Edmonton Stands Firm on Bike Lanes Despite Provincial Pressure

Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has confirmed the city will not abandon planned bike lanes in several north-side neighbourhoods, despite mounting pressure from the Alberta government.

The dispute follows a Monday meeting with Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, who has been reviewing cycling infrastructure projects opposed by local residents. Dreeshen has suggested legislation could give the province the authority to remove lanes altogether.

Sohi said the city is already bound by contracts for work on 132nd Avenue, Alberta Avenue, and in Delton, making any change impossible.

“I was very clear to the minister that we cannot make changes to existing contracts that we already have in place,” he told reporters, according to the CBC.

Dreeshen called the stance “disappointing,” arguing the city should have paused construction until consultations were complete. “The simple, easy path would have been for them to pause the construction so that if they were to be removed, you wouldn’t have to start from a completed project,” he said.

Residents opposed to the projects say their concerns have been dismissed. Jeremiah Rawling, who launched a petition in Delton, said neighbours were largely left out of the process. “If we had been consulted and the majority of residents in this neighbourhood had voiced that they wanted them, we wouldn’t be here,” he said.

The city points to consultations with more than 11,000 Edmontonians before adopting its 2020 Bike Plan, along with targeted outreach to households directly affected by access or landscaping changes.

Supporters say the network is long overdue. Karl Tracksdorf of Bike Edmonton said the routes were chosen with care. “It was obviously endorsed by voters in 2021,” he said, noting that lanes are being built away from high-traffic roads to reduce conflict.

The province is still weighing whether to require traffic impact assessments for future projects or to pursue legislation, despite a similar Ontario law being struck down in court last month.