August 2022 Newsletter

Hello Ward 6!

I hope you have enjoyed your summer. In the August edition of the newsletter you will read about road improvements, find an interactive pot hole map, see the City’s mowing schedules and much more.

Back to School Reminders

September is always a busy month for everyone and sometimes being in a rush to get back into routine is top of mind. To help citizens as they return to their regular schedules after the summer, a map is available that shows the location of construction projects, road closures, traffic incidents and traffic cameras within Calgary. The information in the Traffic Information map can help you plan your route and find alternative routes if needed. It is located at https://maps.calgary.ca/TrafficInformation/. To view more City of Calgary maps, please visit the Map Gallery at https://maps.calgary.ca/.

Here are also some gentle reminders of a few safety precautions for safe travel to school for you and your children. 

Driving Your Child to School

• Always stay alert by avoiding distracted driving
• Obey school zone speed limits and follow your school's drop-off procedure
• Make eye contact with children who are crossing the street
• Never pass a bus loading or unloading children
• The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children; stop far enough back to allow them to safely enter and exit the bus

Walkers

• Walk on the sidewalk. If none is available, walk on the shoulder of the road, facing the traffic
• Before you cross the street, stop, and look left, right and left again to see if cars are coming
• Make eye contact with drivers before crossing and always cross streets at crosswalks or intersections
• Stay alert and avoid distracted walking

Bike Riders

• Ride on the right side of the road, with traffic, and in a single file
• Come to a complete stop before crossing the street; walk bikes across the street
• Stay alert and avoid distracted riding
• Make sure your child always wears a properly fitted helmet, and bright clothing always helps them be visible to drivers

Bus Riders

• Teach your children to stand 6 feet (or three giant steps) away from the curb
• If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, teach them that they and the bus driver should always be able to see each other

Fire Safety

Earlier this month we unfortunately had a few homes affected by fire. Please make sure that you install, maintain and test your fire alarms to ensure the safety of you and your family. For more fire safety equipment information, you can visit https://www.calgary.ca/csps/fire/safety-tips/fire-safety-equipment.html

Ward 6 Road Improvements

The Mobility department (formerly known as Roads) has been very busy this summer improving many roads and adding safety measures. Thank you to those of you who have contacted 311 and our Ward 6 office to bring some of these issues to our attention.

Calgary Pothole Map

Did you know that the City of Calgary has a pothole map on our website? This map shows the potholes that have been reported, inspected and repaired in Calgary. To help us reduce duplicate requests, you can check the map to see if we already have a pothole repair request for the location that concerns you. The map is updated regularly with current data. Please note this map is live as of Aug. 30, 2021 and does not reflect all reported potholes in Calgary as data continues to be updated.

Pothole status map information

• Submitted Requests
  • These are new requests that have been reported through 311 or found through field inspections and added to the Pothole Status Map.
• Inspected
  • The City of Calgary has completed the inspection process for these requests to determine the priority of repair and crews will undertake future work to finish the repair. Click on the symbol to see the associated priority.
• Pothole Repairs
  • These locations show completed repairs. Crews may repair several potholes at a location. Click on the symbol to see comments on the approximate number of potholes repaired. Repairs can be filtered on the map to show all repairs or a specific time period.

Check the map: https://maps.calgary.ca/potholes/

Mowing Schedule

Mowing along major roadways is done four times, over four scheduled mowing cycles, beginning in the Spring and ending in the Fall. The boulevard mowing program is divided into three areas that encompass the annual mowing program. Please note that mowing within City parks, along some residential roads and sports fields is coordinated by Calgary Parks. See more info at https://www.calgary.ca/roads/maintenance/boulevard-mowing.html

Here are the major roadways in Ward 6:

Foxtail Barley

As you walk around the City you have probably encountered the plant known as foxtails, which can be a hazard for pets. Foxtails are a native species and are unfortunately not classified as a noxious weed by the province. Typically, we see an abundance of foxtails where there is active construction, as the construction activity disturbs the seed banks. Parks & Open Spaces confirm that that this stabilizes over time when construction is complete and other vegetation takes over (typically turf). Developers can ensure foxtails are mitigated on their land through proper landscaping maintenance.

In terms of what you can do as a community, foxtails have short fibrous roots, making hand pulling of the weeds very effective. Residents may also begin to mow before the seeds set (May – June) to mitigate seeding from occurring in the later months of summer.

The next best thing residents can do is to call or submit an online request to 311 if they see foxtails so the Parks team is aware of where they are an influx of foxtails.

Bobcat Sightings

Bobcat sightings have increased in Ward 6 this year. Here are a few things to know if you encounter a bobcat, and some precautions you can take.

What to do if you encounter a bobcat in your area in the city:

• Bobcats are opportunistic hunters. Keep cats indoors and supervise small dogs when they are in the yard, as they may be vulnerable.
• Dogs, rabbits or other animals that live outdoors should be kept in a secure enclosure with a strong roof.
• Remove food, shelter or water that may attract them to your property.
• Close off areas under decks and outbuildings. Add motion detector lighting to walkways and driveways.
• If there are no kittens, be sure the bobcat has an escape route – open gates on your property and do not block its exit. The bobcat will leave in its own time.
• Trapping and relocating a bobcat several kilometers away is NOT an effective method of removing a bobcat from your property.
• The best solution is to make your property unattractive to wildlife.

Who to call

Call Fish and Wildlife if you are concerned for your own safety or the safety of others: Calgary office (403-297-6423) or the Alberta Report a Poacher line (1-800-642-3800).

Tell The City about your sighting. Wildlife sightings help us make better choices about land management. Contact 311. For more information on co-existing with bobcats, please visit www.alberta.ca/bobcats.aspx.

Provide your input on how and when The City charges fees

If you ever use City services like transit or recreation, you likely pay a fee when you do. How much you pay to use these and other City services that require a fee is shaped by The City’s User Fee and Subsidy Policy and approved by Council each year.

The last time the User Fees Policy was reviewed was 2012. Since a lot has changed over the last 10 years, we are now reviewing the current policy with the aim of having an updated policy in place for 2024.

To make sure the updated policy meets the needs of Calgarians now and in the future, we need your input. Please visit https://engage.calgary.ca/yourservices to share your thoughts on how user fees should be determined in our city and to learn more. Engagement runs until September 30. You can provide in-person input on September 27 at Westside Rec from 4:00p pm - 7:00 pm.