Dear Brentwoodians,
Parking – Lots?
If you are like me, and 93% of all Calgarians, then your household owns a car – probably two. This high rate of car ownership exceeds that of Dallas, Denver, or Tempe, but the question is whether it can be sustained as Calgary undergoes densification to accommodate our ongoing population growth. As off-street parking requirements are relaxed to promote more and denser residential construction, where will all the cars go?
There is only so much room along the sides of city streets, and street parking adds risks: to pedestrians crossing by cutting down sightlines; and to cyclists and drivers by increasing chances of doors opening in their path or vehicles pulling out.
Street parking can be hazardous to the parked cars themselves, exposed to rain, ice, hail, and sunlight. They can pose tempting targets for thieves or vandals, and they are at the mercy of careless drivers passing by or wayward snowplough blades. It can also cause grievances between neighbours – will you be happy to park two blocks away from home in a February cold snap, because the folks next door are parked in front of your house?
It could be that city planners are hoping that a lack of parking will encourage people to give up their cars and trucks and switch to bicycles, e-bikes, and transit. Unfortunately, Calgary has neglected and underfunded transit for decades (and the belated and truncated Green Line is a drop in the bucket of what is needed), and cycling infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired as well. Calgarians won’t be tempted out of our cars with the current alternatives.
Dogs Off-Leash
A reader contacted the BCA to ask that Brentwood dog owners please follow the city’s leash bylaws (https://www.calgary.ca/pets/dog-leash-guidelines.html). They have observed many unleashed dogs in the area, in particular around the Captain John Palliser School playing field and the surrounding lanes and alleys.
There is an off-leash park at the corner of Barrett Dr and 52 Ave, another inside Carragana Crescent across Capri Ave, and a long stretch along John Laurie Blvd extending from Brenner Dr all the way to Charleswood Dr. Everywhere else, dogs must be leashed at all times when out in public.
As our reader says, owners may know and trust their pets’ temperament and behaviour, but the rest of us can’t trust that an unleashed dog will interact safely towards people or other pets.
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