Okotoks eyes regional pathway to Calgary

Getting from Okotoks, Alta., to Calgary can be a hairy ride for those on two wheels — but with momentum in the region, the town is hoping to speed up conversations to make those trips safer.

The town has voted unanimously to start a conversation with its neighbours to seriously consider a regional pathway that would connect walkers and bikers between Calgary and Okotoks, inspired by similar conversations in Airdrie, Alta.

Okotoks resident Jason Yanota brought up the idea in a council presentation at the end of May.

He's been biking the highways since he was a teen but said it's always been uncomfortable.

With new riders discovering pathways and roads in Okotoks during the pandemic, he said it's time to change the experience and make it safer. 

In April, Airdrie began reaching out to its regional neighbours to kick off pathway conversations.

A Calgary resident had come to Airdrie city council with an idea, cost estimates and proposed a pathway alignment that got council excited.

Yanota said he wanted to build on that momentum in Okotoks, striking while the iron is hot.

Pandemic bike boom means more interested 

"People are starting to realize what kind of range you can achieve on a bicycle," Yanota said.

"To visit local communities around Calgary, like Airdrie, Okotoks, Cochrane, it's a feasible trip for most people that have been riding the bicycle regularly, even just weekend riders."

After his presentation, Okotoks council unanimously voted to send the idea to town administrators for further action.

Now, Okotoks is looking to its neighbours in Foothills, Black Diamond and Turner Valley, hoping to come up with a plan. Eventually, the goal is to bring the idea to the Calgary Metropolitan Regional Board for a broad look.

"Okotoks is kind of initiating the conversation with our municipal neighbours," said Matt Rockley, the town's deputy mayor. "I think that this really is an emerging transportation choice for inter-municipal travel." 

E-bikes make distances seem short

One of the big drivers both Yanota and Rockley see behind renewed regional pathway interest is the dawn of the electric bicycle. In a sense, it's made the distance between Calgary, Okotoks and other regional municipalities shrink.

With a pathway between Calgary and Okotoks, Rockley said he could imagine families or casual cyclists hitting the road. It's a conversation that's come up before.

"It would be a challenge for me to ride to Calgary and back on a pathway," Rockley said. "I have no fears about jumping on an e-assisted bike and making that trip."

From town to the city's edge, Rockley estimates a pathway would stretch approximately 18 kilometres.

While that distance wouldn't get a rider into the downtown core, cyclists commuting could connect to Calgary's pathway system, or take the CTrain and other transit.