Deerfoot Trail Study Phase 1 June 2016 Public Input Summary
Deerfoot Trail Study Phase 1 What we Heard Report PROJECT OVERVIEW The City of Calgary (The City) and Alberta Transportation (AT) are working together to study Deerfoot Trail, between the Stoney Trail interchanges in the north and south. The study will consider a range of possible freeway management strategies, including some new to Calgary, and recommend ways to improve safety and mobility in the short- and long-term. The focus will be on making the most of the existing infrastructure, planning for future growth and aligning with the Calgary Transportation Plan. The study will define and recommend a program of upgrades for Deerfoot Trail by: Identifying the existing and future travel needs on the corridor, and any associated impacts on the surrounding communities. Engaging the public, community groups and stakeholders to identify users and demands for the corridor, and build a range of potential solutions. Recommending safety and mobility improvements for people who drive and take transit. Improving air quality and reducing vehicular emissions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the time needed to travel to and within the corridor. Please note, the percentages in this summary are based on the number of respondents and are not a representative sample of the population. ENGAGEMENT PROCESS OPEN HOUSES, ONLINE AND POP-UP EVENT FEEDBACK From June 1 30, 2016, participants could provide input about their experiences using Deerfoot Trail by completing an online questionnaire, pinning comments to an online map or attending one of six open houses. The project team also held one pop-up event at the Roadking Travel Centre to connect with people who drive trucks as this is an important stakeholder group for the study but not likely to be able to attend engagement events or provide input online easily. At the open houses, attendees viewed display boards, spoke with project team members, completed questionnaires and provided comments on study area maps. A dotmocracy was used for participants to indicate which section of Deerfoot Trail should be improved first, where they experienced the greatest congestion and what they believed causes delays along the corridor. Participants who provided input online could read about the study, view the display boards and provide input by dropping pins on a map and/or completing a questionnaire. At the pop-up event, project staff spoke with people about the study and offered questionnaires and study area maps to gather input. Page 2 of 25
Event details Attendee tally June 14, 2016 at WillowRidge Community Association from 5-8 p.m. 23 June 15, 2016 at St. Jerome Elementary School from 5-8 p.m. 10 June 16, 2016 at Dover Community Association from 5-8 p.m. 12 June 20, 2016 at Sheraton Cavalier Calgary Hotel from 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. 17 June 20, 2016 at Douglas Elementary School from 5-8 p.m. 47 June 28, 2016 at Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association from 5-8 p.m. 15 July 18, 2016 Pop-Up Event at RoadKing Travel Centre from 7 10 a.m. 24 Total Attendees 148 In-Person Feedback Forms 27 Online Feedback Forms 8113 Total Feedback Forms 8140 Total Mapping Tool Comments 3364 What we asked Page 3 of 25 Participants add comments to the study area maps and speak with project team members. The questionnaire asked a series of questions about participants experience travelling Deerfoot Trail, demographics, thoughts about the engagement process and their evaluation of the engagement experience. The online map asked participants to drop pins in the areas where they experience the greatest congestion and use the comment box to explain what they think the issue is. The dotmocracy asked participants what is causing the delays and where their priorities are. What we heard Experience using Deerfoot Trail Most respondents travel Deerfoot Trail daily, in a vehicle by themselves, between 3 and 7 p.m. to commute to work. Most drivers see delays along the study area most of the time.
