Calgary,
02
May
2019
|
13:28
America/Denver

We can all help drive change: The City of Calgary recognizes May as Traffic Safety Month

As the weather begins to warm and more pedestrians and cyclists use our roads once again, The City of Calgary has declared May Traffic Safety Month. Citizens are reminded through our 2019 traffic safety campaign to pause and reflect on the role they play in keeping our roads safe – we can all help drive change.

“There were nearly 38,000 collisions on our roadways in 2017, 11 with fatalities,” says Tony Churchill, Leader of Traffic Safety. “A lot of these collisions are preventable with small changes; by slowing down and paying attention while driving, cycling and walking.”

The City of Calgary is committed to improving traffic safety through the Calgary Safer Mobility Plan, and by using advanced data and analytics to help curb the number of injury collisions that occur on our transportation network.

In addition, a number of traffic safety initiatives are currently aimed at reducing the number of injury-related collisions on Calgary’s roads. The programs include rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crosswalks, traffic calming curbs, initiatives aimed at residential speed limits, as well as education around playground and construction zone safety.

“In the recent years, we’ve made great strides in improving Calgary's traffic safety record,” says Churchill. “But the facts affect us all – no one wants to see their family or friends become a statistic. Let’s work together to bring the number of fatalities on our roads down to zero.”

The City of Calgary is also excited to announce that it will be co-hosting the 2019 Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals (CARSP) Conference, May 26-29, at Hotel Arts. The conference will bring together various professionals from across North America all with the goal of making our roads safer.

The theme of the conference is Vision Zero, a traffic safety program built on the belief that traffic-related deaths and injuries are preventable and we should all strive to have ZERO. The concept that got its roots in Sweden, where the approach has resulted in noteworthy successes – Sweden has one of the lowest rates of road deaths in the world. Visit the CARSP webpage for more details.

Citizens are encouraged to inform themselves of some of The City’s traffic safety programs, by visiting Calgary.ca/trafficsafety.