From Alderman Richard Pootmans
Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for all of your support. It is a privilege to represent Ward 6 and Calgary at City Council. Since moving to Signal Hill this past spring, my wife and I have met our terrific neighbours and many residents throughout the Ward – especially along the pathway where we walk almost daily.
The Ward 6 office receives approximately 75 inquiries a day about City services, often related to development challenges, as the Ward is among the fastest growing areas in Calgary. Traffic and West LRT issues also generate a high degree of interest. To learn more about the key Topics of Interest affecting Ward 6, please visit the Ward 6 website.
Three themes have emerged from all of the emails and phone calls: snow removal, transportation and traffic, and public safety. In response, I have been active at City Hall working on the following issues:
Snow Removal
City Council has increased snow-clearing budgets and Administration has developed programs for significant efficiencies for faster service. The Snow Route priorities program is being pilot-tested this year, and I look forward to hearing your comments about it. You may also wish to sign up for the Snow Alerts notice for Snow Events by visiting Calgary.ca/snow. I am also working with the Roads Department to ease some parking issues within the Ward associated with the new Snow Route program. I hope to have these issues resolved this winter.
Transportation and Traffic
Specific traffic concerns in the Ward range from congestion and commuter challenges to unsafe driving behaviours and pedestrian safety. I will continue to partner with community associations and various City departments to keep accessibility and safety on our transportation networks a priority.
Traffic Flow and Infrastructure - In several neighbourhoods, traffic cutting through streets not planned for the heavier flow is causing safety concerns. I believe that if we remove the causes of this behaviour, we will resolve the problem. A major cause of short-cutting is that network or perimeter roads are increasingly congested. Highway 8, Bow Trail, Glenmore Trail, and Sarcee Trail can be particularly slow-moving. Once the West LRT construction is complete, key roadways are back to their alignments, and LRT service has started, these larger arteries will once again bear the traffic levels they were designed to, resulting in less traffic on the neighbourhood roads. In the meantime, I am working to find and implement alternatives.
To mitigate traffic congestion as we await the opening of the West LRT and the future SW Ring Road, I am working with the City Roads Department on a proposal to build a third lane on Highway 8 between 69 St and Sarcee Trail. The addition of a third lane will make lane reversal possible, with two lanes into the city core for the morning rush hour and then two lanes back in the afternoon. Surveying and drilling activities are underway to test potential impacts of the proposal. I anticipate a decision in 2012.
I believe that the City must also continue to build traffic infrastructure. There is a $3-4 billion deficit in plans for roads improvements, not including the cost of two more LRT lines, north and south, at a total projected cost of over $5 billion. In future Updates, I will discuss plans to work with senior levels of municipal and provincial government for infrastructure funding.
But continually investing billions of dollars is simply not sustainable. There are other solutions as well, which need to be implemented to ease traffic congestion. Calgary Economic Development and the City’s Corporate Properties Department are working with alternative workplace solutions programs. My favourite is WorkShift, with techniques to facilitate working from home or other locations. Even if only half of us did not commute just one day a week, traffic congestion would be noticeably reduced, and productivity and air quality would be improved!
Traffic and Pedestrian Safety - Traffic safety has been improved with new traffic lights at 69 Street and 26 Avenue/Sirocco Drive. Soon the City will be testing solar-powered crosswalk lights. I am hopeful that these units will work safely and effectively because, without the cost of delivering electric power service to each location, many more crosswalk lights can be installed, improving pedestrian safety within the Ward and across the city.
Residents from several communities have been concerned by the slow rate of burned out streetlight repair. In response, I initiated a Notice of Motion at City Council in October 2011 to address this issue. I then worked with City Administration and our service provider to develop new approaches and processes to improve service standards. For example, streetlight repair crews are now also working at night to identify burned out bulbs before you or your neighbours might notice. Already City Hall is tracking faster service response times, and we hope to clear the backlog within the next few months. With over 100,000 streetlights in the City, even with only 1% out, that is still over 1,000 lights to repair! This means that any improvement in service response times makes a significant impact on public safety.
Public Safety
West LRT - A number of residents along the West LRT route and near the 45 Street, Costello, and 69 Street stations have asked about safety measures. To ensure that all measures are being carefully planned, I have been meeting monthly with the West LRT team as well as community traffic committees. A very high quality level of service and security is being developed and I will keep you informed as the West LRT opening date approaches. (Service is expected to commence in March 2013. With a comprehensive new feeder bus system, the City anticipates about 45,000 rider trips a day, meaning 6,000 fewer cars every day on the downtown commute. For updates and information, visit WestLRT.ca.)
Calgary Police Service - Having participated vigorously in the budget discussions with Police Chief Hanson on the topic of crime prevention programs, I was a leading supporter of enhanced resources for these programs. Among many Calgary Police Service (CPS) initiatives, programs working with at-risk youth have contributed to lower crime rates. Youth crime dropped almost 25% over the five-year period between 2005 and 2010 – twice the rate of drop in adult crime – largely thanks to CPS’s focus on youth intervention. At-risk youth intervention has far-reaching, long-term impacts, meaning that in the future we will see the benefits of these youth intervention programs continue to unfold.
Community
Cell Towers - While we all appreciate and rely on the service that cell phone towers provide, they continue to generate health and aesthetic concerns. Because I am frustrated by the City’s lack of authority in regulating tower installations, I recently persuaded Council to approve my plan to work directly with leaders of the telecommunications industry to ensure that resident issues are resolved.
Community Outreach – I am planning two Open Houses in 2012 (dates and locations to be determined) after the success of the last one in October. I look forward to meeting with you.
Calgary Awards - Calgary Award nominations are now open until March 2. Please nominate a deserving individual, organization, or business for the following awards: Community Achievement, Environmental Achievement, Accessibility, and Signature (for bringing significant recognition to Calgary).
My Council Responsibilities
Council Responsibilities - In 2012 I have another full roster of Committee and Board assignments to continue to advance the interests of Ward 6 and Calgary at City Hall. These include being the newly elected Vice Chair of two key committees relevant for the Ward: the Council Standing Policy Committee on Land Use, Planning and Transportation and the Land and Asset Strategy Committee. Information on Council Committees and Boards can be found here.
Thank you very much!
Richard Pootmans
Alderman, Ward 6