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Municipal News
By Anne Burke
Traffic counts were
requested at the four entrance locations to Ranchlands and were
taken in October 2008. Then the results will be compared with
traffic data to be gathered following the opening of the Crowfoot
LRT Station, to see if there have been any significant traffic flow
changes. The request was made after submitting a list of potential
shortcutting issue locations. Of course, any traffic mitigation
suggestions would have to be approved by the community before
implementation.
There was a
complaint regarding safety at a crosswalk in Ranchlands. This is at
the intersection of Ranchlands Boulevard and Ranchlands Way NW. The
cross walk there is “not clearly marked.” There are school buses
which drop children off on Ranchlands Boulevard on the other side of
the road. The concerns are that their children are crossing a very
busy road and the school buses do not always put their stop signs
out. It was reported that a dog was hit in the intersection; a child
had a very close call with a car. Further, that there are frequent
accidents occurring on the Boulevard at the entrance to the
Ranchlands Shopping Village and at Nose Hill and Ranchlands
Boulevard. Some residents were looking to see if flashing lights
could be placed at that crosswalk to ensure the safety of their
children in Ranchlands. If this is something that the city can
consider or help to put in place, it would be greatly appreciated.
The response came
through the Alderman’s office from the city. A pedestrian and
vehicle count was performed at the intersection of Ranchlands
Boulevard and Ranchlands Way NW in April of 2006. Analysis of this
data and the other factors considered in pedestrian corridor warrant
studies yielded a warrant score of 16 points, which is below the 80
point minimum score needed for a corridor to be considered as
warranted. Accordingly, they are unable to recommend the
installation of a pedestrian corridor (flashing pedestrian lights)
at this location. The count is two years old. However, this is an
established area and they don’t believe that an updated count would
yield a much different result.
A further request
was made to explore what options the community may have to address
this problem, of the Boulevard as a whole, whether installing pillow
bumps at various locations or putting in raised crosswalks to slow
the vehicles The Traffic Engineering Division of Roads will
undertake a study, because it is “probably more expedient to deal
with this particular item as an operational issue rather than a
traffic calming issue.”
Development Permits
were issued in Ranchlands at 83 Ranchridge Way NW (R-C2) Relaxation:
single detached dwelling (existing) building setback from property
line; deck (existing) projection into rear and side setback area.
DP2008-2976 404 Ranchridge Bay NW (R-C2) Relaxation for a single
detached dwelling, (existing) for building setback from side
property line (DP2008-3225).
The Summer Program
Stats are in! Ranchlands had 91 for Stay’N Play, 189 for Park N
Play, up 4%, compared with 51 and 222 in 2007. Hawkwood was up 35%
and Edgeburn Lane down 58%. A 10th anniversary gala was
planned for October 17 at the Telus Convention Centre for the Youth
Justice Society. The evening was opened by Calgary’s Police Chief
Rick Hanson and featured a video presentation Moment to Shine.
Constable Roy Moe, formerly our Community Liaison Officer for
District 7-4, was mentioned in “Calgary Youth Justice Society
Celebrates 10th Anniversary”, by Pamela McDowell,
Neighbours, October 16, 2008, Sec NA, p. 4. Constable Moe has
29 years of service as a police officer. He states: “They really
need to be dealt with by a caring adult in their community. Police
enforce safety, but the community creates it.” These caring adults
may be neighbours and community members, beyond a child’s parents
and teachers. This is a volunteer group which matches troubled youth
with community service work. Denise Blair, CYJS Executive Director,
states: “Youth are far more influenced by the fact that people from
their own community care about them and have taken the time to help
them succeed.” In 1998, when the society was formed, nine youth
justice committees were operating in 36 Calgary communities. The
society’s support and development has helped the program grow to 14
communities working with youth in over 140 communities. What was not
mentioned is that Ranchlands was a founding member of the Society
and still participates in the program. Contact: Anne Marie at
403-670-5412. For more information, check out
www.calgaryyouthjustice.com or call 403-261-9861.
