Crowchild Trail Improvement Discussion [Split from 130th ave thread]

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by tenyardrambo

great! now they can work on the crowchild/kensington overpass

Actually, there is a study happening right now regarding Crowchild between 24th NW and 17th SW. This is a corridor that the Mayor is keen to fix once and for all. There are a couple upcoming open houses on the study so far...

---

Crowchild Trail Corridor Study

The City of Calgary has hired and is working with ISL Engineering and Land Services and Stantec Consulting to conduct a long-term transportation study for the section of Crowchild Trail from 17 Avenue South to 24 Avenue North. The study provides recommendations for future roadway upgrades accommodating all modes of travel while maintaining connections to adjacent communities and amenities.

Public open houses are being held to provide citizens with the opportunity to learn more about the study and proposed future concepts for Crowchild Trail. The same information will be presented at both sessions.

The open houses will be held on:

Tuesday, November 13, 2012 - 5:00-8:00pm
Olympic Volunteer Centre, University of Calgary, Red and White Club
Free parking available on the east side of the building after 5:00pm

Thursday, November 15, 2012 - 5:00-8:00pm
Marda Loop Communities Association
3130 – 16 Street SW



The long-term Crowchild Trail Corridor Study will:

• Align Crowchild Trail with the Calgary Transportation Plan.
• Consider walking and cycling connections, Calgary Transit routing, community access, and access to the Centre City.
• Accommodate the Primary Transit Network and the Primary High Occupancy Vehicle Network with a feasibility study from Glenmore Trail S.W. to 16 Avenue N.W., connecting the Activity Centres of the University of Calgary/Foothills Medical Centre, Centre City, and Mount Royal University.
• Consider vehicle movement including goods and commuters.
• Consider appropriate street connections to Crowchild Trail as part of the Calgary Transportation Plan.
• Allow The City to more accurately evaluate proposed changes to the corridor in the future.
• Update the 1978 Crowchild Trail Transportation Plan.

Your attendance at this session and feedback regarding the proposed concepts for Crowchild Trail is appreciated. Feedback received will be considered in the final recommendations provided to the City.

For more information about the project visit www.calgary.ca/crowchild

[tenyardrambo]

I hope something comes of it. I know a guy who does permits for the City and he told me this Crowchild problem between 24 and 17 is touchy due to the fact that they may need to take down homes, or build a pricey overpass.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by tenyardrambo

I hope something comes of it. I know a guy who does permits for the City and he told me this Crowchild problem between 24 and 17 is touchy due to the fact that they may need to take down homes, or build a pricey overpass.

Something needs to be done and everyone knows it will be pricey but it needs to get done. Crowchild could be a great North-South Connector for the westside of this city but from Bow Trail exiting downtown to 24th ave in the north it's unbearable. The way it bottle necks over Bow and then the lights afterwards are brutal.

[Bigtime]

Should this project require any retaining walls I would like to put a suggestion in for giant concrete ducks/geese on them.

[bizaro86]

I can't make it to either of the meetings, but I have some comments.

From the Banff Trail Station ARP, it would be nice if this was a priority:

Policies:
3.1.2.1
The creation of an off ramp lane from 16
Avenue N.W. to Crowchild Trail N.W. to allow a
direct link for westbound traffic to move
northbound should be implemented as a high

priority infrastructure investment.

It would further be great if the off ramp mentioned above was designed for high vehicle throughput as opposed to trying to make motel village a walkable neighbourhood. Basically, not this:

3.1.4.6
The new off ramp lane (westbound 16 Avenue N.W. to northbound Crowchild Trail N.W.)
should provide a safe and comfortable pedestrian and bicycle crossing. The off ramp
lane should be designed for low automotive vehicle speeds.

Build a pedestrian bridge, and a ramp that can take all the traffic, including traffic from future growth.

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

I can't make it to either of the meetings, but I have some comments.

From the Banff Trail Station ARP, it would be nice if this was a priority:

It would further be great if the off ramp mentioned above was designed for high vehicle throughput as opposed to trying to make motel village a walkable neighbourhood. Basically, not this:

Build a pedestrian bridge, and a ramp that can take all the traffic, including traffic from future growth.

Good luck, this is going to turn into an excercise to determine how many bike lanes, HOV lanes, and transit dedicated lanes can be squeezed into the space with no regard for car traffic. Hell I bet when this is somehow all done we end up with less car lanes, with the excuse that by building all the other transporation alternatives it is supposed to aliviate car traffic from all the people who get out of their cars and into buses and on bikes.