Those who don t use Deerfoot Trail said it was because they don t feel safe on the road. The route most travelled by respondents is from Stoney Trail South to Glenmore Trail, while the most congested segment is McKenzie Lake Boulevard to Glenmore Trail. Respondents were most satisfied with signage and traveler information while they are least satisfied with duration of travel times and reliability. Efforts to clear collisions and stalls is the most important factor for most respondents while the least important factor is visual appeal / appearance. Most respondents indicated they would prefer between 17 Avenue S.E. and Anderson Road to be improved first. Lane reduction issues, poorly designed on and off ramps, poorly designed interchanges and congestion were the top issues faced by respondents corridor wide. Demographics The majority of respondents who provided input online were between 25 and 44 years of age, and those who provided input in person were between 45 and 54. There was a close split in gender with slightly more respondents being female. Most respondents were from the Douglasglen / McKenzie Lake area. Engagement Process The majority of respondents would like to hear about updates by email. Most online respondents would like to provide information by online questionnaire while those who attended face to face events would prefer to attend an open house. NEXT STEPS The project team will use the feedback and technical analysis to develop short term improvement options and begin considering freeway management tools for the long term improvement plans. FEEDBACK FORM QUESTIONS AND RESPONSES The graphs below include feedback from the open house and online questionnaire unless otherwise stated. Experience using Deerfoot Trail Participants were asked to provide information about their experience using Deerfoot Trail to better understand how people use the road and to identify and confirm operational issues. How often do you travel on Deerfoot Trail? Travel Frequency Daily Weekly A few times a month Occasionally Never 136 (2%) 9 (0%) 466 (6%) 1552 (19%) 5966 (73%) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 Page 4 of 25
If you responded never, what is the primary reason you do not use Deerfoot Trail? Reasons not to use Deerfoot Trail Other 23% I don't feel safe 30% Slower route/out of the way 3% Have no need 23% Too congested 21% Respondents who stated other said they didn t take Deerfoot Trail because it is unsafe (9), too congested (8), they don t live in Calgary (6) or they use an alternate route (4). How do you typically travel on Deerfoot Trail? Type of vehicle 7000 6000 5791 (70%) 5000 4000 3000 2000 1888 (23%) 1000 0 In a vehicle by myself In a vehicle with others 131 (2%) 86 (1%) 46 (0%) 8 (0%) 6 (0%) Other In a truck (for shipping / goods movement / hauling) Calgary Transit Regional Commuter Service Taxi 339 (4%) No Response Respondents who stated other said they drive by themselves and with others (47), in a work vehicle (40), on a school bus (13), by transit (8), in a truck (10) and on a motorcycle (7). People using a regional commuter service indicated they ride Airdrie Ice (3), First Canada Charter Services (3) and Southland Transportation (2). Page 5 of 25
Where do you typically get onto Deerfoot Trail? Where do you typically get onto Deerfoot Trail? (by number of responses) Stoney Trail South McKenzie Lake Boulevard Anderson Drive / Bow Bottom Glenmore Trail Beyond Stoney Trail South Beddington Trail 130 Avenue S.E. No Response Before Stoney Trail North 16 Avenue N.E. Memorial Drive 24 Street S.E. / Douglasdale Country Hills Boulevard McKnight Boulevard Stoney Trail North Blackfoot Trail / 17 Avenue S.E. 64 Avenue N.E. Peigan Trail 96 Avenue N.E. / Airport Trail Southland Drive 32 Avenue N.E. Barlow Trail Heritage Meadows/11 Street E. 556 550 490 473 420 390 369 346 306 299 232 204 206 188 148 147 131 72 39 20 942 928 847 0 200 400 600 800 1000 Where do you typically get onto Deerfoot Trail? (north to south) Before Stoney Trail North Stoney Trail North Country Hills Boulevard 96 Avenue N.E. / Airport Trail Beddington Trail 64 Avenue N.E. McKnight Boulevard 32 Avenue N.E. 16 Avenue N.E. Memorial Drive Blackfoot Trail / 17 Avenue S.E. Peigan Trail Glenmore Trail Heritage Meadows/11 Street E. Southland Drive Anderson Drive / Bow Bottom 24 Street S.E. / Douglasdale Barlow Trail 130 Avenue S.E. McKenzie Lake Boulevard Stoney Trail South Beyond Stoney Trail South No Response 390 204 299 147 490 188 232 72 369 346 206 148 556 20 131 39 306 473 550 420 847 928 942 0 200 400 600 800 1000 Respondents getting onto Deerfoot Trail north of Stoney Trail are coming from: Airdrie (331) Didsbury (7) Balzac (9) Carstairs (6) Respondents getting onto Deerfoot Trail south of Stoney Trail are coming from: Auburn Bay (168) Cranston (130) Okotoks (82) Seton (68) Crossfield (6) Calgary (5) Dewinton (35) High River (17) Red Deer (5)
