Despite having the second-highest number of bicycle commuters per capita of any city in Canada (I believe Victoria claims the highest, by a wide margin too), improving cycling infrastructure continues to be a challenge for Saskatoon. As is the case for most Canadian cities, accommodating the automobile remains top priority.
But there is hope...(
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'Reduce the asphalt,' Gehl says
Architect touts bike-friendly culture
By Jeanette Stewart, The Star Phoenix September 2, 2009 Comments (14)
Jan Gehl (centre) went on a walking tour of Saskatoon Monday. Photograph by: Gord Waldner, The Star Phoenix
When it snows in Copenhagen, the bike lanes are first to be cleared. Then the sidewalks. If there is money left over, the roads are next.
While it may be a radical concept for a winter city such as Saskatoon, Danish architect Jan Gehl is in favour of transforming Saskatoon into a pedestrian-oriented, bike-friendly city.
"Reduce the asphalt in Saskatoon," he said to strong audience applause at his presentation Monday night.
"The traffic you have is a matter of how much asphalt you have," said Gehl, who in his four-decade career has studied and supported the transformation of Copenhagen into one of the most bike-friendly sustainable cities in the world.
The temporary bike racks outside Persephone Theatre were nearly full Monday and Tuesday nights as people from across Western Canada gathered to hear the world-renowned architect deliver two sold-out presentations.
Making car drivers "happy when they are driving and happy when they stop" has been the No. 1 priority in planning cities for years, Gehl said. The "car invasion" will get worse every year until something is done.
"If you invite more driving, you have more driving," he said.
A nearly $300-million project is underway to build Saskatoon's newest bridge, which will have six lanes and seven kilometres of connecting freeway. Three contractors are working on proposals for the project, with an expected completion date of Oct. 1, 2012.
Though the project seems to contradict Gehl's ideas, city Coun. Pat Lorje said the bridge will take traffic out of the downtown and get trucks out of the city's core.
Lorje said her e-mail and voice mail were full of messages from the public Tuesday, with many in favour of Gehl's ideas.
The councillor spent Tuesday on a cycling tour with the architect. One of his most striking suggestions was incorporating family housing downtown near the River Landing water park instead of the proposed high-end condominium development. Having families downtown would put "more eyes on the street" and better use the facilities the city has built, Lorje said.
During a question-and-answer period Monday, Gehl dismissed questions about how to plan around Saskatoon's harsh climate.
"I know you have a bad winter," Gehl said. "I do think you have many more good days than bad days."
"All of us need an attitude tune-up," said Lorje, who believes Gehl's message speaks to more than just bicycles and transit.
"Bicycles are the vehicles for his ideas. What I took away was the importance of making cities back into what they used to be, which is people places," Lorje said.
Public places enhance civic participation and improve quality of life, Gehl said. While it might be an option now, an impending energy crisis will force people to move closer together.
The ideas apply to all cities regardless of size, Gehl said. The urban design expert has worked as a consultant around the globe, in cities as small as Saskatoon and as big as New York City.
But he was asked how the attitudes of a "car-obsessed" population can be changed.
"They say that every place," Gehl said. "When you start to humanize the city, you hear no more."
"Even the businessmen can feel it in their turnover," he said. In Copenhagen, the number of sidewalk cafe seats has increased from zero to 7,000 in his time working there.
jstewart@sp.canwest.com
Copenhagen:
- Cyclists have special lights that turn green six seconds before traffic lights
- If cyclists travel 20 km/h, they hit a "green wave" and will not hit any red lights
- All taxi cabs must be equipped to carry two bicycles
- All trains must have space for bicycles and bicycle racks
- More cyclists enter the Copenhagen city centre every morning than cars
- Bicycle lanes can transport five times the number of people than car lanes
- Bike lanes are often placed on the inside of parked cars, with parked cars protecting cyclists
Saskatoon:
- This year, the city spent $30,000 painting bike lane signs on roads
- As of 2006, Saskatoon had the second-highest number of bicycle commuters per capita of any city in Canada
- $7 million in government funds will be dedicated to creating exclusive bicycle lanes, widening roads and accommodating bicycle lanes
© Copyright (c) The Star Phoenix
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Not all markings are positioned in the parking lane...
Proposed cycling network for downtown.
Source
An outdated city wide network plan (2003).
Source
As previously stated, the number one excuse for not investing in cycling infrastructure: winter.
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