Siemens Canada releases comprehensive research study on mobility in Calgary

The report, entitled Complete Mobility in Calgary - was commissioned by Siemens Canada and was conducted by UK consultancy MRC McLean Hazel Ltd. in collaboration with MRC Inc. in Toronto. The study (third in a series of three) aims to provide new insight into the current mobility system of the metropolitan area of Calgary relative to its global competitors and to establish pathways needed to achieve a sustainable, efficient and user focused mobility system within the next 20 years.

“The Complete Mobility concept aims to define a system that moves people and freight by developing sustainable, efficient and user-focused infrastructure that offers a high level of service and is safe, reliable and environmentally friendly for cities, metropolitan areas and major hubs,” said Marco Jungbeker, vice president of Siemens’ Mobility Division.

The Complete Mobility Index uses five qualitative and 10 quantitative mobility indicators that measure the ‘sustainability’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘user focus’ of a city’s mobility system. These are plotted against GDP per capita for the cities.

Calgary is currently most closely aligned with the ‘At Risk’ category of cities many of which are growing cities whose transport systems are unable to meet the long-term requirements of their citizens, visitors & businesses   The policy analysis conducted for this study shows that Calgary has good foundations to move it into a ‘Best in Class’ position, but there are numerous challenges and barriers which must first be recognized and overcome.

“Calgary’s economy has, for a long time, been largely dependent on the oil and natural gas industries that it is famous for,” said Prof. George Hazel, Chair at MRC MacLean Hazel.  These industries can be highly volatile, leading to an economy which is subject to boom and bust periods.  “With each recession, the Calgary region strives to create a more diversified economy which will increase its global economic competitiveness and stabilize the prosperity of its people and region,” according to Hazel. “To achieve this it is necessary for the city to attract new businesses and skilled immigrants into the city by becoming more attractive and liveable.” 

Legibility and vitality of the downtown will, for example, be important factors for attracting the right businesses and people to Calgary, while strong international connectivity will enable the required business connections. With population growth, however, comes new challenges; Calgary will need to accommodate the additional residents without increasing sprawl.  It will be necessary to ensure that higher density options are available and attractive, and that sufficient transit options are made available to those living in lower density areas. 

“There is a dominant personalized vehicle culture in Calgary and it is often the case that journeys can only realistically be undertaken by private cars.  This not only has environmental impacts, but with rising energy prices the personal costs of personal vehicles use for households will increase, making such a vehicle-focused lifestyle environmentally and economically unsustainable,” said Hazel. “Although congestion is not too great an issue in Calgary yet, it quickly could be.  The challenge is to provide adequate road and transit networks and create integration between all transportation-related modes. This, along with integrated land-use and transport planning, should create an environment in which mode share becomes more balanced and sustainable. “

Research Highlights:
The study provides a detailed analysis of the mobility trends impacting Calgary, and detailed review of local current and planned initiatives, including 'imagineCALGARY'. The work was developed through local stakeholder interviews and workshops. The Complete Mobility in Calgary report presents two future scenarios for Calgary to 2030 and the impact of each scenario upon the city’s future sustainability.

A “Currently Committed” Scenario demonstrates the likely developments and progress based on the principal initiatives that are currently committed within the city, region and province.  This scenario is based on both funded and unfunded initiatives covering road and highway investments, pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, Light Rapid Transit (LRT) expansion, express bus services within regional communities, BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), ‘park n’ ride’, operations and maintenance facilities, electronic fare collection, real-time customer information, plus airport access and expansion. Calgary’s policies such as 'imagineCALGARY', are moving in the right direction and, certainly, the level of stakeholder consultation and input is highly commended.  Key aspects are, however, lacking; if Calgary follows the “Currently Committed” scenario the required levels of integration and user focus will not be met and their progress will be limited. 

A “Complete Mobility” Scenario offers a series of six integrated packages which will take Calgary towards a mobility system that is at the forefront of Complete Mobility attainment. 
Theses six packages are:
1. A Centre City Mobility Package
2. A Visitor Mobility Package
3. A Regional Communities Mobility Package
4. A Freight Package
5. A High Speed Rail (HSR) Package
6. A Smart Infrastructure Package

The six packages focus on the requirement to create ‘One System’ that presents a seamless choice of mobility options for residents, businesses and visitors. The system would be oriented to their needs but would also help to deliver the city’s wider objectives in the context of their future urban challenges. It would take Calgary into the ‘Best in Class’ group of cities. Implementation of this package should begin immediately based on a planned investment plan over the next 20 years to 2030, thereby delivering the ICT foundation that Complete Mobility needs. This will include, for example, ticketing systems for all transit modes and services, access to road information systems, baggage tracking systems and the ability to interrogate the system and receive information, options and incentives that all add value to the user and allow the city authority to balance supply and demand through incentives and choice. 

Key Recommendations:
The study concludes with an analysis and recommendations of how Complete Mobility can be delivered in Calgary. Despite the comprehensive and inclusive planning policy background, there are barriers to implementation.

Effective governance and Vision: There is a strong requirement for information, equal access to services, empowerment of individuals and the potential for creating a system where every user has valued options.

Working together in the Calgary region: The Calgary Regional Partnership demonstrates how when municipalities act together they are more likely to recognize and understand key strategic issues and also to begin to put together solutions that may have to be jointly implemented. This should give the region a greater voice in the province and nationally, one that is appropriate to the increased size of the city.

Making the most of wider funding opportunities: Lack of commitment to an appropriate, consistent and long term funding plan appears to be a key barrier to the delivery of an improved mobility system in Calgary. New responses are needed to ensure that partnerships, innovative ideas and other forms of generating funding are all explored.  A program should be developed which ensures that the best performing projects and initiatives are funded first, and that any projects that do not meet overall city objectives are put to the bottom of the list.

Getting the priorities right: In Calgary there is a dislocation between what the province considers to be its priorities and what appear as priorities in the main Calgary and Calgary Regional Partnership plans.  This study proposes a project prioritization framework which offers a methodology to score any project or policy against stated city, regional or provincial objectives.

Integrating transport and land use: The current success of growth management policies in Calgary appears to be mixed, with some excellent examples of, for example, focusing development at transport nodes and corridors but with some other examples of new development and sprawl poorly served by transit. Improving this situation is a slow process of engaging with developers, working closely with municipalities and creating awareness amongst individuals to encourage them to critically look at residential locations and thereby influence the market.

According to Jungbeker, “Complete Mobility offers a real opportunity to transform Calgary into a world class, liveable and economically successful city.  Looking to the future, the key for Calgary to prosper will be to strike a balance when it comes to the environment, competitiveness and quality of life.”   

About Siemens in Canada 
Siemens is one of the largest and most diversified companies in the world of electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors.  The company has approximately 5,000 employees in Canada, working to develop and manufacture products, design and install complex systems and projects, and tailor a wide range of solutions for individual requirements.   For almost 100 years in Canada, Siemens has stood for technical achievements, innovation, quality and reliability.  Sales for Siemens in Canada for fiscal 2010 (ended September 30), were $2.3 billion CAD. 

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the beliefs of the management of Siemens Canada Limited and its affiliates. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project," are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rate and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens Canada Limited and its affiliates do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.