There’s an idea being floated by the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association (BNA) in Calgary about turning 17 Avenue SW into an open street, banning vehicular traffic on certain days, in 2025. It is more famously known as the Red Mile, a moniker it earned during the Calgary Flames 2004 Stanley Cup run, when crowds of 50,000-plus flooded the avenue after Flames games. It was a spontaneous event initially, but as the Flames progressed through the final round, word got out, people came and the avenue was closed to vehicles for several hours. .The avenue is the border between the Beltline area and the Lower Mount Royal neighbourhood and just four blocks north of Upper Mount Royal. It stretches from Stampede Park in the east to 14 Street in the west and is home to an eclectic selection of fine restaurants, fun watering holes and every type of retail you can imagine. In the middle is Tompkins Park, which in the spring and summer hosts a variety of entertainments that draw crowds on weekends. Most important, the avenue is a major public transportation route through the inner city that also sees between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles on weekdays, according to 2022 City of Calgary traffic counts. Closing 17 Avenue requires using commonsense, which seems to be uncommon in Calgary recently, such as the $87 million ‘climate emergency’ declared by then newly elected Mayor Jyoti Gondek, even before her Vote Jyoti signs were taken down. Or this year’s bungled single-use bylaw that was approved by council because... well, because other cities were doing it. Most recently, council defied democracy after the blanket zoning public hearings, going against the wishes of 75% of Calgarians and approving the bylaw, because... well, because the Liberal government dangled $228 million in their collective faces. On its website BNA says, “17 Avenue SW is one of Calgary’s most beloved main streets with hundreds of local businesses, great public spaces and lots of vibrancy. But with the growing popularity of 17 Avenue there are signs the street is not always functioning as great as it could be when we regularly experience overcrowded sidewalks, gridlocked traffic and excessive noise and air pollution from vehicles.” BNA outlines what it says are benefits to close 17 Avenue, including “a better local economy to support businesses through increased foot traffic, enhanced community well-being and safety and improved accessibility for everyone, including seniors, children and people with mobility challenges.” The association even makes note of other cities that have open street policies, including New York City, Montreal, Toronto and Denver, so Calgary should have an open street policy because... well, because other cities have one. Now, I’m not one to get in the way of people enjoying themselves, but if the benefits are written in such a way to make you feel guilty if you disagree with them, then I’m feeling guilty. What the BNA does not mention are the consequences. It is proposing to close the avenue from 4 street in the east to 11 street in the west, with all streets running north/south not closed to traffic, which means businesses on 17 Avenue not between these streets will not receive a benefit of increased foot traffic. And there’s the biggest problem: traffic. The Beltline has the highest residential density in Calgary, home to the most high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings; buildings that are not equipped to accommodate all the vehicles owned by the people living there, so street parking is a premium. The recent Lilac Festival, which closed 4 Street from 12 Avenue to Elbow Drive, created traffic havoc on nearby streets, with people parking as far south on Elbow Drive as 38 Avenue SW as well as on all streets in the Beltline and Lower Mount Royal, then walking to 4 Street. Those streets are slim and can be difficult to maneuver when they’re lined with parked vehicles. A residential parking sticker is required to park on them, which was ignored by people going to the Lilac festival. Closing 17 Avenue would create the same problems, on a larger scale, because it runs west/east. There is some irony the BNA wants to remedy overcrowded sidewalks and gridlocked streets by promoting an event that will create overcrowded sidewalks and gridlocked streets. (See above re: no commonsense.) Additionally, on the north/south ‘through’ streets, although still open, traffic will be backed up by people walking the avenue who are not likely to pay attention to walk/don’t walk lights. As mentioned, I’m not one to get in the way of people enjoying themselves, but closing 17 Avenue needs to be managed with commonsense, not novelty, in mind. It would create fewer problems if done only on weekends when commuters are not using it and then only on Sundays and not every summer Sunday. Preferably, it would be held only on long weekends, starting with the May long weekend, then Canada Day, then the August long weekend and then the Labour Day long weekend. Weather permitting, it could also include the Easter and Thanksgiving long weekends, perhaps as well as the two Sundays of Stampede The BNA has made a survey available for Calgarians to provide feedback.