City Council
Meetings go on line at www.calgary.ca (Calgary Herald,
October 7, 2008). Roy Kuhnlein, the city’s manager of information
security and privacy said anyone can now watch council meetings by
going to the city’s website. “This just keeps it accessible to as
many people as possible.” City meetings used to be available on
television through a regular cable package with Shaw Communications,
but the company later moved the channel 94, so it was available only
to people with a digital box. The city is also looking at putting
committee meetings on line. The cost of the streaming is hard to
measure, Kuhnlein said, because the city is charged for every user
who logs on.
The four Policy
Committees, in operations and environment; finance; transportation;
and community services meet once a month and the public are welcome
to speak at them. City Council meets three Mondays a month at 9:30
a.m. at City hall. Two are regular Council meetings, where the
issues from the four policy committees are discussed; the other is a
Public Hearing, where only planning matters are dealt with. Some
Council Meetings are combined and Public Hearings are for citizens
to speak directly to Council. Agendas are on line and available at
the meetings.
Breaking
News
The Calgary
Police District 7 Community Liaison is now Constable Denise McPhee,
replacing Constable Roy Moe, who has been redeployed. The contact
number is the same at 403-567-6700
There was a
Crowfoot C-Train Station Community Consultation Committee (CCC)
meeting, on October 8, 2008, at Scenic Acres Community Association
Boardroom.
On the agenda
were: Welcome and Review Meeting notes from 23 April, 2008; 2)
Parking; 3) Construction Update (schedule, fencing, bus gate); and
4) Wrap up/Next Meeting. According to representatives from the
City’s Roads Department, Ranchlands is not an immediately adjacent
community to the Crowfoot LRT Station and will not automatically
receive Priority Parking (at this time). Rather, once the station
opens, the situation will be reassessed, and then any parking issues
will be addressed. Arbour Lake already has their priority parking
zone approved and Scenic Acres is applying at the October SPC on
Land Use, Planning and Transportation (LPT) for theirs. Any change
in overflow or restrictions in residential parking must be approved
by bylaw through City Council, then by petition. For short-cutting
through our community, Transportation Infrastructure (TI), through
Traffic Engineering, will compile existing traffic flow statistics,
do a traffic count on other untested streets, and then re-test our
roads after the LRT Station opens in 2009. Any suggested traffic
mitigation must be approved by the community, before implementation.
Landscaping may take until spring. The concrete pad for the bus
loop on the north side has been laid. A Rider’s Guide for new bus
schedules will be available, once the LRT opens, and a newsletter
delivered to our homes. Parking will be at a premium for Crowfoot
businesses, with the LRT and the redevelopment of the Crowfoot
Centre.
C-Train Update
Crowfoot Station
·
Stairs are complete including granite finishing.
·
Escalators and elevators are undergoing commissioning and testing.
·
Installation of the curtain wall (the outer shell of the building
that provides the steel frame for the glass panels) is nearing
completion, as is glass panel installation.
·
Interior finishing in the enclosure is ongoing, including electrical
and mechanical work, drywall, painting, and granite installation.
South Park and Ride
·
Paving and concrete work (curb and gutter and sidewalks)
are complete.
·
Bus gate installation is ongoing.
·
The majority of landscaping within the Park and Ride is complete.
The remaining landscaping outside the screening fence will be
completed in spring.
·
Site furnishings (signage, bus shelters, benches, lighting) remain
to be completed.
North Park and Ride
·
Crowfoot Circle re-opened to traffic in late November.
·
Structural steel (framing and roofing) for the heated bus shelter is
complete.
·
Sidewalks, landscaping and site furnishings remain.
Pedestrian and Crowfoot Connector Bridges
·
With the exception of railing installation on the north half of the
pedestrian bridge, both the pedestrian and Connector bridges are
complete.
Crowchild Trail
·
The current traffic configuration will remain in place until the
Stoney Trail interchange opens in 2009.
·
Final paving on Crowchild Trail will be completed in summer 2009.
Landscaping, Fencing, and Watergrove noise wall
·
Vinyl panel installation for the screening fence around the south
Park and Ride is nearing completion.
·
Sound wall construction for the Watergrove Mobile Home Park is
expected to begin in late 2008. |
