Crescent Road master plan hopes to slow traffic down along popular Calgary road – Calgary

Changes could be coming to a scenic downtown stretch of Calgary roads that area residents say has become problematic.

Earlier this week, the City of Calgary released the Crescent Road Master Plan to address concerns that include street racing and loud late-night gatherings on the road that overlooks McHugh Bluff, the Bow River and downtown.

“This is late-night randomness,” Mike Macdonald told Global News. “At two o’clock in the morning, somebody will start their car up here, just run around or they’ll fight, or all these things happen and it’s random.”

The 35-year-old resident of Crescent Road NW placed CCTV cameras on his property to record some of the shenanigans, footage he shared with authorities.

And while Macdonald’s wife’s car was hit by an apparent street racer, he said the unpredictable nature of the nuisance made posting a police officer at the scene a waste of public resources. He would rather see stop signs.

The master plan proposes a variety of measures to calm traffic, including raised intersections, raised crosswalks and chicanes. The chicanes will add more turns through the straight sections of Crescent Road between Street 1 and Street 4 NW

“(Race and handicap) challenges cannot be fully addressed with infrastructure solutions alone, but infrastructure improvements can help mitigate some of these issues,” the plan states.

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Future of Calgary’s Crescent Heights road closure up in the air

“I know the community has asked for permanent closure of Crescent Road NW between Streets 1 and 2, and maybe even Street 3, thereby mitigating any cars coming through here,” Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said. “But you know, we can’t do that.”

The area councilor said the measures on the road have a specific outcome for drivers.

“You have to be really careful when you drive. (Elevated intersections and chicanes) are ways we can slow down traffic.”

The plan also outlines improvements for people who walk and use other active methods of getting around.

Gates adjacent to Crescent Heights Park would shut off vehicular traffic during special events, a proposal that appealed to Macdonald.

“I think it’s a fantastic idea: to be able to close the street and hold festivals and things like that, because this area belongs to all of us. It does not belong to me because I happened to live here,” he said.

Improvements to sidewalks and boulevards in the area, the addition of a multi-use path, and the development of amenity spaces and a grandstand are also part of the plan.

The road’s master plan is the result of rounds of virtual and in-person consultations with the Crescent Heights community, working with Indigenous community members and elders.

Alex Anastas, a resident of nearby Tuxedo, often comes down to the area for a walk with a view. He fears the changes will make it difficult for him and other Calgarians to enjoy the same.

“I think they’re taking an area that’s beautiful that all of Calgary should enjoy and they’re strangling it,” he said. “So it makes it difficult for other people to come here and sit down and enjoy the river and the views.”

The Crescent Road master plan is only a plan, the area councilor said. It has yet to be priced out and funding has not been committed, meaning road construction in the area is not imminent.

Wong acknowledged that there are ways to strengthen the planning document to help alleviate residents’ concerns.

“I think most people are happy with it. There is a general concern about how you stop the (misconduct) at night,” said the Ward 7 councillor.

“It’s a bigger response with more on the enforcement side, ensuring that our parking authority, our bylaw officers and Calgary police are regularly patrolling the area.”

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