Business owners in the 3400 block of 26 Ave. S.W. in Killarney are upset that the city plans to remove all parking from 17 blocks of 26th Avenue S.W. in order to install barricaded bike lanes on both sides of the street and impact that removing parking will have on local business in the community in Calgary on May 12, 2026. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

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Some residents in the southwest neighbourhood of Killarney are questioning a city project aimed at improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

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Construction along 26th Avenue S.W. has begun at an estimated cost of $15.2 million.

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The area will soon have protected bike lanes and multi-use pathways on either side of the road, improved intersection accessibility and new street lights.

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Devin Dreeshen, Alberta transportation minister, said in 2025 that Calgary and Edmonton city councils need to understand that bike lanes should not take over driving lanes.

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The motivation behind this idea came during the Ontario provincial government’s legal battle regarding the constitutional obligation to regulate the use of roads in any particular manner.

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At the time, an Ontario judge ruled the law would be unconstitutional and lead to increased risks of harm or death. Three appeal court judges ruled Friday that this law has no constitutional obligations and the Ford government can remove bike lanes as they see fit.

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But Killarney resident Bob Berry, an avid cyclist, doesn’t see the need for the project on 26th Avenue S.W.

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Avid cyclist Bob Berry at 14 St and 25 Ave SW in Calgary on August 10, 2026. Berry is questioning the city plan to build a new bike lane on 26 Ave SW. Jim Wells/Postmedia

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“I’ve seen it happening in other parts of the town, and I’m fed up with it,” said Berry. “I see no statistics, nothing that says this stuff should be done.

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“And I think there’s a group down there (at city hall) that’s just going street to street and doing it because they want to.”

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Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said in 2025 that Calgary and Edmonton city councils cannot allow bike lanes to take over driving lanes.

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In 2026, Dreeshen has repeatedly said he’s interested in introducing new legislation in the fall to remove existing bike lanes and prevent new ones from being built.

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Cyclists have recently been raising concerns about the province’s new online portal to submit complaints about bike lanes. The portal offers the option to submit a concern about an individual bike lane, but there are no positive options offered.

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The latest statistics from 2023 regarding bicycle collisions show an increase in fatalities during the evening rush hour from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. As well, it’s recorded that cyclists were more likely to disobey traffic laws at uncontrolled intersections.

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But as someone who cycles 26th Avenue S.W. three to four times a week, Berry is struggling to understand why these changes are needed, since there have been no previous community calls for bolstered safety measures.

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“The people here don’t even think our feedback matters anymore,” said Berry. “People out here have said, nobody’s calling us back, nobody cares and nobody will come out.

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“It just doesn’t matter.”