Moving Forward Together: Building Equitable Mobility for All Saskatonians
Published in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix 12 Aug 2025
As our city continues to grow toward half a million residents, we face a fundamental question: what kind of community do we want to become? The conversations around transportation infrastructure often reveal deeper values about inclusion, dignity, and our collective commitment to ensuring every resident can move safely through our neighborhoods.
Discussions about active transportation in Saskatoon have tended to focus narrowly on cycling versus driving, but this misses the broader picture. The real issue isn’t about choosing sides in a transportation method debate, it’s about mobility justice, ensuring everyone, regardless of age, ability, income, or background, has safe and dignified options for getting around our city.
Research from across Canada demonstrates that equitable transportation systems strengthen entire communities. When we design streets that work for people walking with mobility aids, parents pushing strollers, teenagers heading to school, and workers commuting to employment areas, we create infrastructure that truly serves everyone. The evidence is clear: communities with diverse transportation options see improved public health outcomes, reduced household transportation costs, and stronger local economies.
Saskatoon’s Active Transportation Plan, recognized as exemplary among Canadian cities for its equity considerations, provides a roadmap for this inclusive approach. The plan acknowledges that well-designed infrastructure benefits all road users, not just those choosing active transportation. Protected bike lanes and neighbourhood bikeways with reduced speed limits create calmer streets where drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists can coexist more safely.
The dignity inherent in mobility choice cannot be understated. For many residents, including newcomers to Canada, people living on fixed incomes, those unable to drive, and youth under 16, cycling and walking aren’t lifestyle choices but essential transportation methods. When we invest in infrastructure that serves these community members, we demonstrate that every person’s need to move through their city matters.
Critics sometimes argue that cycling infrastructure only serves a privileged few, but research tells a different story. Data from Statistics Canada shows that bicycle use for transportation is distributed across diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Moreover, the average annual cost of operating a bicycle ($308) compared to a car ($8,220) means that quality cycling infrastructure provides an affordable transportation option precisely for those who need it most.
Our approach to transportation planning should be grounded in evidence and community engagement rather than assumptions about who uses different modes of travel. Successful cities prioritize what researchers call “all ages and abilities” design, infrastructure safe enough for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old. This isn’t about forcing anyone out of their car; it’s about creating options so that driving becomes a choice rather than a necessity.
The benefits extend beyond individual mobility. Studies consistently show that separated cycling infrastructure reduces traffic collisions and fatalities for all road users. Streets with protected bike lanes and traffic calming measures create safer environments for everyone, including vehicle drivers navigating more predictable roadways.
Moving forward, we must resist the temptation toward divisive rhetoric that pits different road users against each other. The most successful transportation initiatives emerge from recognition that we share common goals: safe streets, thriving neighborhoods, and accessible mobility options. When we approach these conversations with respect for different perspectives and needs, we create space for solutions that work for everyone.
Saskatoon has an opportunity to lead in creating transportation systems that reflect our values of inclusivity and community care. This means continuing to invest in sidewalks, cycling infrastructure, public transit, and streets that accommodate all users safely. It means recognizing that mobility is a matter of equity and dignity, fundamental to people’s ability to access employment, education, healthcare, and social connections.
As we build toward our future as a city of half a million, let’s choose to move forward together, creating transportation options that serve every member of our community with dignity and respect.
Gord Holtslander is board chair of Saskatoon Cycles.