Safety

Replacement of 14th St W Pedestrian Bridge @ 7 Ave N with an At-Grade Crossing (July 1, 2020 to August 31, 2020)

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14 Street & 7 Ave NW Intersection Upgrades & Pedestrian Bridge Closure

Notice from the City of Calgary | June 2020 

This message is to inform surrounding Community Associations that The City of Calgary will be making upgrades to improve accessibility for pedestrians crossing 14 Street N.W. at 7 Avenue N.W.

The pedestrian bridge that crosses over 14 Street N.W. at 7 Ave. N.W. has reached the end of its service life and needs to be closed and demolished. Due to space and budget limitations and issues with traffic striking the bridge on occasion, the decision has been made to not replace the overpass bridge. Instead, an at-grade crossing, that is accessible to all users, will be installed at this location during the Summer of 2020.

To improve safety and consistency along the corridor for all road users, the speed limit on 14 Street N.W. from 8 Avenue to 20 Avenue N.W. will also be permanently reduced to 50 km/h from 60 km/h.

As this is a popular crossing spot for students coming and going from Hillhurst School, The City has committed to having the new at-grade in place for the 2020/21 school year which is expected to begin in September 2020.

Currently, with COVID-19 restrictions in place and schools closed, there is relatively low pedestrian traffic and motor vehicle traffic in the area. However, the decision has been made to keep the pedestrian bridge open and in-use until the at-grade crossing is complete.

Timeline

This project will begin on July 1, 2020 with completion on or before August 30, 2020.

  • Early July – Signal work and speed limit reduction signage placed
  • Early July to late August – Construction of at-grade crossing
  • Mid-August – Removal of pedestrian bridge

Traffic impacts

  • Permanent speed limit reduction along 14 Street to 50 km/h
  • Rotating lane closures throughout the project
  • Full road closure (overnight) for demolition of the pedestrian bridge

If you require further information or have questions about the proposed timeline, please contact Charmaine Buhler, Manager of Bridge Maintenance at The City of Calgary, atCharmaine.Buhler@calgary.ca.

Community Crime Prevention

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Community Safety Meeting just prior to the November 20th AGM. Based on the turnout, it is clear crime and safety is a major concern for residents of Hounsfield Heights and Briar Hill and this was a good first step in coming together as a community to fight the issues affecting our neighbourhood. Some of the issues brought forward include safety in Lion’s Park and around the LRT station and mall, a lack of lighting, intoxicated people in the park and at the playground, found needles and general theft.

The HH-BH Community Association is creating a Safety Committee to look further into these issues and is actively recruiting members from the community to sit on the committee. Please contact Michelle LeGrandeur or Jason Scratch at community.safety@hh-bh.ca to find out how you can help.

In the meantime, there are a few steps we can all take to protect ourselves and our community:

– Get to know your neighbours and look out for each other

– Make sure your outside lights are working

– Lock your doors

– REPORT, REPORT, REPORT – the more calls police get, the more resources will come our way.

So how do you do that?

9-1-1: If you believe that anyone’s safety is in jeopardy and/or if you see a violent or criminal situation occurring.

Calgary Police Services Non-emergency Line (403) 266-1234: If for any reason you feel that the situation would be better dealt with by the police but there are no threats to anyone’s safety. Police will attend on a lesser priority response time and address the situation.

Alpha House – DOAP Team (403) 998-7388 (Operates 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. (22 hours/day; 7 days a week): If you observe individuals who appears to be intoxicated, loitering, trespassing, or sleeping in an area that they should not be but otherwise appear peaceful and not aggressive.

 If you find a NEEDLE:

In January 2019, Alpha House launched their Needle Response Team that can be reached at 403-796-5334 or needle@alphahousecalgary.com. The needle response team will respond to needles on public and private property Monday-Friday 0800-1800.

Calgary Fire Department continues to respond to needle debris on public property or needles that pose safety risk on private property (school yards and playgrounds). Calgary Fire Department can be contacted by calling 9-1-1 or the non-emergency line at 403-264-1022.

Crime Stoppers if you want to remain anonymous: 1-800-222-8477

Please pass on to any neighbours!

 

Traffic Concerns

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Traffic Concerns:  Do you have a concern about traffic in our community?  Your community association can assist you in an application for a community traffic study as outlined in Section 3.1.1 of The City of Calgary’s Traffic Calming Policy.  Contact us if you are you submitting an application and need Community Association support.  

Start here by reading More information on Traffic Calming

Applying for a community traffic study:  Communities are encouraged to undertake activities listed in The City of Calgary's Traffic Calming Policy before applying for a community traffic study. These activities below can be very helpful in addressing traffic concerns.

Community traffic study application process

After reviewing the information in the Traffic Calming Policy, if you would like to apply for a community traffic study, you must complete the Traffic Issue Reporting Form, found in the appendix of the Traffic Calming Policy, and submit it to Transportation Planning.

Please note that in order for the form submission to be considered complete, you will need to collect signatures from your community association, councillor, police, and from members of your community, as a minimum level of support from the community needs to be demonstrated as outlined in Section 3.1.1 of the policy. We also encourage you to undertake the community initiatives listed above and outlined in Section 3.3 of the policy.

Contact Community Transportation

To report a community traffic concern or to apply for a community traffic study, please complete the following online form.