A council committee rejected a key part of transportation planners’ bid to widen Macleod Trail to make it less hostile for bikes and pedestrians, revealing a persistent disagreement about how the corridor should function in 2050 and beyond.
After suburban councillors panned an earlier blueprint for a long-term overhaul of one of Calgary’s busiest arteries, officials downgraded plans to narrow travel lanes and lower Macleod’s speed limit.
But there is still a costly proposal to spend $20.6 million on land between Chinook Centre and Cemetery Hill to add wide pathways and green boulevards, and to spend more creating a pedestrian-friendly streetscape. Councillors rejected it 4-2 at committee Wednesday, and sent it to a full council meeting in June.
Coun. Peter Demong, who represents commuter neighbourhoods at the south end of Macleod, said he’s not necessarily opposed to improving the road’s public realm, making it more attractive to modern redevelopment, though he’s wary of the cost.
“I just want to make sure that while we’re doing it, we don’t forget that it is the major traffic artery for south Calgary,” he said.
The long-term upgrades would include a new traffic light at 34th Avenue S., which Demong didn’t like.
The committee’s decision followed a meandering debate that hopped from Macleod to Blackfoot Trail to Toronto — Calgary’s head of transportation likened Macleod’s potential to the massive, bustling Yonge Street — and even France.
“Turning Macleod Trail into Paris is not going to happen,” said Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra.
He would rather spend millions sprucing up community streets like Mission Road and Acadia Drive, in his ward.
Demong and other councillors have suggested keeping the options open to widen the street to handle more daily cars.
South of Glenmore Trail, the city has ample land, and councillors OK’d an interim plan to install pathways for walking and cycling along that stretch. Officials estimate the cost of pathways down to Anderson Road at $2 million to $4 million, but they have no project timeline.
Coun. Brian Pincott, who represents neighbourhoods along Macleod’s west side, said colleagues shouldn’t cling to the 1950s-style design of Macleod, a road dominated by strip malls and large-format shopping centres.
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