Ok…Calgary’s grid transportation system for roads..means that drivers want to go fast and they do go at a clip. Downtown has several wide 4-5 line, 1-way streets for cars…intimidating for pedestrians and cyclists. Nowhere downtown are there pedestrian-cyclist activated traffic lights. They can’t have them because the street level transit trains demand very different traffic management and timing in relation to the car road traffic. I wish we had more of a subway system.

Also quiet downtown on these wide roads, during non peak rush hrs. Believe me, Calgary’s downtown rush hr. is puny compared to Toronto’s rush hr. which I did work downtown in that big city also and cycled around.

Yes, the air is cleaner here but keep in mind, even in the summer, the prairie air is drier and not as humid. Therefore pollutants wouldn’t hang in longer. That’s all.

My partner, who did live in Calgary for 2 yrs. before he retired (and then we moved to Vancouver. He is a well-known cycling advocate in Vancouver), also worked for an oil firm his whole career has been critical of the oil industry in certain processing practices. Gas flaring which results in sour gas, still goes on outside of Calgary. Not good for the air. It’s a pollutant.

For cyclists in Calgary, it’s a struggle to get permanent, good and safe cycling infrastructure outside of its pathway park system. I’m intrigued that Calgary for whatever reason is vaunted here in this article. Why not choose, Red Deer, Alberta or Thunder Bay, Ontario? I’m just drawing city names out of a hat now.