7.3 MOBILITY 7.3.1 OBJECTIVES I) To encourage walking, cycling, and transit; II) To create “complete streets” where users can live, work, shop, and socialize in the area; III) To discourage through-traffic within the Sunalta community and protect residents from high traffic volumes; IV) To develop public spaces which accommodate all types of travel and do not exclude those with disabilities; V) To produce a safe environment where users are comfortable to explore methods of travel apart from the private automobile; VI) To enhance the connection between West Village and Sunalta as well as their connections to surrounding communities; and, VII) To ensure the communities are accessible by emergency, service, and delivery vehicles. 7.3.2 DEFINITIONS: Complete Streets: streets where the needs of all users (all ages, all income levels, all levels of physical ability) have been considered in its planning and design. Liveable Streets: a destination in itself as well as a route to travel which balances the needs of abutters and travellers and gives priority to the pedestrian and the cyclist. Neighbourhood Boulevard: streets that support mixeduse retail and medium-density residential uses with pedestrians and cyclists being of highest priority. These streets are destinations for the local communities surrounding them. 7.3.3 POLICIES AND IMPLEMENTATION I) Give priority to the pedestrian over the automobile on liveable and local streets: • Encourage on-street parking to create a buffer between automobiles and pedestrians as well as to slow down the pace of moving traffic; • Reduce street widths to decrease the pace of moving traffic and increase the sense of safety felt by pedestrians and cyclists; • Increase the width of sidewalks to allow for comfortable travel by pedestrians; • Plant street-side trees to reduce the visual width of the roadways in an effort to reduce the pace of moving traffic; II) Plan for the extension of 17 Street SW north into the West Village community; • discourage the use of the extension of 17th Street SW for through traffic by limiting the hours it is accessible by the private automobile; 16 Gateway Connected
III) Convert 10 Avenue SW into a neighbourhood boulevard; • Increase the width of sidewalks; • Remodel the parallel parking into perpendicular parking; • Provide sidewalk furniture such as benches, bicycle racks, and bus shelters; • Implement bicycle lanes between the on-street parking and sidewalks; IV) Build a pedestrian and cyclist bridge from 19 Street NW, north of the Bow River, to West Plaza, south of the Bow River. V) Alter Bow Trail SW into a slower pace, pedestrian friendly feeder road to the downtown area • Move west-bound Bow Trail SW approximately 150 metres south to free up space beside the river for public space • Build sidewalks along Bow Trail SW • Build two-way bike paths between 17 Street SW and 15 Street SW along west-bound Bow Trail • Incorporate three traffic lights along Bow Trail SW to slow the pace of moving traffic and ultimately discourage its use as well to increase the sense of safety felt by pedestrians VI) Make 16 Street SW the main north-south path for pedestrian travel • Increase the width of sidewalks VII) Make 17 Street SW the main north-south path for bicycle travel from 10 Avenue SW to the Bow River Implement bike lanes on each side of the street VIII) Extend a pedestrian only path of travel from the pedestrian bridge from the Sunalta LRT station to West Plaza, south of the Bow River • Add a traffic light to allow pedestrians to cross west-bound Bow Trail SW IX) Move bus route 31 from 16 Street SW to 17 Street SW in West Village X) Convert the on-street bike paths on 15 Street SW to bike lanes • Bike lanes will be implemented between the onstreet parking and sidewalks where currently there is approximately 2 meters of grassed space XI) Leave 14 Street southwest as a main transportation route between north and south Calgary • Sidewalks will be widened as redevelopment occurs along the west side of 14 street southwest and the building setbacks are increased