Aiming for Bare Minimum: Why Cycletrack Networks Are the Only Way Forward

[Pheidippides]

I hadn't quite formulated exactly whata minimum network is, but I think what you've written is excellent.

I do think that redundancy is not necessarily something I expect of a minimum network. It's a good quality to have, but cycling does have regular roads that it can fall back on. I also feel that where possible, the network should be on off-road trails.

For our household redundancy is a must. My wife usually rides to work 2 or 3 times per week from spring to fall, but did not ride to work once this year because of the work on the IHT. She simply did not feel comfortable taking the roads despite having taken a CAN-BIKE course.

Plus when we are out as a family it would be nice to have options for shorter, safe routes home when our son gets tired or the weather turns or our plans change so avoid a huge back tracking just to stay safe. Plus you explore more of your community when you are not on the old route all the time and have options.

I think there is a place for off-road trails, they are certainly convenient when they take the tangent/direct route across a city where a road does not go and they are enjoyable for their often nature-like settings, but there are no more places to build trails like that within the urban cores. Our cycling network is going to have to layered on to the existing transportation networks of other modes.