Edmonton leads Canada in new bike lanes as some cities, provinces apply brakes: Study

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According to a new study, Edmonton is leading Canada in the addition of bike lanes at a time when some cities and provinces are slowing or even reversing infrastructure for cyclists.

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Over a two-year window, Edmonton has led the country in adding “weighted” kilometres of cycling infrastructure, adding 517 km, more than twice the lanes Calgary added (245), and more than three times the new infrastructure in Toronto (140).

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“Edmonton was certainly one of the fastest developing cities in terms of cycling infrastructure,” said Meghan Winters, a health sciences professor and lead author of the Simon Fraser University study, published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.

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Since cities track cycling infrastructure in different ways, Winters looked for a national data set that would “apples-to-apples” things as much as possible, considering a reliance on volunteer mappers.

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She found it with the use of OpenStreetMaps as a data source for consistent comparison.

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“We see big increases in Edmonton, which I think is indicative that it is fast-moving, it is making major investments in cycling infrastructure, and probably also that there’s some been some active mapping of the cycling infrastructure in Edmonton,” Winters said.

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“We also see a really connected network along the river. We also see a lot of infrastructure making connections in the downtown core and in neighbourhoods. And it appears that over 2022 to 2024 a lot of infrastructure was put down on the ground,” she said.

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The project weighted infrastructure for comfort and safety, which means protected cycling routes that are bike-only paths get weighted more than painted bike lanes along the road.

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It showed nationwide cycling infrastructure grew overall by 3,596 kilometres. Multi-use paths accounted for 2,725 kilometres of new pathways, a 75.8 per cent increase in distance over two years. Multi-use paths are situated next to or away from roadways and are regarded as “medium comfort” for cyclists.

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One consistent finding across Canadian cities is that areas with more children and older adults tend to have less cycling infrastructure, Winters said.

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“Total distance is one metric, but it’s not necessarily the only consideration — it’s important to look at the type of infrastructure and who benefits from access,” she said.

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“Our research has shown that things are improving, but not everyone is feeling those improvements.”

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Cities that were investing in high-quality, all ages and abilities bicycle infrastructure got extra recognition in the weighted measure of the study.

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There are cities across Canada that had built-out networks before 2022 and were moving slowly from 2022 to 2024.

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Others hadn’t done as much building earlier, so they’re making really big investments now, Winters acknowledged.

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“And that could be part of the story in Calgary and Edmonton,” she said.

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Bitcoins Some not feeling the bike love

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The City of Edmonton is in the lead at a time when nationally there’s an emerging hesitancy over bike infrastructure, even pitting cities against provincial governments.

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Winters is in Vancouver, where an intention to remove a section of bike lane didn’t happen because of the city’s budget and the cost of removing the lane.

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“Some cities are stalling on building bicycle infrastructure. Some cities are not planning for it. Some cities are stalling on plans that existed, and some cities are talking about pulling things out,” Winters said.

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“But all of these are resulting in slower implementation of bicycle infrastructure across the country, and it’s happening in different ways in different cities at different times.

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“Some people are just slowing down the planning phases. Some might have had plans in place, but are now pushing those back for budget reasons, or complication reasons. And then some cities are actively talking about removing infrastructure.”

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Winnipeg, Halifax, and Charlottetown actually dialled down the number of protected lanes, according to the study.

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With Bill 212, the Ontario government sought more control so that cities couldn’t decide to remove motor vehicle lanes without consulting the provincial government.

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Ontario declared three major bike-protected routes needed to be removed.

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This went to a court challenge in 2025, a place of contentious debate on legislation that came through the province, not the city.

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Cycle Toronto and a University of Toronto student launched a court challenge and won, with the higher court ruling removing those bike lanes would have placed people cycling in harm’s way because the lanes were protecting them as they rode through the city.

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The litigation continues.

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“Alberta was watching closely and speaking to that, and Nova Scotia was as well,” Winters said.

