Calgary's Growing Population and the Need for a Safer Mobility Plan

Calgary is a city on the rise. As of 2024, Calgary's population had grown to approximately 1.6 million—a significant 17.5% increase over the past five years. This ongoing growth is a testament to the city's strong economic foundation and its appeal to residents and businesses alike. However, with growth comes an increasing demand for efficient, safe, and accessible transportation options for all.

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What’s Driving Calgary’s Growth?

Several factors contribute to Calgary's dynamic expansion:

  • Economic Diversification: While Calgary has historically been known for its oil and gas industry, the city has made impressive strides in diversifying its economic base. Today, it boasts strong sectors in technology, finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. This diversification not only strengthens the city’s economic stability but also attracts new businesses and professionals, fueling further population growth.

  • Strategic Location: Positioned within the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor, Calgary’s prime location connects it to other major urban centers and provides excellent access to key transportation networks. This has helped cement Calgary as a hub for businesses, contributing to the city’s ongoing population and economic growth.

  • High Quality of Life: With top-tier schools, outstanding healthcare, and ample recreational options, Calgary continues to attract individuals and families seeking a balanced lifestyle. Its clean, safe, and family-friendly atmosphere makes it one of Canada’s most desirable cities to call home.

  • Strong Economic Outlook: Calgary’s economy is expected to grow at a rate surpassing the national average, driven by investments in infrastructure, a robust energy sector, and a business-friendly environment. This optimistic outlook further strengthens Calgary’s appeal as a destination for growth.

As Calgary continues to expand, the need for sustainable, safe, and reliable mobility solutions becomes more pressing. A city growing at this pace requires a transportation system that can not only handle the influx of people but also prioritize the safety and well being of all road users.


The Safer Mobility Plan: A Vision for a Safe Future


In response to the city’s rapid growth and the accompanying pressure on its roads, Calgary has introduced the Safer Mobility Plan (2024-2028). This initiative, launched in partnership between the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and The City of Calgary, aims to enhance road safety for pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and all other users of the transportation network.

As Calgary's population increases and more people rely on its roads, this comprehensive strategy will address the challenges posed by traffic congestion, accidents, and infrastructure demands. The Safer Mobility Plan is focused on reducing collisions, improving road design, enhancing traffic safety education, and making Calgary’s streets safer and more accessible for everyone.

With the city’s population expected to continue its upward trajectory, the Safer Mobility Plan is essential for ensuring that Calgary remains not only a dynamic and growing city but also a safe place for all who live, work, and visit here.

A Unified Approach to Safety

The Safer Mobility Plan is the first of its kind, uniting CPS and The City of Calgary in their efforts to reduce harm on the roads. This partnership builds on previous successes while introducing fresh, targeted initiatives aimed at closing gaps and making our streets safer. As Calgary grows, it becomes even more critical to ensure that everyone—residents, visitors, and workers—can travel without fear of accidents or injuries.

Vision Zero: A Safer Future for All 

The heart of the Safer Mobility Plan is the Vision Zero initiative. Vision Zero is a philosophy that stresses the unacceptability of fatalities and serious injuries on our roads. It’s not just a goal; it’s a commitment. The Transportation Association of Canada defines Vision Zero as “a philosophy that positions deaths and serious injuries as an unacceptable result of crashes and sets the ultimate goal of eliminating them.”

In line with global safety goals set by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, Calgary’s plan aligns with efforts to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries by 50% by 2030. This ambitious vision is about more than just improving infrastructure—it's a cultural shift towards prioritizing human safety above all else.

The Safe System Approach

Calgary's plan embraces the Safe System Approach, which recognizes that while human error is inevitable, the transportation system should be designed to prevent these errors from resulting in severe harm. It’s about creating a system that not only accounts for the human factor but also actively works to mitigate the risks associated with it.

The Safe System Approach includes safe roads, safe speeds, safe road users, and safe vehicles. This holistic view means that the responsibility for safety is shared across all levels—road users, city planners, law enforcement, and the community at large.

