lane policies were social engineering intended to change people's transportation behaviour and criticized taking away vehicle lanes and parking for bike infrastructure.
The legislation is not a sign the Alberta government opposes cycling, with its transportation department agreeing dedicated bike lanes are the safest option while cycling, in its cycling safety information online.
Pending approval of the legislation, it’s not clear that the bike lanes on 26 Ave. will meet the proposed standards.
The bike lanes will run from 14 St. SW in the east to 37 St. In the west.
Plans include replacing older, painted bike lanes with protected bike lanes on both sides of the street and multi‑use pathways, upgraded intersections, floating bus stops, improved street lighting and a reduced speed limit of 40 km/h.
The proposed legislation is not precedent setting.
On Friday, the Ontario Court of Appeal overturned a Supreme Court decision that prevented the province from removing bike lanes on portions of Bloor Street, Yonge Street and University Avenue in Toronto.
The Supreme Court originally ruled that removing the lanes would put cyclists at risk of serious injury or death, therefore violating section 7 of the Charter, which details the right to life, liberty and security of the person.
The Court of Appeal unanimously overturned the 2025 decision, on the grounds there is no constitutional right to bike lanes and adding that governments can change policies made by previous governments, despite experts disagreeing with those policies.
This decision means the Ontario government is able to move forward with the removal of about 19 kilometres of bike lanes along Toronto’s busiest streets.