There's been a growing movement in recent years toward expanding cycling and pedestrian pathways between neighbouring communities.
Last year, Airdrie City council held discussions about and eventually approved funding toward a feasibility study to determine the costs of installing a cycling pathway to Calgary.
Meanwhile, the Rotary Club of Cochrane and other organizations have taken their first steps toward the development of a pedestrian and cycling trail linking Cochrane to both Calgary and Canmore.
Now, we're seeing the same conversations emerge to the east of Calgary. Chestermere mayor Jeff Colvin recently initiated talks among the city's council to discuss the feasibility of a pathway linking the lakeside community to Langdon, approximately 20 kilometres away.
It's a great idea that our newsroom hopes will eventually come to fruition. The proximity between Chestermere and Langdon and the fact many residents already travel to and from either community for work, school, or recreational purposes means a pathway between the two would likely become a popular amenity.
As other communities in Alberta can attest, pathways that connect communities become highly used. The Legacy Trail between Canmore and Banff is essentially a tourist attraction – drive between the two mountain-side towns and you'll certainly see plenty of families cycling along the much-loved pathway that runs parallel to the Trans Canada Highway.
The Legacy Trail may be the most well known inter-municipal pathway in Alberta, but it's certainly not the only one. Southwest of Rocky View County, the three-kilometre Friendship Trail has been linking the nearby towns of Black Diamond and Turner Valley (which admittedly are going to amalgamate soon), for years.
Closer to home, the Meadowlark Trail between Beiseker and Irricana has been in development since 2019 and is finally nearing completion this summer or fall, after a few years of construction delays.
The ability to cycle from one municipality to another is a great opportunity, whether it be for work, school, recreation, or otherwise. We hope Chestermere and Langdon can get the ball rolling on this regional initiative.