Where do you typically get off of Deerfoot Trail? Where do you typically get off Deerfoot Trail? (by number of responses) Where do you typically get off Deerfoot Trail? (north to south) Glenmore Trail Memorial Drive Anderson Drive / Bow Bottom Trail 16 Avenue N.E. No Response 32 Avenue N.E. Southland Drive McKnight Boulevard Blackfoot Trail / 17 Avenue S.E. Heritage Meadows/11 Street E. 96 Avenue N.E. / Airport Trail 64 Avenue N.E. Barlow Trail Stoney Trail South Peigan Trail Beddington Trail 24 Street S.E. / Douglasdale 130 Avenue S.E. Beyond Stoney Trail South Stoney Trail North Before Stoney Trail North McKenzie Lake Boulevard Country Hills Boulevard 607 477 433 432 412 399 365 288 229 220 201 196 193 190 173 141 140 135 128 113 96 1290 1458 Before Stoney Trail North Stoney Trail North Country Hills Boulevard 96 Avenue N.E. / Airport Beddington Trail 64 Avenue N.E. McKnight Boulevard 32 Avenue N.E. 16 Avenue N.E. Memorial Drive Blackfoot Trail / 17 Peigan Trail Glenmore Trail Heritage Meadows/11 Southland Drive Anderson Drive / Bow 24 Street S.E. / Barlow Trail 130 Avenue S.E. McKnight Boulevard Stoney Trail South Beyond Stoney Trail South No Response 128 135 96 229 190 220 399 432 477 365 193 288 412 607 173 201 141 396 196 140 433 1290 1458 0 500 1000 1500 2000 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Respondents getting off of Deerfoot Trail beyond Stoney Trail North are going to: Airdrie (54) Balzac (19) Calgary (7) Edmonton (7) Respondents getting off of Deerfoot Trail beyond Stoney Trail South are going to: Okotoks (35) Auburn Bay (15) Dewinton (14) Seton (14) Cranston (10)
Top 3 congested trips from 6-9 a.m. (Determined by cross referencing the entry and exit points of respondents who said they drive daily and experience congestion most of the time or always) Entry Exit McKenzie Lake Boulevard Glenmore Trail (156) Stoney Trail South Glenmore Trail (118) McKenzie Lake Boulevard Memorial Drive (113) Top 3 congested trips from 3-7 p.m. (Determined by cross referencing the entry and exit points of respondents who said they drive daily and experience congestion most of the time or always) Entry Exit McKenzie Lake Boulevard Glenmore Trail (150) McKenzie Lake Boulevard Memorial Drive (106) Beyond Stoney Trail South Glenmore Trail (80) What time of day do you most often use Deerfoot Trail? Please select all that apply: Use by time of day 6-9 a.m. 5038 (35%) 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 2578 (18%) 3-7 p.m. 5542 (38%) 7 p.m. - 6 a.m. 1336 (9%) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Throughout the day commuting to work is the primary reason for using Deerfoot Trail but between 9 a.m. 3 p.m. shopping and running personal errands is a close secondary reason (661) to commuting to work (846).
What is your primary reason for using Deerfoot Trail? Primary reason for using Deerfoot Trail Commute to work Shopping / personal errands Business travel Visiting family / friends Recreation / entertainment Other Take children to school Commute to school Personal / Medical appointments Regional travel (destinations outside of Calgary) 949 (12%) 491 (6%) 431 (6%) 266 (3%) 228 (3%) 163 (2%) 154 (2%) 145 (2%) 58 (1%) 4861 (63%) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Respondents who travel on Deerfoot Trail daily primarily use it to commute to work, while shopping or running personal errands was the reason given most often for trips weekly / a few times a month. People commuting to work mostly travel in a vehicle by themselves (4075) but 14% of respondents carpool to work (689). Regional travelers primarily travel in a vehicle with others (32). How often do you experience delays on Deerfoot Trail? 3500 3000 2500 2000 Frequency of experiencing delays 40% 29% 27% 3000 2500 2000 1500 Cross tabulation of delay frequency by time of day travelled 1500 1000 1000 500 0 Most of the time Some of the time Never 4% Always Rarely 0% 500 0 6-9 a.m. 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. 3-7 p.m. 7 p.m. - 6 a.m. Time of day respondents travel Experience delays Always Most of the time Some of the time Rarely Never The majority of delays are experienced from 6-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. Page 9 of 25
Pedestrian or bicycle access across Deerfoot Trail Vehicle access across Deerfoot Trail Connections to other roadways Emergency access (Police, Fire, Ambulance) Pavement conditions Efforts to reduce construction delays Signage and traveler information Noise levels for adjacent properties Visual appeal / appearance Please tell us about your current level of satisfaction with the following characteristics/factors of Deerfoot Trail by checking the box that applies: Satisfaction with characteristics/factors of Deerfoot Trail 86 349 393 382 83 256 389 418 377 381 106 289 558 468 496 694 602 741 918 780 891 737 1089 1081 1269 1497 1450 1649 1661 1909 1806 2142 2085 2582 2377 2414 2823 2706 2968 3288 3454 3541 4291 4434 4734 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 Page 10 of 25
