1. automotive and vehicles
2. cars

BELTLINE
PEDESTRIAN
STRATEGY
3/17/15
A Beltline Communities Whitepaper by Beltline
Transportation Committee
beltline pedestrian strategy
beltline pedestrian strategy
A B E L T L I N E C O M M U N I T I E S W H I T E PA P E R B Y B E L T L I N E
T R A N S P O R TAT I O N C O M M I T T E E
INTRODUCTION
Everyone is a pedestrian at some point in their day. Whether it be walking to the bus stop,
going out for lunch, getting from a parked car to your destination or to work, walking is ubiquitous.
Despite the fact that walking is an integral part of our daily lives, we have not always invested the
required time or resources to ensure that walking is a safe, enjoyable, and viable way to get around.
Perhaps this is because it is so universal it is seemingly something we don't even need to think about.
Marginalizing this most basic and human mode of transportation has led to a city that makes walking
much more difficult than using a car. This has led to major problems in the way Calgary functions.
Even in Beltline which was built when walking was our primary mode, we have allowed motor vehicles
to usurp pedestrians.
Recent events highlight the results of automobile focused planning and design. Pedestrian
death and injury is a growing part of life in urban Calgary. In 2014, there had already been 4
pedestrian fatalities by March. There were even more non-fatality collisions. Beltliners are insisting
that the carnage stop. Something more must be done. Rather than scolding pedestrians, we must
address the safety of all on our city streets. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable and hence require
the most societal protection. Beltline, the community where more people can and do walk more often
should be the focus of better pedestrian facilities. Forty percent of Beltline residents walk as their
primary mode of transportation. Improvements to pedestrian safety are required.
The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP) adopt an
upside down pyramid of transportation priorities-with pedestrians on the top, bicyclists next, followed
by transit riders and high occupancy vehicles, and finally single occupancy vehicles. This is meant to
put pedestrians top of mind in all decisions. However, the CTP policy has not been systematically put
into practice. Pedestrian facilities are almost never given the resources needed.
Beltline Communities looks forward to working with the City of Calgary on an effective
pedestrian strategy. It is crucial to understand that pedestrian requirements within Centre City are
substantively different from other areas of Calgary. Beltline presents unique opportunities and
challenges which must be reflected in any strong pedestrian policy. A one-size-fits-all solution will not
work for Calgary, and it is imperative that investment in pedestrian infrastructure be commensurate
with the population density and character of the area.
Beltline Communities audited pedestrian infrastructure in the community. Substandard
conditions were found to be widespread. Melbourne criteria were used and a map of the audit was
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produced. Additionally a report was created around Beltline’s sidewalk infrastructure but not
including intersections and road design. The pedestrian audit map and the Beltline Pedestrian Report
can be found online. This report will further elaborate the work previously completed by Beltline
Communities.
While some improvements have been made to the pedestrian realm since the Beltline
Pedestrian audit, there is still a long way to go to improve both safety and the pedestrian
experience. Problems identified by the Beltline Transportation Committee (BTC) as well as solutions
follow.
ISSUES
Safety, Current Perceptions, and Attitudes Towards Solutions
Every day, pedestrians in Beltline experience close calls with motorists. The bulk of pedestrian
incidents occur in the Centre City. In order to encourage future high density growth and development
in Beltline, pedestrian safety must be substantively addressed.
Pedestrian Accidents – Centered in the Beltline and Centre City from @DustinRJay
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Pedestrian Accidents – Beltline Communities from @DustinRJay
Creating a comprehensive Pedestrian Strategy for Beltline should place pedestrian safety at
its core. The CTP places top priority on pedestrians and all trips begin and end as pedestrian across
the city. In Beltline, there is often nothing in between.
Complete Streets are possible when multi-modal planning works
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The prevailing attitude when discussing
pedestrian safety tends to focus on the need for
pedestrians to be careful. News reports after collisions
where pedestrians have been hit, whether they are at
fault or not, focus on the behavior of the pedestrian.
The common narrative is that, as the pedestrian has the
most to lose, the onus should be on them. Beltline
Communities encourages the City of Calgary to work
on changing that attitude and focusing instead on
driver education. Drivers in cars and trucks have the
power, and therefore the responsibility to ensure they
are alert, going at a safe speed, aware of what is
going on around them, and are cautious and courteous.
In recent decades, comprehensive public
education campaigns such as the Vision Zero Initiative
in Sweden, the Netherlands, New York and several
other US cities have taken hold and been very
successful. Vision Zero should be implemented in
Calgary. Early returns from the multitude of cities that have committed to Vision Zero show that the
culture and perceptions around pedestrian safety have changed. Pedestrian fatalities and injuries
have plummeted as well.
