Submitted by Sunnyside Resident Timothy Schaefer
“You can’t cycle in the winter! Or so I’m told, repeatedly, by people who have never tried it!”
“Winter is a lazy excuse used by ignorant people to make the discussion of safe road infrastructure go away!”
These punchy lines are from the Not Just Bikes (NJB) YouTube video called “Why Canadians Can’t Bike in the Winter (but Finnish people can)”. The video explores the real reasons why people in Canada are so averse to biking in winter conditions, whereas people in Finland are not.
Have you ever tried cycling in the winter? Have you ever told someone that they can’t or shouldn’t do it without having tried it yourself? Why do Canadians view riding a bike in the winter as hard-core? Is it the cold temperatures?
As it turns out, the Finnish study cited in the NJB video report finds that cold temperature is not the reason people stop biking once winter sets in. Instead, there are two main reasons people choose not to bike in winter conditions:
1. Lack of a safe path/network with minimal vehicle interactions, and
2. Slow or poor removal of accumulated snow.
Cold is not a reason!
Photo: Winter biking in Calgary. Credit: @ThisMomBikes
Cold is not a reason because when people actually try it, wearing regular winter clothing, they find they warm up quickly and aren’t cold at all. Fun fact: In Oulu Finland, 50% of kids ride their bikes to school year round, and they only see slight ridership drop when the temperatures dip below -20C.
When you stop and think about “Safe Path/Network” (reason 1), it is the main barrier that prevents most people from cycling no matter the season. It's also why physically separated bike lanes (lanes protected from vehicle traffic) are considered the gold standard for inclusiveness across all ages, genders and other demographic factors.
The accumulation of snow (reason 2) and not the presence of snow makes sense too. Just as you may drive a vehicle in the snow, there comes a point when if there is too much accumulation it's no longer safe. This is especially true when dealing with hardened deep snow, windrows or slush; it becomes treacherous.
Interestingly when it comes to winter maintenance of bike paths in Oulu, Finland, they prefer to pack the snow instead of clearing it. Sunnyside Hillhurst residents will be familiar with this as it’s the identical strategy used on Calgary’s residential streets.
With those two main factors in mind, what’s it really like riding a bike in the winter in Hillhurst Sunnyside? To answer that question let’s check in with a couple people who regularly ride their bikes in the winter.
For years, Aaron Stayner has been commuting in all seasons from Sunnyside to his work in the North-East Calgary. When winter weather sets in, Aaron follows the Bow River Pathway East and then heads North on the Nose Creek pathway before taking the bridge across the Deerfoot into Vista heights. This route has entirely separated pathways until entering Vista Heights. From there it’s a short road ride with vehicle traffic.
Aaron’s path is almost entirely free of vehicle traffic, so he has a safe path. That aligns with the findings reported in the NJB video. The City of Calgary has also done better the past few winters prioritizing the clearing of snow from these pathways; another bonus.
Next, let's check in with Heather Feil who lives outside the Hillhurst Sunnyside area but cycles to Kensington often to enjoy it’s restaurants. She finds the neighbourhood’s quick access to the Bow River pathway an excellent safe connection for winter cycling. That said, when snow piles up on the streets in Kensington, with no protected lane from vehicle traffic, she finds it’s really not a safe space for cycling.
Clearly some room for improvement to be made in our neighbourhood to make riding a bike safer in the winter.
The good news for year round biking is the City continues to build out the network of separated bike pathways. The Kensington Area Streetscape and Public Realm Improvement initiative is a great opportunity on this front. As more protected bike lanes are built there will be more safe connections for residents and with that we will see more people riding their bikes and scooters year round.
Interested in learning more about riding a bike in the winter? Calgarian Tom Babin’s book “FrostBike” is an excellent read with both a local and a worldly perspective. Tom also has an excellent set of winter riding YouTube videos on his Shifter channel and of course there is the NJB video mentioned above. Here’s a QR code to view it:
