MODERNIZE
BIKING YYC
MODERNIZE BIKING
a traditional mode of transportation to encourage the average person living in Calgary, especially transit users to participate in. Aiding in the re-structuring of a more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable city.
Entering an Urban Millennium
According to the United Nations (UN), we have entered an urban millennium, with the global urban population outnumbering the latter. By 2050, two thirds of the world will be living in urban areas; “cities represent the future of global living (United Nations [UN], 2023, para. 2)”. With more people moving to urban areas, a UN statistic finds that the expansion of urban sprawls transcends the population growth rate.
Future sustainable development can not be achieved without significantly reshaping pre-existing urban infrastructure and spaces – a fundamental idea proposed by New Urbanism. There are economic hurdles to surpass, however, it is a minimal cost compared to the overall benefits. With improved interconnected cities, people are able to create shared prosperity, social stability, while not harming the environment (UN, 2023).
With new urbanism in mind, updated urban sprawls are able to promote a high quality of life with the design for people, and not cars. That means an increase in shared areas, such as public parks, community areas, bike lanes, etc. (Congress for the New Urbanism [CNU], n.d.). Also implementing inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development policies like access to affordable housing, efficient transportation, will improve quality of life.
Durable Urban Development Policies
The UN created 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 to contribute to a social, environmental, and sustainable future for everyone. They aim to integrate these goals worldwide by 2030, focusing on countries that are furthest behind (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], n.d.).
Modernize Biking YYC focuses on SDG 11: making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
How Does Biking Create an Inclusive, Safe, Resilient, and Sustainable City?
01
Inclusive
Biking is a great low-impact, full-body, beginner exercise. It is an inclusive means of transportation, able to cater to lower income individuals, as well as those with different levels of mobility or abilities.
Inclusivity means having everyone in the community involved.
02
Safe
Safety means the ability for individuals to freely participate in society without fear
03
Resilient
According to Bike Calgary (2023), around 40 000 Calgarians use biking as their main transportation system in the spring, summer, and fall.
Also, Calgary currently has the most extensive multi user pathways (MUP) in North America, with urban paths and a whole bikeway network (Bike Calgary, 2023). There are around 1000 km of maintained cycling pathways, 96 km in trails, and 300 km of on-street bike paths (Ridley’s Cycle, n.d.).
If bikers were to use public transportation as a tool to aid in their travels, it would be more beneficial for everyone. Increasing safety, decreasing environmental impact, and creating a healthier lifestyle for those who choose to participate in it.
By creating designated bike lanes, there would be less risks for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers.
Sidewalks are usually designed for pedestrians in mind, not bikers, making them narrower than they need to be for a safe path, especially in Downtown areas.
In addition, cyclists pose less harm to crashes if they do not share the roads with cars. An example of designated bike lanes improving safety would be in Toronto when motor and bicycle accidents fell by 71% after they were paved.
Also, by reducing the amount of drivers, there would be less cars on the road, leading to less motor accidents.
Resilience means being able to adapt to the changing environment
04
Sustainable
Sustainability means the ability to support a process over time
More people using bike lanes means less people traveling by car. This in turn means shorter commute times by car, reduced noise and pollution, and less need for road maintenance. Not only would it create a cleaner environment, but it would overall improve citizens health.
Solaroad: Pathway to Sustainability
What is Solaroad?
After more pathways are connected, the city could look towards upgrading the roads into something more sustainable, like Solaroads. They are biking pathways or sidewalks that are made up of solar panels that contain photo-voltaic cells, covered in multiple layers of resin which generate green energy when used (Eloff, 2024; Solaroad, n.d). These have started to be implemented in the Netherlands, as well as South Korea.
The efficiency of Solaroad is currently 21% per square meter, and that is measured from cities with moderately warm temperatures compared to Calgary (Deboutte, G., 2023). These paths are expected to create 160MWh per year, or enough power to heat over 100 000 homes (Eloff, 2024).
Solaroad In Calgary
Calgary has the most amount of sunny days in Canada, which is great for solar panels to be home to. However, there are many days where the weather would not suit solar panel paths.
With this in mind, the city would have to immediately have these paths cleared if it snowed, and based on some complaints from cyclists, they are not the best at doing this. Overall, Solaroad would be a revolutionary, sustainable, and economically smart idea for Calgary if maintained properly.