Just over six months ago, UCP Minister Ric McIver sent a letter to local bike advocates that the Government of Alberta, “respects the autonomy of municipalities to make decisions about local projects and priorities”. But this was before former UCP Minister Peter Guthrie got kicked out of cabinet for speaking out about Premier Smith’s health care scandal.
In an attempt to divert attention away from allegations of corruption, the UCP recently sent Minister Devin Dreeshen to Edmonton to weigh into active transportation lanes, AKA “bike lanes”. Since the Minister has forced the debate, I do think there’s merit in fact checking a few things.
Almost all bike lane infrastructure in Edmonton is not built on main streets. For example, in Edmonton we have built bike lanes on 83rd Avenue and not Whyte Avenue or on 102nd Avenue and not Jasper Avenue. This in contrast to Toronto, where cycling infrastructure has been built directly on Bloor or Yonge Street. On top of this, most road infrastructure for biking is not being built only as bike lanes. Recent projects being built in 2025 mostly include shared use pathsways, wide sidewalks or shared streets used not only by bikes but also electric wheelchairs, scooters, pedestrians, and strollers.
The Provincial government continues to invest more into roads in Calgary than Edmonton, costing you more in property taxes: The UCP provides Calgary approximately $20 million per year for the Deerfoot trail because it is a provincial numbered highway, yet nothing for the numbered highways inside our city (Whitemud and Yellowhead). And no, the UCP have still not paid their property taxes, leaving $96 million in arrears. The Premier would never accept this treatment from Ottawa, why should Edmontonians accept it from the Premier?
Cycling is only growing: the E-Bike revolution is real and sales are skyrocketing. A local bike shop shared with me that their largest clientele are seniors. Without separated pathways or lanes, the bikes will be weaving in traffic with cars, making life more dangerous and delayed for everyone. The car insurance company RateHub clocks car ownership at $15,000 per vehicle and cycling is an affordable option to get around, especially after the UCP removed the cap on insurance rates.
Edmonton taxpayers are paying an enormous amount for our largest asset: over 12,000 KMs of roads valued at $14.2 Billion. Their average lifespan is about 40 years and we are spending $300 million per year on road capital and $166 million per year on road operating costs. Edmonton is building road capacity where we need it, right-sizing overbuilt and underutilized areas where we don’t. If you look at some of the neighbourhood renewals, you see bioswales and low impact development helping to mitigate flood risk and protect homes. For context, the annual spend on bike paths costs far less than the $70 million the UCP spent on the “Turkish Tylenol” fiasco.
Ultimately, the Minister is playing politics with lives.
This is deadly serious. In my ward, let us not forget that the reason we have the 83rd ave bike lane is because of the tragic death of a Scona High School Student. As one parent activist said to me, “Dreeshan’s lies mean kids will die.” Edmontonians will not be manipulated by this desperate and dangerous attempt to distract and if the Minister wants to learn more, I’d be happy to take him for a tour.
Sign and share my petition for updates on this topic:
michaeljanz.ca/bikeplan