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As the season for bicycle infrastructure begins in the spring, Winters expects chatter to increase on what to do about bicycle infrastructure.

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“It’s not the only example to say that bicycle infrastructure is a political space, and it’s a place where provinces and cities aren’t always aligned, and it’s a place where public opinion is very much at the front,” Winters said.

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Outrage over bike lanes vacating space previously devoted to vehicle traffic and parking — in an era where infill projects had been greenlighted to plop eight-unit apartments onto lots where single-family residences previously stood — prompted some Delton residents to invite Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen to their neck of the woods.

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Dreeshen said he was disappointed the city is moving ahead on contracted projects since he had asked for a pause on bike lanes.

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Dreeshen said he hopes new councils in Edmonton and Calgary would “see the light of day” and make sure that bike paths are being designed and built that don’t actually impede road and vehicle traffic and parking, so changes to the Traffic Safety Act wouldn’t be necessary.

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He said the province was eyeballing Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s success in paring back bike lane infrastructure.

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“What has always gotten me is why both Edmonton and Calgary have been adamant to take over driving lanes, parking lanes, roads that have been designed by an engineer to accommodate everybody that lives here. Why remove that? Why would we take that away?” Dreeshen said.

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Karl Tracksdorf of Bike Edmonton rode up to the meeting on a bike, applauding city administration efforts to make modifications to the design, particularly with regard to disabled parking, and taking the bike lane off a major thoroughfare.

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“By not locating them on major roads, the impact is mitigated, and also it makes for a more pleasant experience for people being able to use the lanes when they’re implemented,” he said.

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The Ontario court decision’s a warning to provincial governments not to meddle in municipal matters “arbitrarily,” Tracksdorf said.

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Bitcoins Winter cycling a reality?

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Winters said she has visited Edmonton on a bike in the winter and she admires the dedication of winter cyclists.

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“In Edmonton, there’s a very enthusiastic winter biking community showing what is possible and helping people along on that journey in terms of the equipment that it takes and the ways it can take,” she said.

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“I’m not going to say that year-round cycling is for everybody, but there is an active group doing that. And what we see in a lot of Canadian cities is that more and more months of the year is there’s times when we can be cycling. There may be some days when it’s too cold, but there’s a lot of other days when it is a reasonable choice to do.”

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Bitcoins If you build it, they will come

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The city publishes bike lane user statistics year-round on the YEG Cycle Counters page.

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A look at numbers calculated by the city’s Eco Counters suggests that when it comes to bike lanes and paths, if you build it, they will come — especially in the warm months.

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Automatic counters installed at more than 40 points along city bike lanes and paths suggest warm season cycling participation as measured by cycling trip increments (clicks) counted on city bike lanes and paths has risen steadily over the last three years.

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The trip increments reference each time a bicycle crosses a sensor. The embedded sensors detect the unique signature of bicycles — either electromagnetic or pressure — to distinguish them from cars and pedestrians.

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Warm months cycle trip clicks were up almost 50 per cent in some instances from 2023.

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At summer peak, the number of cycle trip clicks using bike paths and bike lanes around the city increases from about 80,000 a month to 110,000 a month.

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The same graphs show little change in the number of cycle trips in the coldest months.

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Comparing December 2019 to December 2025, the numbers were fairly similar, about 3,000 cycle trips citywide.

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However, overall rider traffic during the combined colder months from October to March increased significantly by 43 per cent from 2022 to 2024, said Karen Burgess, a communications adviser with the City of Edmonton’s urban planning and economy branch.

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Burgess said monitoring the active transportation network indicates that bike and wheeled mobility usage increased by seven per cent from 2022 to 2024.

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“The increase for annual downtown bicycle counts has increased by more than 15 per cent from 2022 to 2024 (based on six downtown core locations),” she said in an email to Postmedia.

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EcoCounter data shows some variance between usage, with points like High Level Bridge and 83 Avenue between 99 Street and 106 Street getting the heaviest traffic.

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