---
title: The State of Edmonton's Cycling Infrastructure, 2024
description: Assessing Edmonton's 2024 cycling infrastructure reveals a pressing need for more high-comfort, year-round bike lanes and better connectivity to ensure safety and accessibility.
---

[Bike Blog](https://yegbike.info/bike-blog)

# [The State of Edmonton's Cycling Infrastructure, 2024](https://yegbike.info/bike-blog/the-state-of-edmontons-cycling-infrastructure-2024)

 Written by [Aaron Budnick](https://yegbike.info/bike-blog/author/aaron-budnick) | Feb 4, 2025, 9:47:16 PM

**Assessing Edmonton’s Cycling Infrastructure: Insights from Can-BICS and What’s Needed for a Robust Network**

Edmonton’s cycling infrastructure is at a critical crossroads. While investment in active transportation has increased, the city still lags behind in providing a **safe, connected, and accessible** cycling network that functions year-round. The **Canadian Bicycle Infrastructure Classification System (Can-BICS)**, a national standard used to assess cycling infrastructure, provides a **data-driven lens** to evaluate the quality and safety of Edmonton’s bike network.

Using Can-BICS data, this report examines **Edmonton’s current infrastructure**, its alignment with **safety and perceived comfort levels**, and the **changes needed to develop a truly functional, year-round cycling network**.

### **The State of Edmonton’s Cycling Infrastructure**

According to the [**Can-BICS 2025 Report**](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/23-26-0004/232600042024001-eng.htm), Edmonton has **226 km of cycling infrastructure**, but much of this falls into **low-comfort categories**. In reality, the city has only **a small fraction of true high-comfort infrastructure.**

To put this in perspective:

- **Total Linear Road Network in Edmonton:** 12,000 km ([City of Edmonton Snow & Ice Annual Report](https://www.edmonton.ca/sites/default/files/public-files/assets/PDF/Snow-Ice-Annual-Report_Winter2023-2024.pdf?cb=1738698298))

🚲 **Total Length of High-Comfort Bike Infrastructure:** **Under 40 km** (protected bike lanes)

🚲 **Total Local Street Bikeways Claimed:** **200 km (but these are majority low-comfort shared streets, not true bikeways)**

🔴 **This means that protected cycling infrastructure represents less than 0.3% of the total road network in Edmonton.**

Even worse, Edmonton’s modal share for cycling is just **1-2% year-round**, meaning that **cycling infrastructure is drastically underrepresented compared to the number of people who rely on it**.

### **How Does Edmonton’s Infrastructure Compare?**

Can-BICS categorizes cycling infrastructure into **three safety and comfort levels**:

- **High-Comfort (Best for Most Riders)**
  
    - **Protected Bike Lanes (Only 40 km)** – Physically separated from traffic with dedicated barriers. Think about 102 Avenue in Wîhkwêntôwin =.
    - **Bike Paths (4%)** – Paved, off-road routes with no vehicle interaction. Think about linear parks like the Ribbon of Steel.
- **Medium-Comfort (Some Riders Comfortable, Many Unsafe Intersections)**
  
    - **Multi-Use Paths (27%)** – Shared with pedestrians, often alongside roads but lacking cyclist priority at intersections. Think about 102 Avenue shared use path in Glenora.
- **Low-Comfort (Few Riders Feel Safe)**
  
    - **Local Street Bikeways (30%)** – Shared streets with cars, no separation. Think about any roads you've biked on with a painted bike on the road and nothing else.
    - **Painted Bike Lanes (26%)** – Minimal separation from traffic, high crash risk. Think about 121 Street near the Brewery District.

🚨 **Major Concern: Over Half of Edmonton’s Cycling Network Falls into Medium or Low Comfort Categories** 🚨

With **53% of the bike network classified as either painted bike lanes or shared roadways**, it’s no surprise that many residents find cycling unsafe, particularly in winter conditions.

### **The Problem: Perceived vs. Actual Safety**

🚴‍♂️ **Many cyclists feel safer on Multi-Use Paths (MUPs), but they are not actually safer.**

- MUPs **lack intersection priority**, meaning cyclists must yield to vehicles frequently.
- **Many vehicle-cyclist collisions occur at MUP crossings**, where drivers fail to yield.
- **MUPs mix cyclists with pedestrians**, leading to conflicts and unpredictable movements.

✅ **Protected bike lanes provide actual safety.**

- They place cyclists **where drivers expect them**, reducing crashes.
- **Dedicated signals and priority crossings** make cycling more predictable.
- **They support a wider range of users**, including parents with children and those new to cycling.

**Solution:** The city must stop relying on MUPs and painted bike lanes as the primary cycling infrastructure. Instead, we need to prioritize a **connected network of protected bike lanes and safe crossings**.

### **What Edmonton Needs: A Year-Round, Safe, and Connected Network**

To make cycling a viable, year-round transportation option, Edmonton must focus on:

1️⃣ **Expanding High-Comfort Infrastructure** 🚴‍♀️

- Convert **painted bike lanes into protected lanes** with physical barriers.
- Upgrade key **multi-use paths with continuous crossings** to reduce driver conflicts.
- Implement **more protected bike lanes in high-traffic corridors**.

2️⃣ **Building a Fully Connected Network** 🔗

- Close gaps between existing routes, especially **short missing links** that prevent direct, safe travel.
- **Ensure every ward has a direct cycling connection to its adjacent wards.**
- Improve connectivity between bike routes and major destinations (workplaces, schools, transit stations, shopping areas).

3️⃣ **Investing in Winter Maintenance** ❄️

- **Expand Priority 1 Snow Clearing** to include more bike infrastructure.
- Purchase **dedicated snow-clearing equipment for bike lanes**.
- **Ensure key cycling corridors are plowed immediately after major storms**.

### **The Bottom Line: Cycling Infrastructure is Drastically Underfunded**

Considering that:

- **Less than 0.3% of Edmonton’s road network is protected bike lanes**, and
- **Only 1-2% of Edmontonians cycle year-round**, but this number could be much higher with better investment,

🚲 **Cycling infrastructure is not proportional to the needs of Edmonton’s population.**

If Edmonton is serious about **mode shift goals**, reducing congestion, and **providing equitable transportation options**, we must **fund and build a year-round, high-comfort cycling network.**

🔹 **More protected infrastructure.** 🔹 **Better intersection treatments.** 🔹 **A true Active Transportation Arterial Network with winter maintenance.**

🚴‍♂️ **The evidence is clear: Edmonton must stop treating cycling as an afterthought and invest in a real, safe, and connected cycling network for all seasons.**

[View full post](https://yegbike.info/bike-blog/the-state-of-edmontons-cycling-infrastructure-2024)

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