Efforts to reduce construction delays Signage and traveler information Noise levels for adjacent properties Visual appeal / appearance Duration of travel times Reliable / predictable travel times Efforts to clear collisions / stalls Access to commercial areas Satisfaction with characteristics/factors of Deerfoot Trail (continued) 191 179 87 137 390 370 322 545 720 1224 1433 1594 3027 2394 2053 2837 2253 3064 2632 4624 0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000 4500 5000 Please tell us how important the following characteristics/factor are for Deerfoot Trail by checking the box that applies: Importance of characteristics/factors of Deerfoot Trail 89 52 22 138 15 16 320 337 640 907 706 1182 2214 2792 2326 2408 3559 3683 3306 4832 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Page 11 of 25
Duration of travel times Reliable / predictable travel times Efforts to clear collisions / stalls Access to commercial areas Pedestrian or bicycle access across Deerfoot Trail Vehicle access across Deerfoot Trail Connections to other roadways Emergency access (Police, Fire, Ambulance) Pavement conditions Importance of characteristics/factors of Deerfoot Trail (continued) 215 14 15 235 31 128 246 16 26 61 152 293 114 8 18 237 17 18 167 15 18 442 565 1011 745 891 1149 1336 2144 2035 2148 1717 2076 2225 2520 2553 3623 3544 3719 3400 4496 4473 4585 4985 5192 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Page 12 of 25
Pedestrian or bicycle access across Deerfoot Trail Vehicle access across Deerfoot Trail Connections to other roadways Emergency access (Police, Fire, Ambulance) Pavement conditions Efforts to reduce construction delays Signage and traveler information Noise levels for adjacent properties Visual appeal / appearance The following graph shows the gaps between satisfaction and importance. Understanding these gaps presents areas for improvement. Gaps between satisfaction and importance Satisfaction Importance / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 Page 13 of 25
Weighted score Duration of travel times Reliable / predictable travel times Efforts to clear collisions / stalls Access to commercial areas / / / / / / / / / / / / / / Gaps between satisfaction and importance / / (continued) Satisfaction Importance 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 There are several large gaps between importance and satisfaction indicating the factor is very important but the participant was not very satisfied with those characteristics. These factors included efforts to reduce construction delays, efforts to clear collisions / stalls, reliable / predictable travel times and duration of travel times. Please note online participants were asked the following question on which segment was most important, while open house attendees gave their feedback by putting a sticky on the segment most important to them. Please let us know which section of Deerfoot Trail you think should be improved first by ranking the segments from 1 5, with 1 being most important to you and 5 being least important: A weighted score is the average of a set of scores, where each set carries a different amount of importance. The intersection with the highest weighted score is the one respondents believe should be improved first. 5 4 3 2 1 0 Section of Deerfoot Trail that should be improved first (online respondents) Between 17 Avenue S.E. and Anderson Road Between 16 Avenue North and 17 Avenue S.E. Between Beddington Trail and 16 Avenue North South of Anderson Road North of Beddington Trail Page 14 of 25
Number of dots 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Between 17 Avenue S.E. and Anderson Road Section of Deerfoot Trail that should be improved first (open house dotmocracy responses) South of Anderson Road Between 16 Avenue North and 17 Avenue S.E. Between Beddington Trail and 16 Avenue North North of Beddington Trail Respondents who typically travel by truck (for shipping / goods movement / hauling) would prefer the segment between Beddington Trail and 16 Avenue North be improved first (28) and the segment between 17 Avenue S.E. and Anderson Road be improved second (24). Demographics Participants were asked to provide some demographic information to better understand and analyze the public input. My age range is: 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 20 (1%) 608 (7%) Age of online questionnaire respondents 2412 (30%) 2061 (25%) 1216 (15%) 796 (10%) 189 (2%) 70 (1%) Under 18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Prefer not to say 735 (9%) Blank 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 0 (0%) Age of open house questionnaire respondents 3 (12%) 2 (8%) 2 (8%) 10 (40%) 3 (12%) 4 (16%) 1 (4%) 0-18 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Prefer not to say Page 15 of 25
I identify my gender as: Gender identification (7396 responses) 185 (2%) Prefer not to say 3300 (45%) Male 3911 (53%) Female Page 16 of 25
The first three digits of my postal code are: Page 17 of 25
