Cities have been implementing bike paths and protected bike lanes to provide safer environments for people cycling and to provide more comfortable spaces that can attract new cyclists to city streets. However, people with vision loss have raised concerns with the design of raised cycle tracks and the ability to navigate along and across them.

People with vision loss have noted difficulty in detecting the delineation between the accessible walking route and the cycle track whether they use a long white cane, feeling it underfoot, or with assistance from a guide dog. They also have concerns with crossing the raised cycle tracks to access bus stops. To address these accessibility issues and to continue delivering high-quality cycling facilities that provide safe travel options to Calgarians, our Martinson Golly team was retained to prepare a Design Bulletin to provide guidance on the design and construction of raised cycle tracks.

The development of the Design Bulletin included:

• Site visits with people with diverse abilities of existing infrastructure in Calgary that have noted accessibility issues

• Detailed review and summary of Design Guidelines and Standards for Canada, Alberta, and Calgary

• Review of industry and international best practices, emerging research, and laws, bylaws, and regulations

• Engagement with representatives of the Access Design Committee, including the development of scale LEGO models of three design options that participants could interact with and provide feedback on

Creating accessible, safe, and comfortable spaces for all users is what we strive for. Achieving it can be tricky. It requires careful and genuine engagement across the spectrum of abilities to build trust and consensus. If you are interested in how we do that, please reach out; we’d be happy to help!