Pathway and Bikeway Plan

The way Calgarians get around is changing. More people are choosing to walk, scoot, skateboard, or cycle for their daily commute to work or school, for errands and for fun. Calgarians and visitors alike celebrate and enjoy our pathway and bikeway network as a great way to be active and see our city. The 5A Network will be a city-wide mobility network consisting of off-street pathways and on-street bikeways.

The 5A Pathway and Bikeway Network was approved by Council on February 8, 2021 as part of the Calgary Transportation Plan bylaw.

The 5A Network Guiding Principles Report was approved by Council January 13, 2020. It is a companion document that outlines how to upgrade, build, and maintain pathways and bikeways to provide safe, accessible, affordable, year-round options for transportation and recreation for all Calgarians.

The Guiding Principles for building and maintaining the 5A Network are:

• Separate people by their speed
  Providing separation between people travelling at different speeds improves safety, predictability and comfort. Where appropriate, people will be separated to improve their experience travelling on the 5A Network.
• Improve visibility
  Lighting, signage and pavement markings encourage people to use public spaces and provides visibility on roadways, pathways and in parks. They help make people visible to each other, help identify hazards like water, ice, cracks and other debris along routes.
• Make it reliable
  Well-maintained pathways and bikeways will encourage more people to use them throughout the year, regardless of the weather conditions.
• Be accessible for everyone
  An accessible city benefits everyone. Accessible pathways and bikeways enable people of all abilities to travel around Calgary. Accessibility is improved by the removal of barriers that currently exist across the network. Barriers can be off-set gates, major roadways, waterways, steep hills and uneven surfaces. Reducing or removing these barriers improves accessibility.
• Make it easy to use
  Signs and pavement markings help people make decisions about their route and confirm they are heading in the right direction. Improved signage and wayfinding will help Calgarians get to community destinations.