The City of Calgary is looking for input on the future of Crescent Road in the city’s northwest.
A popular spot for running, graduation photos and having lunch, Crescent Heights residents also say it comes with noise, garbage, speeding and crime.
“You’ve got loud music until all hours of the night,” said Stephen Marando on Saturday. “People are lighting fireworks and when I went up to them and said this is a residential neighbourhood, what are you doing? They said: it is? We have drug deals going on and we have people drinking,”
Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said that some residents are now raising concerns and are wondering if two recent homicides near 16 Avenue N.W. could be linked to criminals using the popular gathering spot.
“The community is obviously concerned about the shootings and whether or not there was any correlation to people hanging around doing nefarious things on Crescent Road,” Wong said.
On Saturday the city hosted an engagement session on a new master plan for Crescent Road.
Options include changing it to one way traffic, narrowing the road, removing some parking and including gates that would be used to close the road.
“One of the questions we are asking is preferences around the length of a temporary closure,” said Katherine Glowacz, a transportation planner with the City of Calgary. “All three options propose the use of gates. So the road could be closed perhaps for hosting events, food trucks or just even if it’s a great summer weekend to be able to have more space to walk and wheel.”
An adaptive lane has been added and during the past two summers, a section of the road has been closed.
Marando supports a road closure but says rumbles strips, better lighting, and more enforcement would help too.
“We want people to come here. We want people to enjoy the area whether it’s pedestrians, bicyclists, people exercising. What we don’t want to continue to happen is the chaos,” Marando said.
“By closing it down, eventually those people that are abusing the area stop coming to the area.”
Coun. Wong said it’s all about balancing the needs of residents while maintaining access for all Calgarians.
“The question is, what degree of exposure do we provide that doesn’t impinge on the quiet enjoyment and safety of the residents there. So the question is how can we configure it still as an accessible space, but a space that is safe,” the area councillor said.
A report on the master plan is expected to go to council this summer.
The project will not be making a blanket recommendation to close the road or keep it open. According to the city’s website, “the design options being explored have the possibility of integrating gates for shorter-duration closures along the stretch of road immediately adjacent to Crescent Heights Park.”