Aggressive Driving
Driving in an urban environment requires a different mindset than driving in the suburbs or on
the highway. Strict adherence to the ‘rules of the road’ alone is not always sufficient or safe. For
example, impeded sightlines at an intersection may require a driver to stop not once, but twice: once
at the stop line and once farther forward to get a full view.
In Beltline’s narrow streets
especially, drivers must slow and be
courteous to other drivers, moving out
of the way when necessary to avoid
collisions. This fosters a more pleasant
and safe street environment. Although
Beltline recognizes its unique role as a
transportation access point to downtown for many Calgarians, it is also a community with over 20
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000 residents, who heavily use and rely on the sidewalks and streets. Commuters should understand
that delays may occur as they are driving through a complex urban community.
There needs to be public education through the media and avenues such as the Report to
Calgarians to educate citizens about the need for courtesy instead of rule-based aggressive driving.
Driving in Beltline or the Centre City should be different than on highways or in suburban communities.
Although both pedestrians and drivers must be aware and careful, the onus falls on the motorist to
ensure that they are aware of their surroundings, driving courteously, watching for pedestrians and
following the rules of the road, although not blindly.
Lack of Investment
The MDP, CTP, Centre City Mobility Plan, and the existing Pedestrian Policy, deal in some part
with the need to improve and invest in pedestrian infrastructure. Many attractive solutions are
identified in these plans. However, these are not implemented in most cases. The current paradigm is
to piggyback infrastructure improvements onto new developments. As new developments are built,
developers are often tasked with funding and constructing the adjacent infrastructure. As a result,
improvements are made in a patchwork fashion, with portions upgraded and the rest left
dilapidated. It would be better to provide dedicated funds to systematically improve pedestrian
facilities and to properly create workable urban streets. This is especially true in Beltline due to
redevelopment being spread over time and being geographically noncontiguous.
Budgets and timelines need to be attached to the goals and desired outcomes of the
Pedestrian Strategy. All other public transportation and land use projects should have money
allocated to pedestrian infrastructure. Improvements to pedestrian facilities are low cost and have a
high value of return in Beltline, where they are used heavily.
Warrant System for Intersection Controls
The City's warrant system for intersection controls is a complaint and incident driven approach
to assessing the need for controls at intersections. The criteria for assessing intersections and possible
controls is not clearly laid out to the public. If it is deemed that controls of some sort are warranted,
then the intersection is put on a list for future controls when budget allows.
The one-off nature of the warrant system has led to an inconsistent application of intersection
controls in Beltline. For example, when walking along one of the Avenues, a pedestrian can come
across every type of traffic control as they arrive at each cross-street intersection, from 4-way stops,
to 2-way stops running north-south, 2-way stops running east-west, pedestrian on-demand lights, or
full traffic signals. This inconsistency is problematic for both drivers and pedestrians as one cannot
predict what kind of intersection controls will be present at each corner. Inconsistency of controls
together with limited sightlines and narrow streets cause confusion for all users.
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The warrant system has its merits. However, due to the high pedestrian and vehicular traffic
volumes combined with the intersection density in Beltline, a proactive and holistic rather than a
reactive and ad-hoc approach is desirable.
As in the warrant system, the types of streets, traffic flow, pedestrian flow, history of collisions,
and community feedback all have to be considered in intersection design. However, this should not
be done in isolation and the chief guiding principle should be a community-wide, multi-modal plan
for Beltline that considers infrastructure such as cycle tracks, bus only lanes, etc.
Systematic Design
Speed
Many collisions or close calls between pedestrians and automobiles can be attributed to
speed. Although the speed limit on most streets in Beltline is 50 km per hour, it is often unsafe to go at
that speed. Intersections and roads often have a design speed different from the speed limit. Design
speed is a useful tool to encourage drivers to slow down and pay attention to pedestrians.
A design speed -- especially for residential streets within Beltline – should not be more than
40 km per hour. Lower design speeds can be realized and made more apparent through measures
such as ensuring that parking is present on both sides of the streets, narrowing driving lanes,
increasing sidewalk width, installing curb bulbs, that all intersections have clear painted lines and that
these lines are renewed as necessary, using different materials for intersections, and “filling the box”
to paint entire intersections. For very busy intersections, scramble crosswalks should be explored. At
corners with little space for pedestrians to gather, investigate allowing more space (using curb bulbs
as one option) and reducing the curb radii to slow the speed of turning vehicles. Proactive
enforcement of speed limits and driving with caution can also be effective.
High Radius, Sweeping Corners
High radius sweeping corners encourage
high speed turns. They also encourage drivers to
pay more attention to cars than pedestrians. By
contrast, sharper corners work better in a high
density urban grid network. They cause vehicles to
slow down in order to make their turn. This makes
for a safer and more comfortable pedestrian
environment.
