As part of the Valley Line West LRT construction, Marigold has detoured 102 Ave to 103 Ave between 103 Street and Railtown Park (more or less 110 Street). These are temporary bike lanes (which were built in only two weeks!) and they serve to maintain a key active transportation connection between downtown and the west end of the city.
We think that this detour could have been better, and that there is still time to improve it before winter conditions arrive in full.
First off, we want to acknowledge three things:
- The infrastructure on 103 Ave is generally pretty good. A protected on-street bike lane was built in two weeks by Marigold so that 102 Ave could be closed for LRT construction. Overall, they did a great job with this detour.
- We love LRT! Multi-modal transportation is important in a city like Edmonton, and the LRT will bring a lot of vibrancy to downtown, while also giving people in the west end an option other than being another car creating congestion.
- We are passionate about Vision Zero. No one should be at risk of death or serious injury as they move around the city, no matter how they choose to get around.
So, what's the problem?
There are a couple of issues, and some potential solutions we would like to highlight:
- The temporary infrastructure creates a pinch point at Railtown Park. Both the east and west bound bike lanes are forced onto a small, narrow sidewalk which creates a conflict point between cyclists, and with pedestrians. This is a fairly high-volume location, especially now that one of the cities busiest bike routes is being re-directed there.
- The bike lanes aren't protected from illegally parked cars where they need to move between the west bound bike lane and the access point to Railtown. A resident of the Cosmopolitan raised some issues with this bike lane and how it was affecting their access to the building, and the Marigold representative that met with them parked in this location, blocking access to both bike lanes and the sidewalk. Drivers routinely park here - illegally blocking the bike lane and sidewalk access point, and we all know how effective 311 is at addressing safety issues like this.
- Adding bike lanes to 103 Ave highlights a missing link that would improve east-west access through downtown due to unrelated issues at Churchill Square. Special thanks to Bikeology for bringing this to our attention!
We don't like complaining about things without suggesting solutions. We've already raised these solutions and concerns with both Marigold and the City, and we're waiting to hear what they plan to do.
What can be done?
We think there are options to quickly and cheaply address the pinch point at Railtown:
- Add a second ramp at the westbound bike lane, connecting it directly to the path by paving over the grass
- Detour people from 102 Ave at 108 Street instead of Railtown
Second Ramp:
The red lines mark one potential location for a temporary asphalt ramp. The City or Marigold would need to pave over the grass to connect the ramp to the pathway, but we observed Marigold doing this several times for other detours they put in place so far. It's not immediately clear who would be responsible for making this connection - it could be in scope for Marigold since they created the detour, and it could be out of scope since it's technically outside the detour area.
This would also require adding some protection between the end of the bike lane and the start of the sidewalk at both the east and west bound sections fo the bike lane. That wasn't done initially because bikes needed to be able to get across the end of the street to access the single sidewalk. Here's an example of the blockage that could be addressed by taking this approach:
Use 108 Street:
Another option that could be considered is to detour 102 Ave at 108 Street, beside Norquest (the red line in the image below). This could be done in addition to the option above, with the only potential issue here being that Marigold may need to close down 108 Street for their LRT construction. The LRT goes north at 107 Ave, so maintaining this access route could be doable, if they wanted:
The route along 108 Street isn't protected infrastructure, but it is as close to a Local Street Bikeway as exists anywhere in the City, so it's pretty safe overall. 108 Street is a low vehicle traffic area and it's designed for low speeds which makes it an excellent option in our opinion.
This is the route we recommend everyone takes for now, as long as it is available, until the issue at Railtown Park is addressed. We go this way, and you can also access the beautiful new O'day'min park from here! This route also offers a direct secondary detour route that takes advantage of the new park to connect to 106 Street for people that need to go south at that point (the yellow line in the image above).
Other Considerations:
As mentioned above, Bikeology highlighted the missing link that becomes apparent when using the new temporary bike lanes on 103 Ave: 103 Ave from 103 Street to Sir Winston Churchill Square (the red line in the image above) is the most direct route for people that need to go east of downtown. As it stands, 102 Ave is only a bike route to 99 Street, at which point cyclists need to go north to 103 Ave to continue east (the yellow line). Adding a direct access point offers a few benefits:
- It's direct.
- The bike lane closure at the Stanley A. Milner library can be avoided.
- The bike lane closures of 102 Ave and 99 Street during festival season can be avoided.
It's important to highlight that the City is supposed to be building 5A infrastructure. 2 of the 5 A's are "Always Available". Having bike lanes closed so the library can park in them, for festival season, or so a random piece of construction equipment can be stored all summer and never move or get used is not "Always Available" infrastructure. Building this missing link would allow cyclists to bypass all of that and gives the City an easy win in achieving 5A infrastructure in one of the busiest cycling locations in the city! A true win-win.
Final Thoughts:
We're not trying to be unreasonable here, but Vision Zero matters, and providing 5A infrastructure is a requirement of every city plan, goal, and strategic initiative. Bike lanes are a key element in achieving the City Plan goal related to:
- Modal Share change (50% non-car modal share by 2050)
- Addressing climate change (car dependency is one of the few levers available to any city to make meaningful impact in climate emissions, and city's have a very important role to play in addressing this existential change)
- Vision Zero: protected on street bike lanes (i.e., 5A infrastructure) make streets safer for everyone. Already, 30 people have died senseless and preventable deaths on our streets in 2025. We will likely set a new record this year, and bike lanes can help bend the curve downward.
- Fiscal Responsibility: Bike lanes cost less to build and maintain than roads. If we care about reducing taxes, 5A infrastructure is a contributor to achieving that.
- Household Affordability: Transportation costs are the second highest expense for individuals and households, after the cost of housing. Giving people more affordable options, like cycling or public transportation, is one of the most effective ways of helping people reduce their cost of living. The average Canadian spends more than $16,000 a year on automobility and that is growing fast. You can buy a bike from Bike Edmonton for a few hundred dollars, for comparison.
- Density: When people reduce their individual or household costs, they can afford to live closer to work, family, friends, or frequently-visited destinations. Even if the cost of a new infill is higher than an older home (new construction is always more expensive than an older home, apples-to-apples), the transportation costs savings can allow people to live in more preferred locations, further enabling modal choices and improving their quality-of-life.
- Economic Development: Businesses on bike lanes and pedestrianized streets are busier than those which are only accessible by cars. That's why the Vancouver Business Association when from fighting bike lanes to funding them.
Proper 5A infrastructure is a key part of solving all the issues we are facing as a city. Other cities know that and are making investments. The City of Edmonton knows that, too. Here is a chance for them to step up, improve the lives of Edmontonians, and work towards their own goals.