The City has ignored its own policies for safe streets again

Residents in Hillhurst and West Hillhurst need our support to make sure the City of Calgary follows its own policies for expanding the protected cycle track (5A) network on 5th Ave NW, home to multiple schools, community centres and 1,000's of students.

5th Ave NW repaving without road safety improvements is a failure of the City of Calgary to follow their own policies and a failure of Ward 7 Councillor Wong to hold City Administration accountable. (Image source: Livewire Calgary)

After years of public engagement on the Kensington Area Improvements plan that found strong support for cycle tracks and street safety improvements on 5th Ave NW, the City has ignored their own stated policy to include bikeway improvements "whenever possible" with road repaving to "cost-effectively improve the roadway design."

This proposed new 5th Ave NW streetscape for (10 St NW to 16 St NW) from the Kensington Area Improvements study was ignored this summer when the City of Calgary repaved 5th Ave NW without any changes to the street design. (Image source: City of Calgary)

Hillhurst and West Hillhurst Community Associations ignored

Local volunteers on both the Hillhurst and West Hillhurst Community Associations have been ignored by the City of Calgary and local Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong.

The City of Calgary chose to ignore their own plans for protected cycle tracks and instead repave 5th Ave NW with the same painted bike lanes.

Does this look safe to you? Parents are forced to plead with the City of Calgary to follow their own policy and plans to make 5th Ave NW safer for local students and residents.

🚨Take Action: The kids need your help!

The Ward 7 Councillor and City Administration must hear from the community that this is a priority. A safe route to bike will provide the kids freedom and independence, it will lessen traffic caused by kids being driven, it will save parents time from driving and best of all kid’s physical and mental health will benefit from biking.

☎️ Log a 311 request

Choose “Road Planning and Upgrade – Future” as the Service Request Type and “Bike Route - ON STREET” as the nature of the request. Then in the description add “5 Ave and 6 Ave NW corridor needs a protected bike lane so that kids can get themselves to school safely.”