17th Ave. BIA exploring interest in a car-free thoroughfare

More than 3,000 people have responded to a survey by the 17th Ave. Business Improvement Area (BIA), with 80 per cent of respondents open to the idea of closing the southwest thoroughfare to traffic.

Executive director Tulene Steiestol says respondents are split on why they want it closed.

"I think we've been hearing from the residents more so than from the businesses, that interest in having a car-free (area) here on 17th Ave," she said.

"But their reasons for closures are very different again -- they want to eliminate the noise."

The survey asks three questions:

• Would you like to see 17th Avenue S.W. closed to vehicle traffic and dedicated to pedestrian use only at various times throughout the year? Yes or No.
• If 17th Avenue S.W. closed to vehicle traffic for pedestrian use only, what time frame would you like to see it closed for? All Summer, summer weekends, summer weekdays or not at all.
• If 17th Avenue S.W. were to close to vehicle traffic, what type of programming (if any) would you like to see brought to the area during the closure?

Steiestol says the noise of motorcycles and cars throughout the year has left residents frustrated.

"Doing a full closure, it may prove to be something that's impossible," said Steiestol.

"We're at very early stages with this survey. The saying, the cake is not baked -- this is not a done deal. We're definitely looking at exploring every single option to really make sure that the businesses get what they need and also that the residents are happy."

There are no concrete plans for what a car-free 17th Avenue S.W. could look like.

Steiestol adds that she doesn't want to drive business away from the area.

"It's one thing to come down here and say that we're car-free but we are one of the busiest business areas in the city," she said.

"We don't want to impact the businesses negatively. The idea to do this would be, to be able to positively impact the businesses, especially some of them who are still trying to get their heads above water after coming out of COVID and a lot of closures."

Steiestol says they have looked at other jurisdictions such as Montreal, and even closer to home with Canmore and Banff.

She says the mountain towns have an upper hand when it comes to going car-free, as they have a smaller community and see four million tourists every year, driving that demand.

She says there are no concrete plans for what a car-free 17th Avenue S.W. could look like, but floated the idea of extended patios, markets and pedestrian walkways.

There are no concrete plans for what a car-free 17th Avenue S.W. could look like, but the results of a recent survey suggest there is interest in seeing the busy thoroughfare go pedestrian-only at times.

The survey is expected to remain open until at least the end of the month.

When it comes to noise, Calgary's current limit is 96 decibels, which is equivalent to a lawnmower.

Under the current Traffic Safety Act, drivers can be fined up to $162 for failing to follow regulations intended to reduce noise, such as an inappropriate muffler or driving in a manner that disturbs residents between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.