Keeping Our Streets Safe
I often hear from residents in Ward 12 that more needs to be done to keep Calgarians safe in residential areas. Calgarians have a right to feel safe in their communities. My office hears countless stories of motorists speeding through playground zones or driving recklessly in areas with high concentrations of children and pedestrians. Often these stories are close calls, but sometimes these situations end in tragedy.
Today a resident in Ward 12 told me a horrible story of a recent tragedy that occurred on his quiet residential street. This resident’s 11 year old daughter was out walking the family dog. As his daughter was crossing the street, the dog was struck and killed by a speeding motorist. The driver fled the scene.
This resident called the Calgary Police Service (CPS), who quickly responded. The Constable was very empathetic to the family and promised to follow up. Not only did the Constable find out who hit the family dog, he also showed up at the resident’s home the next morning to follow up. This level of care and attention reinforces the outstanding job that the CPS does.
Residential traffic concerns are a sensitive topic for many Calgarians. While many Calgarians feel that there needs to be more enforcement, it is often difficult to dedicate CPS resources to accommodate every community in Calgary. At Council on Monday I am introducing a Notion of Motion that will hopefully address this very serious issue. Here is a copy of my motion:
This Notice of Motion is about finding a solution to a problem. I believe that we can offer CPS some relief in residential traffic enforcement by taking a new approach. I am hopeful that my Notice of Motion will pass on Monday and we can start thinking about new ways to keep our residential streets safe.
