While controversy raged over a Bike Cochrane proposal to separate users to improve safety along the pathway running through Jim Uffelmann Memorial Park, the growing organization has several other projects in the works.

Among them are a bicycle rodeo, educational programs, a mountain bike trail, and ongoing collection of data to understand where infrastructure improvements are in highest demand.

Bike Cochrane was formed about two years ago with the mandate to improve the biking infrastructure and the biking culture in Cochrane for everyone from youth to seniors.

In 2020, it successfully completed the LaunchPad, the town's first bike park, in The Quarry behind the Garmin Building.

"That was completed with no public money investment. It was done with $100,000 of fundraising and in-kind donations to get that off the ground," explains Paul Perrault, the nonprofit's director of operations and chair of its active transportation committee.

A bicycle rodeo will double as the grand opening of this park this summer.

They're also working to establishing a first ride area, where youth can learn to ride and fix their bikes and are helping to facilitate RCMP bike safety courses.

Six months ago, its active transportation committee began studying the town's infrastructure for cycling by first examining the town's 2012 bike network plan, then gathering hard data. 

"From the data we do have, we saw a significant increase in cycling activity between 2019 and 2020. Obviously, there's been a lot of changes, the pandemic being the largest, but we're seeing increases between 20 per cent to as much 500 per cent on certain pathways."

Further data will be compiled this year.

"Now that we have our agreement with the town, this will allow us to start building up our traffic study through the balance of 2021. We'll also be doing more clipboard base, trying to analyze the number of walkers and the number of cyclists."

By examining such factors as distance, slopes, and frequent destinations, the data collected so far has pinpointed 10 projects, prioritized by the number of people assisted per $1,000 spent.

Perrault says these improvements will not only benefit cyclists. 

"I think it's important to recognize that any investment that we make in cycling infrastructure in multi modes of pathways helps not just cyclists, it helps runners, it helps walkers, it helps dog walkers, it helps people using wheelchairs and those with mobility issues. Bike Cochrane is the advocacy group advocating for better cycling infrastructure but it's also helping a lot of other people."

The Bow River pathway hit the top of the list by helping the most people per $1,000 spent. It's estimated to cost $62,100 and will benefit 471 people per $1,000 spent.

Number two is a protected cycle track on Railway St., followed by a new multi-use pathway on Griffin Rd., and shale path improvements in the Glenbow park.

Others follow, and they range in estimated costs from $62,1000 to $2 million, the highest being an Hwy. 22 underpass at RR 43, which is number nine on the list.

In addition, the fruit of the labour of its trail development committee is keenly anticipated.

That committee is working to develop the first official mountain bike trail.

"We've got a significant portion of our membership who are very excited about riding a mountain bike trail over their lunch hour, for instance, or being able to go for a ride in the morning without having to drive a half-hour, hour somewhere to do so."

Perrault says the organization is also looking forward to the completion of the Horse Creek Sports Park in the northwest corner of town.

"That's something Bike Cochrane came to the table both to help with the planning but also to show the need for increasing the number of trails in that space, so we're very excited to be part of that planning to bring that new sports park into development."

Perrault believes the use of bikes as a primary means of transportation is growing and is especially appealing to the active people attracted to Cochrane.

"Bikes are obviously a fun way to get around and they're a fun way to recreate, but for a lot of people they're actually the only way that they have to transport themselves to get around to grocery stores, take their kids to recreation activities and to move around."

He says data confirms there's a growing number of seniors using bicycles in their day-to-day life.