11 Ave & 7 St SW – large, sweeping corner radii
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Curb Extensions
Curb extensions shorten the pedestrian crossing distance
at intersections. They also improve pedestrian visibility.
Combined with low radius corners, curb extensions produce an
enhanced pedestrian environment. There are currently not
enough of these in Beltline.
Curb extensions could be applied to some intersections in
Beltline such as at the residential 13th, 14th and 15th Avenues as
they intersect with the secondary main streets of 11th, 8th, 5th, 4th,
1st Streets West, etc.
Sample of intersection with curb bulb outs to increase visibility and shorten pedestrian
crossing distance.
Lack of Enforcement
There are often no appreciable legal consequences to a motorist when pedestrians are hit.
The default assumption of fault lies with the driver in collisions, however enforcement does not always
reflect this. In Calgary, the practical consequences for hitting pedestrians is too lenient. Enforcement
efforts seldom focus on correcting driver behaviour before collisions happen.
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Enforcement must also key in on driver inattention and irresponsibility. Being distracted or the
sun being in the driver’s eyes must no longer be an acceptable defense. The onus should be on
motorists to ensure that there is nothing impeding their ability to drive safely or to be aware of their
surroundings, including the presence of pedestrians.
In conjunction with public education on these topics, proactive enforcement of driving with due
care and attention in Beltline would be a positive addition to a pedestrian strategy.
Quality of Infrastructure
In Beltline there are many places with crumbling sidewalks, cluttered corners, narrow sidewalks
and substandard corners at intersections. There is even a lack of sidewalks in some places. Lighting is
also inadequate or absent in many areas.
Disappearing sidewalk on 10th Avenue
There must be a plan to
replace crumbling and inadequate
infrastructure. As previously noted, budgets must
be tied to particular goals, including replacing
and improving infrastructure. The current review
of street light designs and equipment should
consider the need for adequate lighting at
intersections and at pedestrian-level, especially
in Beltline. Where existing plans are in place to
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An example of good pedestrian infrastructure in Beltline
beltline pedestrian strategy
improve infrastructure, such as the 8th Street Corridor plan and especially the pedestrian
underpasses, resources should be prioritized to complete the work required.
Lack of Pedestrian Permeability
Within Beltline, there are several corners where pedestrians are forced to cross on just one
side of the road using “crosswalk closed” gates. These should be removed. These barriers were
generally put into place where there was high
traffic volume, to ensure traffic did not get backed
up due to pedestrian movements. The current
system forces individuals to cross three times
instead of once to go straight towards a
destination. This is unacceptable in a city where we
claim that pedestrians have the highest priority in
our transportation system.
Our city is changing and as more and more
people walk in their daily lives especially in
Beltline, and where traffic volumes in downtown
Corner of 8 St & 14 Ave SW
Calgary are actually decreasing, it is important to
wiwith Cr
understand that pedestrians need access to all corners at all intersections. As an example of volumes,
the 8th Street Corridor plan indicates that on 8th Street, 40% of volume is pedestrian and 60% is all
other modes.
Signal Timing
Most intersection signals are timed, where possible, to maximize vehicle movement. While it is
important to minimize congestion and travel times for commuters and commercial traffic, it causes
thousands of Calgarians who walk to and from Beltline every day to be stranded, waiting for signals
to change on every corner, especially while walking north-south. If one stands on any Beltline street
which goes under the CP Rail tracks, you can see long lights on the avenues while cars flow through,
and many pedestrians wait on the corners, often with little space, and do so at every street on their
walk home. This adds extra time, frustration and crowding to their commute. The congestion of
pedestrian spaces is rarely considered in traffic operations and planning.
Sophisticated timing systems, which allow for prioritizing pedestrian traffic when pedestrians
are present, exist in other jurisdictions and should be investigated for use in Beltline. With existing
systems, studies should be done of pedestrian and vehicle traffic to identify where pedestrians are
getting backlogged and where vehicles have too high a priority in signal timing. Signals should be
optimized for movement of pedestrians through the Centre City and Beltline.
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Signage
Especially on one way streets and avenues, the street
signage is oriented for vehicles and vehicles alone. If one is
walking east on a west-bound one way street, it is often
impossible to tell which intersection you are approaching as the
street signs are behind you at a level conducive to being visible
from a vehicle and not at all as a pedestrian.
Street signage and other visual cues should be made with
the pedestrian in mind and to their scale. This makes for a more
welcoming and navigable neighbourhood.
Pedestrian and Cyclist Interactions
As the rates of cycling in the Centre City increase, and the
Cycle Track pilot is awaited, more and more conflict can be seen
between cyclists and pedestrians on sidewalks and at corners. As
it may be unsafe for cyclists on many streets, they will often ride on the sidewalk, leading to
increased discomfort and danger for pedestrians. Although cyclists are not going as fast as cars,
collisions can still be a serious problem for both pedestrians and cyclists.