Key Focus Areas: Making Our Streets Safer

The Safer Mobility Plan sets out clear objectives and strategies aimed at reducing the most common causes of road safety issues. By focusing on the "Six Es" of mobility safety, the plan covers a broad range of initiatives that will work together to create a safer, more inclusive transportation system:

  1. Engagement: Collaborating with Calgarians from all walks of life to build a culture of safety. The plan encourages community-driven initiatives and fosters communication to empower citizens to take an active role in promoting safer mobility.

  2. Equity: Ensuring that mobility safety efforts are fair and inclusive. By prioritizing equity-deserving communities, the plan focuses on providing safety solutions where they’re needed most, regardless of socio-economic status or neighborhood.

  3. Engineering: Designing our streets so that safe behavior is the inevitable outcome. This includes traffic calming measures, better signage, pedestrian crossings, and road redesigns to promote safer speeds and movement.

  4. Education: Providing resources to educate Calgarians about road safety, with a special focus on schools and communities. Public campaigns, school programs, and social media outreach aim to raise awareness and encourage safer road behaviors.

  5. Enforcement: Using data to target high-risk areas and ensure that laws are being followed. Whether it’s speeding, distracted driving, or impaired driving, the enforcement strategy will focus on problem areas to maximize impact.

  6. Evaluation: Constantly reviewing and adjusting strategies to ensure the most effective outcomes. Through continuous evaluation, the plan will adapt to new data and trends to ensure that safety remains a top priority.

Collaboration with Key Stakeholders

This plan is not just about the City of Calgary and CPS working together; it involves a network of external partners who will collaborate to achieve these goals. Organizations like the Alberta Motor Association (AMA), Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and active transportation advocates like Bike Calgary are key contributors in helping to drive the change.

The collaboration also extends to other law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP and Tsuut’ina Nation Police Service, ensuring that road safety efforts are united across the region.

Targeting Reductions in Fatalities and Injuries

To measure progress, the Safer Mobility Plan sets specific targets. The goal is a 25% reduction in major injuries and fatalities over the five-year span of the plan, aligning with both provincial and national objectives. The strategy will address the most vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists, by focusing on high-risk areas and behaviors.

Case Studies: Real-Life Impact


The Safer Mobility Plan already shows promise through successful case studies such as Safer Schools and Communities and Silver Springs Neighborhood Streets.

  • Safer Schools and Communities: In neighborhoods like Silver Springs, traffic safety has been a community concern, especially regarding speeding. By introducing measures like the Active and Safe Routes to School program, which encourages safer travel habits among students, and traffic-calming infrastructure, communities are seeing tangible improvements in road safety.

  • Silver Springs Neighborhood Streets: After community consultation and engineering solutions like wheeling lanes and improved pedestrian crossings, Silver Springs Boulevard saw a dramatic decrease in vehicle speeds. With 34% fewer vehicles speeding and fewer accidents overall, the neighborhood is becoming a safer place for residents to walk and cycle.

Moving Forward: The Role of Each Road User

As Calgary grows, so does the complexity of our transportation system. The Safer Mobility Plan recognizes that no single entity can achieve safety alone. Whether you’re a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian, the responsibility for safer roads rests with everyone. By prioritizing Vision Zero and taking a Safe Systems Approach, Calgary is laying the groundwork for a future where everyone has the right to arrive safely.

The Safer Mobility Plan will continue to evolve, with annual reviews and adjustments to ensure that the city remains on track to achieve its goals. But this isn't just a plan for the city—it’s a plan for each and every one of us. Together, we can make Calgary's streets safer and ensure that all road users can move through our city with confidence and care.

A Collaborative Effort 

Calgarians, whether you’re new to the city or a long-time resident, you now have a roadmap to a safer, more inclusive transportation environment. With the support of local organizations, dedicated law enforcement, and a forward thinking city government, Calgary is embarking on an exciting new chapter for road safety. Let’s continue working together to make our city a safer place for all!

Posted by Cody Tritter on
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