Number of responses Engagement Process Respondents were asked to share how they would like to participate to improve the engagement process for future phases. My preferred methods of communication are (select all that apply): Preferred communication channels 8000 6000 4000 2000 0 5808 (56%) 1830 (18%) 2044 (19%) 530 (5%) 171 (1%) Email Web updates Facebook Twitter Blog posts My preferred methods of participation are (select all that apply): Participation preferences from online questionnaire respondents Online questionnaires 7108 (51%) Online mapping tools Online discussion forums Open houses In-person presentations Project staff attending community events or activity centres Workshops Stakeholder meetings 2733 (19%) 1391 (10%) 1117 (8%) 572 (4%) 438 (3%) 373 (3%) 326 (2%) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000 Participation preferences from open house questionnaire respondents Open Houses Online questionnaires In-person presentations Online mapping tools Workshops Stakeholder meetings Project staff attending community events or activity centres Online discussion forums 5 (5%) 8 (8%) 7 (7%) 12 (12%) 11 (11%) 13 (14%) 19 (20%) 22 (23%) 0 5 10 15 20 25 Page 18 of 25
Engagement Evaluation Respondents were asked about the quality of materials to identify improvements and information gaps. How did you hear about the open house, online questionnaire or web site? Online responses Open house responses Facebook 2958 (27%) Road signs 7 (17%) Road signs 2617 (24%) Electronic road sign 6 (15%) Neon road signs 1712 (16%) Global News 5 (12%) Facebook Advertisement 920 (9%) Facebook 4 (9%) Global News 363 (3%) Other 4 (9%) Other, please specify 347 (3%) Calgary.ca 4 (9%) CTV News Calgary.ca 660 News Twitter Report to Calgarians Community Association Calgary Herald 323 (3%) 319 (3%) 203 (2%) 197 (2%) 176 (2%) 128 (1%) 108 (1%) Facebook Advertisement Community Association Newsletter CTV News Calgary Herald News Talk 770 660 News 2 (5%) 2 (5%) 2 (5%) 1 (2%) 1 (2%) 1 (2%) CBC News 99 (1%) Metro News 1 (2%) Online News Source 95 (1%) Report to Calgarians 1 (2%) News Talk 770 70 (1%) Google Search 1 (2%) Metro News 62 (1%) Twitter 1 (2%) Google Search 44 (0%) Online Advertising 0 (0%) Weather Network 32 (0%) CKNW News Talk 0 (0%) CKNW News Talk 2 (0%) CBC News 0 (0%) 0 1000 2000 3000 4000 0 2 4 6 8 Those who responded other heard about the engagement opportunities by word of mouth (143), on the radio (52), on Reddit (22), from their Councillor (13), online (12) and on Facebook (10). Page 19 of 25
The following questions were only asked of open house attendees. Please circle your level of agreement with the following statements: Engagement opportunities evaluation The information presented met my expectations 0 1 6 16 96% The information presented helped me understand the scope of the project 0 1 8 16 96% 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree Page 20 of 25
ONLINE MAPPING TOOL COMMENTS Participants placed 3364 pins on the study area map indicating where they experience congestion and what they think the issue is. Lane reduction issues, poor on and off ramp design, poor interchange design and congestion were the top concerns stated corridor-wide. For a full summary of the online mapping tool comments please visit calgary.ca/deerfoot. Page 21 of 25
Open House and Online Feedback Advertising Advertising The open house and online feedback were advertised in the following ways: A media tour and news release resulting in Metro News, CTV news, Global News, 660 News, Newstalk AM980, CBC news, Calgary Sun, Calgary Herald and Kiss 95.9 reporting on the study. The majority of them attended the media tour on May 31, 2016 Twenty-five road signs and 17 variable message boards near the study area from June 11 25, 2016. A notice on the engage! Calendar on calgary.ca calgary.ca/deerfoot Email notifications sent to 352 identified stakeholders and subscribers on June 16, 2016 Four Facebook advertisements posted throughout June 2016 Three ads posted on both calgary.ca and internally on The City s intranet for three weeks The Search Engine Marketing campaign (ran for one week and encouraged 898 viewers to visit the webpage) Digital advertising (including a tracking code to the Weather Network and Source knowledge networks) @yyctransport tweeted 19 times (retweeted 36 times). @cityofcalgary retweeted five @yyctransport tweets, which were then retweeted 24 more times The City of Calgary along with multiple Councillors posted Facebook posts about the Deerfoot Trail Study Report to Calgarians aired in movie theatres, on television, on Facebook and on train platforms from May 30 July 5, 2016 CityNews Blog published June 14, 2016 Media Relations The communications and engagement consulting team monitored media daily for the duration of Phase 1 engagement and endeavoured to capture all media coverage about the project which included: Over 20 other organizations and individuals tweeted about the Deerfoot Trail Study. In addition to the media coverage two Community Associations and two Calgary organizations posted information online about the study and opportunities for public input including the Riverbend Community Association, the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association, Calgary Realty Group and Jack Carter Chevrolet Page 22 of 25
9000 Online questionnaire responses by date 8000 7000 6000 Facebook Ad / Calgary.ca Banner Ads Ivor Strong Bridge Closure Facebook Ad 5000 Online Ads 4000 Facebook Ads / VMBs 3000 Road Signs 2000 Report to Calgarians 1000 Media Tour Facebook Ad Calgary.ca Banner Ads 0 Cumulative Daily Page 23 of 22