Opinion: As Calgary streets become more dangerous, why is Alberta making safer streets harder to get?
by Celia Lee and David Barrett
This year in Calgary, we are on track to surpass last year’s 11-year high in pedestrian deaths and injuries. Every one of these deaths is a tragedy.
Yet, we have come to accept serious injury and death as an unavoidable side-effect of getting around our city, making us slow to adopt the strategies we know make our roads safer.
Traffic deaths are not inevitable. Decades of research and experience have taught us a lot about how road design can reduce the risk of injury and death. Bike lanes are one of those tools. Where safe cycling infrastructure is present, we see fewer collisions, injuries and deaths, not only for people on bikes but for everyone using the road.