A huge series of pathways may be in the works all around Calgary | Daily Hive

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Travelling between Calgary and its neighbouring communities could get a lot easier under a new pathways motion aiming to connect the region.

Ward 3 Councillor Andrew Yule is bringing forward the idea of reviewing a regional pathway network that could link Calgary with neighbouring communities.

The motion calls for the city to work with nearby municipalities to explore potential routes along the Nose Creek corridor toward Airdrie and the Bow River corridor toward Cochrane, aiming to revive historic trails while expanding opportunities for cycling, walking, and other active transport.

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“There are a lot of historic trails that ran through Calgary that I hope we can revive through a collaborative discussion with other municipalities,” Yule said when speaking with Daily Hive.

While serving as the president of the Nose Creek Preservation Society (NCPS), he did a lot of research on the Old North Trail, an ancient route that stretched from Alaska to Mexico and became the Calgary to Edmonton Wagon Trail, the precursor of today’s Deerfoot/QEII.

“It’s my hope we can create a pathway that runs parallel to these historic trails to connect Airdrie all the way down to the Confluence at the Bow River. Similarly, the Morley Trail ran out to Cochrane, and I am hopeful we can find ways to honour that trail as well,” Yule said.

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The Calgary region pathways aren’t just about history. Yule says it would fill gaps in Calgary’s current pathway network and give Calgarians more ways to get around.

“The Nose Creek Pathway does not go further north from Beddington Trail, and I hope this can help bring more connections for my communities. Also, how great would it be for people to be able to ride their bikes to CrossIron Mills Mall?”

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The idea for the motion isn’t new. Yule says that discussions about a pathway linking Calgary and Airdrie first came up when he was president of the NCPS and was working closely with former Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown and former Rocky View County Reeve Crystal Kissel.

“It was a time where partners of the CMRB were starting to talk about a pathway from Airdrie to Calgary. However, when the CMRB disbanded, those talks kind of disappeared.“

But Yule says with the help of Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who has been working to bring the region back together, a new volunteer Regional Roundtable has formed, allowing him to bring discussions about the pathways back.

While the idea is still in the early stages, Yule is hopeful that a project like this can get off the ground during his term. “I think a project like this will take multiple years, but I’m hopeful to get a good start on it in my term.”