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Edmonton’s rapid expansion of its active transportation network could be moving in a different direction as the city considers a modified approach for bike routes that have not yet been built.
City administration is now recommending changes to how the remaining routes are delivered, citing growing community concerns, construction challenges and expected changes to Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act.
Those discussions will be taking place at an Infrastructure committee meeting on Wednesday.
Council approved $100 million in the 2023-26 capital budget to rapidly expand Edmonton’s active transportation network.
According to the report, the program has delivered about 35 kilometres of new active transportation routes in 2024 and 2025, with another 24 kilometres expected to be completed in 2026.
Under the proposed approach, routes that have already started construction would continue.
Routes that do not require changes to travel lanes or parking could also move ahead.
However, more complex projects — particularly those requiring significant changes to existing streets — could be re-evaluated for alternative designs and their budget implications.
The city says it has received more than 1,000 email and phone inquiries about the active transportation program since 2023.
According to the report, only about two per cent of those inquiries represented positive public sentiment.
Residents have raised concerns about parking removal, changes to traffic patterns and impacts on established neighbourhoods.
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The city says building new bike infrastructure in existing neighbourhoods can require significant trade-offs because streets already have space allocated for vehicle lanes, parking, sidewalks, trees, boulevards, utilities and street lighting.
As a result, adding a new route can require changes elsewhere.
Potential trade-offs identified by the city include parking restrictions, changes to lane widths, changes to travel patterns, removal of vehicle or parking lanes and, in some cases, tree removals.
Mayor Andrew Knack says administration has the authority to make some changes, but the direction from city council is to proceed with the project, so he questions the report.
“Frankly, I’m actually not sure what purpose this report actually serves because council has been clear about direction and admin already has things within their delegated authority, which in turn addresses a lot of what I heard from the minister, which is thoughtfulness behind every installation,” Knack told reporters Tuesday.
Another factor is expected provincial legislation.
The Alberta government has indicated it expects to introduce changes to the Traffic Safety Act later in 2026 that could affect municipal authority over bike lanes.
The city says those changes could significantly affect both current and planned routes.
Earlier this month, Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said he supports bike lanes in appropriate locations, but does not want projects to remove parking or limit driving capacity.
He has also said the planned legislation could result in some existing bike lanes being removed, although exactly which routes could be affected has not yet been determined.
“It will embolden us as a government to continue on and to make sure bike lane legislation slated for next fall strikes the right balance,” Dreeshen previously told Global News.
Global News reached out to the Transportation Ministry regarding the city’s report and is awaiting a response.
The city says weather conditions during the 2026 construction season are creating additional challenges.
For routes where construction has not yet started, administration says postponing work until 2027 would be more realistic than beginning projects that could remain incomplete going into winter.
The city is not proposing to abandon active transportation expansion.
Instead, administration says the experience from the current program — including construction challenges, community feedback and potential provincial legislative changes — should be considered as Edmonton plans its next phase of investment.
Future budget implications and priorities will be considered as part of the 2027-30 capital budget process.
Knack hopes Dreeshen is willing to work on other issues, too.
“I hope the minister, like I’ve said many times, at the end of the day I think we are spending a lot of time on this when I really want to make sure we spend time on improving safety on our streets,” Knack said.
“I want to make sure we’re improving our goods, people’s movements and corridors, and working with the minister on things that matter to the vast majority of Edmontonians. I worry this is taking up a lot of oxygen.”
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