Calgary mayor touts artificial intelligence to improve road safety
Calgary city council will discuss using artificial intelligence to decide where to install road safety measures, including stop controls, crosswalks and curb extensions, by supplying the technology with driver patterns, citizen feedback and information about collisions between vehicles and pedestrians.
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The update came in an announcement by Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who proposed an amendment to the city's safer mobility plan, slated to be discussed at council on Tuesday.
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The news conference was held at the intersection of Rundlehorn Drive N.E. and 26 Avenue, where a 17-year-old girl died after being struck and pinned by a vehicle in January. At the time, the city was criticized for letting safety concerns in the area go unaddressed.
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From infrequent photo radar checks — which have now been phased out by the province on provincial highways and certain roads — to a lack of action on requests to install speed bumps, residents cited several complaints with the city's approach to road safety.
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Gondek said such complaints will get an ear from the city and along with using artificial intelligence to predict such collisions, will be seriously considered while the city decides where to direct its efforts to make roads safer.
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'Calgary's warrant system is reactive and we can do better,' Gondek said, making reference to the tools used by the city to determine where traffic control devices are installed.
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'By upgrading this system with tools like predictive modelling supported by AI, and real-time community input, we can shift from reactive to preventative. … Calgarians deserve a city that uses the best available data to protect lives — and the political will to act on it.'
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According to the City's Safer Mobility Plan report, 29 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2024, including 13 pedestrians — the highest number of fatalities in over a decade.
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'These are not just numbers — these are lives cut short, families shattered, and communities grieving,' said Gondek. 'Calgary must do more to make our streets safer for pedestrians. We must act, and we must act now.'
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Calgary Herald
26-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Calgary mayor touts artificial intelligence to improve road safety
Calgary city council will discuss using artificial intelligence to decide where to install road safety measures, including stop controls, crosswalks and curb extensions, by supplying the technology with driver patterns, citizen feedback and information about collisions between vehicles and pedestrians. Article content Article content The update came in an announcement by Mayor Jyoti Gondek, who proposed an amendment to the city's safer mobility plan, slated to be discussed at council on Tuesday. Article content Article content The news conference was held at the intersection of Rundlehorn Drive N.E. and 26 Avenue, where a 17-year-old girl died after being struck and pinned by a vehicle in January. At the time, the city was criticized for letting safety concerns in the area go unaddressed. Article content Article content From infrequent photo radar checks — which have now been phased out by the province on provincial highways and certain roads — to a lack of action on requests to install speed bumps, residents cited several complaints with the city's approach to road safety. Article content Gondek said such complaints will get an ear from the city and along with using artificial intelligence to predict such collisions, will be seriously considered while the city decides where to direct its efforts to make roads safer. Article content Article content Article content 'Calgary's warrant system is reactive and we can do better,' Gondek said, making reference to the tools used by the city to determine where traffic control devices are installed. Article content 'By upgrading this system with tools like predictive modelling supported by AI, and real-time community input, we can shift from reactive to preventative. … Calgarians deserve a city that uses the best available data to protect lives — and the political will to act on it.' Article content According to the City's Safer Mobility Plan report, 29 people were killed in traffic collisions in 2024, including 13 pedestrians — the highest number of fatalities in over a decade. Article content 'These are not just numbers — these are lives cut short, families shattered, and communities grieving,' said Gondek. 'Calgary must do more to make our streets safer for pedestrians. We must act, and we must act now.'
