Ah yes, the War on Cars ™ thing. It’s not the first, and definitely not the last we will hear about here on Canadian Cycling Magazine.
A proposed six-storey redevelopment in Calgary’s Marda Loop neighborhood has reignited debate over whether the city is waging a so-called “war on cars.”
The project, which would include 44 housing units and commercial space, wanted a reduction in the minimum parking requirement to 12 stalls. The applicant argued that more than half of local households own one or no cars.
Calgary and cars
Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean opposed the plan. He went right in, connecting it to what he described as a broader attack on car-centric living in Calgary. “We’re a car-centric city and province, and to neglect that is irresponsible,” McLean said at council as reported by the CBC. “It would be different if we lived in Paris or New York. But we’ve got a lot of room to grow.”
He also warned that limited parking in denser neighborhoods could contribute to road rage, or something.
But Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt, whose ward includes Marda Loop, said that calling the debate a “war on cars” is a silly thing to do. Especially in the wake of two recent pedestrian deaths. “By framing it as a war, we are moving the conversation to a negative place where it assumes how people live,” Schmidt said. “It’s not our job to assume how people live. It’s our job to give them the opportunity to live how they want to live.”
Record collisions on vulnerable road-users
The council discussion came just days after a man in his 70s and a toddler were killed while crossing streets in marked crosswalks. Schmidt posted on social media that blaming a lack of parking for road safety issues is “irresponsible.”
Despite some community opposition, including letters from residents citing parking concerns, council voted 11-4 in favour of the land use change.
Doug Ford vows to fight bike lanes and build a giant car tunnel
In a statement from advocacy group Bike Calgary, said branding it a war on cars is simply misleading. The focus should instead be on “balanced, equitable urban planning” rather than framing mobility choices as a conflict. With the Albertan city recently seeing record pedestrian and cyclist deaths, Bike Calgary urged civic leaders to prioritize safety for all road users over rhetoric.
The organization said approving denser, transit-accessible housing, they said, “supports smart planning that eases congestion,…
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