[Tinordi]

If you build it, they will drive.

[Bigtime]

I know Bunk can elaborate on this, but attention MUST be paid to the pedestrian/alternative transport crowd around the motel village area. If plans come to fruition you will see a lot more people living in that area and providing them easy access to locations like the UofC, Foothills Hospital and North Hill mall should most definitely be part of the plan.

With how few lanes Crowchild is coming up to that area (2 opening up to 3), I just don't see how a prediction of even less lanes for cars can come to pass. That's just silly.

[Bigtime]

There were TOD feasibility and plans done up for that area. Including things like maximum densities, building heights, etc. I remember seeing the plans and even some scale models showing potential development of the entire area. This was at least 3-4 years ago.

[Tinordi]

I think that at the utmost, our policy objective should be to allow commuters from distant suburbs and exurbs to bisect established neighbourhoods to work at high speeds.

--Signed 1962

[Bertuzzied]

Best thing is to connect the 2 Sarcee trails by building a big ass bridge from Wildwood to Silver Springs.

[Jimmy Stang]

In is encouraging that this project is being looked at as a "corridor" rather than a bunch of separate projects. Fixing one area will just push the problems down the line. I can only see something like a Glenmore-Elbow-5th type of thing working (but much bigger) here, so I would expect a lot of digging, and lot of money spent, and many years of work once things get going.

[tenyardrambo]

Could the city shut down all roads that are perpendicular to Crowchild between the main rush hours?

[Suave]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

There were TOD feasibility and plans done up for that area. Including things like maximum densities, building heights, etc. I remember seeing the plans and even some scale models showing potential development of the entire area. This was at least 3-4 years ago.

http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Docum...tation-arp.pdf

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I know Bunk can elaborate on this, but attention MUST be paid to the pedestrian/alternative transport crowd around the motel village area. If plans come to fruition you will see a lot more people living in that area and providing them easy access to locations like the UofC, Foothills Hospital and North Hill mall should most definitely be part of the plan.

The C-train already services motel village, North Hill Mall and the U of C.

I think most are mocking the pedestrian/alternative idea with respect to the Bow/Crow/12th/Memorial bottleneck and the two lights planted right on top of it. Passing through that area at rush hour is the driving equivalent of passing a kidney stone.

As an aside, less focused on, and not much less important, is the god awful Glenmore-Crowchild interchange that is 80 in, 80 out and 30 in the middle. And that is only assuming no moron flying up the left lane to cut off traffic at the last second causes an accident.

With how few lanes Crowchild is coming up to that area (2 opening up to 3), I just don't see how a prediction of even less lanes for cars can come to pass. That's just silly.

We're talking about Crowchild Trail here. The one road where no idea is too silly to try.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

I know Bunk can elaborate on this, but attention MUST be paid to the pedestrian/alternative transport crowd around the motel village area. If plans come to fruition you will see a lot more people living in that area and providing them easy access to locations like the UofC, Foothills Hospital and North Hill mall should most definitely be part of the plan.

With how few lanes Crowchild is coming up to that area (2 opening up to 3), I just don't see how a prediction of even less lanes for cars can come to pass. That's just silly.

It doesn't look like those plans are comming to fruition to me. Two old motels are under construction right now, and I'm pretty sure neither of them are becoming mixed use.

I'm not opposed to having pedestrian bridges and the like, but crowchild is a major expressway, and should have free flowing lanes.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by tenyardrambo

Could the city shut down all roads that are perpendicular to Crowchild between the main rush hours?

So cut off entire neighborhoods of the city so that suburbanites can get 10 min home quicker... riiiight.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

So cut off entire neighborhoods of the city so that suburbanites can get 10 min home quicker... riiiight.

Suck it Tuscany and Royal Oakers!

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

So cut off entire neighborhoods of the city so that suburbanites can get 10 min home quicker... riiiight.

What about underpasses that go under Crowchild at Kensington Road and 5th Avenue but provide no access to or from the freeway? That might be a reasonable compromise, although Crowchild commuters would still benefit more than inner city residents/commuters. But at least E/W traffic wouldn't be completely blocked, although it would increase the traffic on Memorial as well.

[Erick Estrada]

It's a given that the overpass at Bow Trail is a mess but at least the overpass is there to expand on. Crowchild and 24th is going to be possibly more difficult because of the university traffic crossing.