There’s an idea being floated by the Beltline Neighbourhoods Association (BNA) in Calgary about turning 17 Avenue SW into an open street, banning vehicular traffic on certain days, in 2025. It is more famously known as the Red Mile, a moniker it earned during the Calgary Flames 2004 Stanley Cup run, when crowds of 50,000-plus flooded the avenue after Flames games. It was a spontaneous event initially, but as the Flames progressed through the final round, word got out, people came and the avenue was closed to vehicles for several hours. .The avenue is the border between the Beltline area and the Lower Mount Royal neighbourhood and just four blocks north of Upper Mount Royal. It stretches from Stampede Park in the east to 14 Street in the west and is home to an eclectic selection of fine restaurants, fun watering holes and every type of retail you can imagine. In the middle is Tompkins Park, which in the spring and summer hosts a variety of entertainments that draw crowds on weekends. Most important, the avenue is a major public transportation route through the inner city that also sees between 12,000 and 14,000 vehicles on weekdays, according to 2022 City of Calgary traffic counts. Closing 17 Avenue requires using commonsense, which seems to be uncommon in Calgary recently, such as the $87 million ‘climate emergency’ declared by then newly elected Mayor Jyoti Gondek, even before her Vote Jyoti signs were taken down. Or this year’s bungled single-use bylaw that was approved by council because... well, because other cities were doing it. Most recently, council defied democracy after the blanket zoning public hearings, going against the wishes of 75% of Calgarians and approving the bylaw, because... well, because the Liberal government dangled $228 million in their collective faces. On its website BNA says, “17 Avenue SW is one of Calgary’s most beloved main streets with hundreds of local businesses, great public spaces and lots of vibrancy. But with the growing popularity of 17 Avenue there are signs the street is not always functioning as great as it could be when we regularly experience overcrowded sidewalks, gridlocked traffic and excessive noise and air pollution from vehicles.” BNA outlines what it says are benefits to close 17 Avenue, including “a better local economy to support businesses through increased foot traffic, enhanced community well-being and safety and improved accessibility for everyone, including seniors, children and people with mobility challenges.” The association even makes note of other cities that have open street policies, including New York City, Montreal, Toronto and Denver, so Calgary should have an open street policy because... well, because other cities have one. Now, I’m not one to get in the way of people enjoying themselves, but if the benefits are written in such a way to make you feel guilty if you disagree with them, then I’m feeling guilty. What the BNA does not mention are the consequences. It is proposing to close the avenue from 4 street in the east to 11 street in the west, with all streets running north/south not closed to traffic, which means businesses on 17 Avenue not between these streets will not receive a benefit of increased foot traffic. And there’s the biggest problem: traffic. The Beltline has the highest residential density in Calgary, home to the most high-rise and low-rise apartment buildings; buildings that are not equipped to accommodate all the vehicles owned by the people living there, so street parking is a premium. The recent Lilac Festival, which closed 4 Street from 12 Avenue to Elbow Drive, created traffic havoc on nearby streets, with people parking as far south on Elbow Drive as 38 Avenue SW as well as on all streets in the Beltline and Lower Mount Royal, then walking to 4 Street. Those streets are slim and can be difficult to maneuver when they’re lined with parked vehicles. A residential parking sticker is required to park on them, which was ignored by people going to the Lilac festival. Closing 17 Avenue would create the same problems, on a larger scale, because it runs west/east. There is some irony the BNA wants to remedy overcrowded sidewalks and gridlocked streets by promoting an event that will create overcrowded sidewalks and gridlocked streets. (See above re: no commonsense.) Additionally, on the north/south ‘through’ streets, although still open, traffic will be backed up by people walking the avenue who are not likely to pay attention to walk/don’t walk lights. As mentioned, I’m not one to get in the way of people enjoying themselves, but closing 17 Avenue needs to be managed with commonsense, not novelty, in mind. It would create fewer problems if done only on weekends when commuters are not using it and then only on Sundays and not every summer Sunday. Preferably, it would be held only on long weekends, starting with the May long weekend, then Canada Day, then the August long weekend and then the Labour Day long weekend. Weather permitting, it could also include the Easter and Thanksgiving long weekends, perhaps as well as the two Sundays of Stampede The BNA has made a survey available for Calgarians to provide feedback.