CBC
14-05-2025
- CBC
2 arrested after Calgary bus driver assaulted, police say
Calgary police say they have arrested two men after a city bus driver was attacked in the northeast early Wednesday morning. The driver was assaulted while operating a bus in the area of Falconridge Boulevard and Castleridge Boulevard at 1:12 a.m., according to police. Investigators believe the two men attacked the bus operator when he refused their request to deviate from the designated bus route. The bus driver suffered significant injuries and was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition. Police say his condition has since been reassessed as stable. According to police, one bus passenger tried to intervene during the incident and did not sustain serious injuries. "We fully recognize that this is a highly concerning incident for Calgarians, and we are working with our partners at Calgary Transit to ensure all investigative leads are thoroughly examined and that the right supports are available for those directly impacted," said Acting Supt. Gerry Francois in a news release. Charges are pending against the two suspects. In a media availability Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Jyoti Gondek said transit workers "are really good people" and that the incident is jarring and unacceptable. "I cannot imagine what this poor individual is going through right now. The trauma he will carry with him, the trauma that his family will carry. I cannot believe that somebody thought this was OK to do," she said. " And so we need to understand what happened and how we can make it better into the future." Mike Mahar, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583, said it was "an absolutely vicious attack... We're lucky he's here." "How many careers do you go to work and you don't know if you're going home or if you're gonna be beat up?" he said. "It's devastating." During a committee meeting Wednesday at city hall, Doug Morgan, the general manager of operational services, acknowledged the assault. "There was an unfortunate incident that occurred last night … one of our frontline staff that we're quite concerned with," he said. "Just thinking about all those hard-working folks that are out on the frontline providing service. It was a transit driver, so, our thoughts are with their families and that transit driver and all the folks that can be exposed to risk in the field as they get their duties done." Safety a major concern for transit workers Mahar said there about 60 to 70 assaults on transit workers each year that are significant enough to require some sort of intervention. "We're as diverse a group as can be, and a lot of times that's a motivating factor for somebody to think that they can misbehave," he said. Mahar said security upgrades are needed to deter people from targeting transit workers. For example, cameras only monitor the inside of a bus, but he said there's more technology that can be implemented to broaden security. While the city has implemented more safety measures for transit, Mahar said much of the attention has been given to the light rail system as opposed to buses, despite seeing more assaults on transit workers in the bus system. Dozens of Calgary Transit workers have left their job over safety concerns, many after an assault on the job, according to Mahar.
Global News
29-04-2025
- Global News
Calgary to host vigil for victims of Vancouver's Lapu Lapu festival tragedy
As Canadians struggle to come to terms with the deaths of 11 people in a horrific attack on Vancouver's Filipino community this weekend, Calgarians will be given a chance this week to come together to mourn. The city's Filipino community is helping to organize a vigil in front of Calgary city hall at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. A message posted on social media urges Calgarians to, 'Bring a candle, a prayer, and your heart. Together, we heal.' View image in full screen A vigil will be held in front of Calgary city hall on Wednesday evening to remember the victims of Vancouver's Lapu Lapu day festival tragedy. Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek also offered up her condolences in a post on social media, calling the attack 'a senseless act of violence,' adding, 'My heart is with the Filipino community.' Story continues below advertisement The devastating attack on the Filipino community in Vancouver last night is heartbreaking. The Lapu Lapu Day Festival was meant to be a celebration, but ended in horror after a senseless act of violence. My heart is with the Filipino community in Vancouver as well as Calgary. — Jyoti Gondek (@JyotiGondek) April 27, 2025 The owner of Paolos Filipino Restaurant in Calgary said the community is shocked and saddened by the tragedy. View image in full screen Despite the tragedy, the owner of Paolos Filipino Restaurant, Rose Enriquez, said the Filipino community has proven to be very resilient in the face of hardship. Global News 'It's hard. It's hard to accept the fact that there's 11 Filipinos who died in that incident,' said Rose Enriquez. Story continues below advertisement 'It's kinda hard to decipher — to process at first.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Despite the overwhelming sense of grief, Enriquez said the Filipino community is used to overcoming hardship. 'You should learn some things about what really happened,' said Enriquez. 'We as Filipinos — we're very resilient with that kind of hardship. We have to learn something from it.' The president of the University of Calgary Filipino Students' Association, Ayra Bukhari, said the community will deal with the grief by leaning on each other. 'The Filipino community is one of the most welcoming out there — we accept everyone, we want everyone to be involved in our culture and that's really the essence of the Philippines,' said Bukhari. 'We have a word called Kababayan — the word encapsulates being together and togetherness and being there for one another.' Calgary's Filipino community is estimated to include about 75,000 people.