As the Cycle Track pilot is
initiated, pedestrians should be
considered at every stage and care
should be taken to minimize pedestrian
and bicycle conflict, such as ensuring that
marked crosswalks extend across bike
lanes and signaling is optimized for
pedestrians, then bicycles. Intersection
design should carefully take into account
the needs of all modes of travel,
especially pedestrians, bikes, transit, and
then personal vehicles.
17 Ave SW
In other cities, when cycle tracks
have been implemented, increased conflict has sometimes been seen at intersections. We must watch
and mitigate against this to ensure that it does not become a problem.
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Disabled Pedestrians
While there are accessibility guidelines
available for designing sidewalks and intersections
for those with mobility challenges, there is a lack of
investment and proactivity in improving and creating
such facilities. There are many parts of the Centre
City and Beltline which can pose real barriers to the
mobility of those with disabilities. Examples exist at
the narrow and cluttered intersections of 5th Street
West and 17th Avenue, as well as at 1st Street West
and 10th Avenue, among many others. Cross slopes
and large grade changes at intersections, combined with snow and ice buildup pose large
navigability challenges for the disabled and able-bodied alike.
As much as possible universal, barrier free design should be used so that disabled individuals
are able to traverse the city with minimal difficulty. When designing for the most vulnerable, you are
making a space that is good for all.
Construction Detours
The existing rules regarding
construction detours and closures of
sidewalks and pedestrian paths does not
adequately protect right of way
infrastructure and desire lines for
pedestrians throughout construction.
Sidewalks are seemingly closed too early
and for too long alongside construction
sites, with poor detour options provided,
or none at all. Sidewalks have also
mysteriously been kept closed for months
alongside dormant construction sites in
Beltline. This level of care and attention for the pedestrian realm is substandard.
Priorities should be set to ensure that pedestrians are given every opportunity to walk in the
city. Where possible, routes should remain open for pedestrians during all stages of construction in
the Centre City and the Beltline, understanding that there will be costs involved, and that it will not
always be feasible. Beltline Communities feels that more can be done to keep a pedestrian right of
way open.
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The City should work to co-ordinate the detours
associated with public and private construction sites located
within a close proximity to one another so as to not have
several sidewalk closures within a few blocks. Sidewalk closures
should also be minimized and pedestrian detours be put in
place adjacent to the closure whenever possible. If closures
must be imposed, signage with details of detour options needs
to be clearly posted, with enough lead-in distance in all
directions so that pedestrians can easily alter their route before
they arrive at the site of the closure.
Snow Removal
Snow removal in Beltline is substandard for the following
reasons:
Poorly marked construction zone on
17 Ave SW with no pedestrian
detour, credit: Greg McCarthy
-
A major problem with snow is the piling of plowed snow
from roads onto sidewalks and vice versa.
-
The buildup of snow and ice, particularly at curbs at
intersections makes them impassable for even healthy and agile pedestrians, let alone those in
wheelchairs, people with strollers, the elderly, etc.
-
The freeze/thaw cycle causes a buildup of ice in many areas, which can make them
treacherous for pedestrians.
These problems are acutely felt in
Beltline due to the high number of people
who walk as their primary mode of
transportation.
The Centre City snow removal
plan should be emulated in Beltline to
ensure that all sidewalks and intersections
remain clear of snow and ice, allowing
for safe pedestrian connectivity year
round.
10 Ave SW
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City Hall Silos
Silos at the City must be addressed. For example, the Centre City Transit Plan was considered
and studied separate from the Cycle Track pilot and the Pedestrian Strategy, which will all impact
each other. The vision of Complete Streets put forward by the City cannot be achieved without all
areas working together and breaking out of siloed thinking. Poor outcomes for safety will result from
weak coordination across groups responsible for pedestrians, cycling, transit, roads and land use.
These groups must be brought together to work toward solutions to come from the Pedestrian
Strategy. The multi-modal vision for Beltline will not be achieved without breaking through silos at
City Hall.
CONCLUSION
Due to the state of infrastructure, the low practical prioritization of the pedestrian, and the
spate of pedestrian related motor vehicle crashes, the feeling of safety and security as a pedestrian
in the Beltline is low. The pleasure taken in walking in our city is diminished by the lack of priority
given to walking and the lack of implementation on the existing plans and initiatives for pedestrians
and a healthy, multi-modal transportation system.
Beltline Communities and the Beltline Transportation Committee look forward to working with
the City of Calgary Pedestrian Strategy team to craft a pedestrian plan that takes into account the
unique circumstances and opportunities of Beltline. It is imperative that the Pedestrian Strategy has
clear goals and outcomes, tied to resources with which to make the vision a reality.
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