Summary#

On June 30, 2026, Calgary City Council accepted the City’s update on its AI-enhanced pedestrian safety platform for the Corporate Record. The decision records the update; it does not approve construction work or new spending. City staff say the platform’s goal is to help identify higher-risk locations earlier and guide safety planning.

• City staff report that the platform has generated risk scores for more than 17,000 intersections using data such as collisions, speed limits, road design, nearby schools and transit, and weather.
• The platform supplements the City’s existing system for deciding when to study safety improvements. It does not replace engineering judgment: locations must still go through standard review before changes are made.
• Staff report that they assessed the 20 highest-ranked locations. Their preliminary recommendations include signals, crosswalks, curb extensions and roundabouts; not every location needed additional treatment.
• Staff say they will return to Council in Q3 2026 with a preliminary technical review of the 50 highest-ranked locations and high-level cost estimates for treatments where needed.

What it means for you#

• People travelling around Calgary: The decision does not itself change any intersection or promise that a particular location will receive improvements. Any changes require standard review.
• City staff: Staff have developed the platform using existing internal resources and will continue refining it. They still need to assess locations and develop designs and cost estimates.
• Calgary residents: The report says public engagement was not required for this update. It does not set out a process for residents to challenge a risk score or request a review.

Money#

The decision approves no spending; staff estimate that treatments identified in an early review would cost approximately $2.5 million to implement.

• Staff say platform development used existing resources and ongoing maintenance is expected to fit within current resources, but additional costs may arise.
• The $2.5 million estimate covers possible treatments at the 20 locations assessed so far. It is preliminary and is not an approved construction budget.
• Staff are to provide further, high-level cost estimates in their Q3 2026 report.

What is unclear#

• How the City will decide which recommended treatments to fund or build, and when.
• How accurate the risk rankings are, especially in newer communities. Staff say the population data is based on the 2021 census and may rank those communities lower.
• How often the scores will change as staff add or update data.
• What additional costs may arise, and whether any future funding will be requested.
• How the City might use 311 reports: staff are exploring mapping them, but they are not currently included in the platform.

Case for#

• City staff say the platform can flag possible risks earlier than a system that relies more heavily on collision history and new traffic or pedestrian counts.
• Staff report that some high-ranked locations match sites identified through existing processes or already improved, offering early validation.
• The platform could help staff focus limited review effort on higher-risk intersections across more than 17,000 locations.

Case against#

• City staff warn that stale or incomplete data can affect rankings, particularly in newer communities, and that rankings may shift when datasets change.
• Staff say the tool is advisory, not a substitute for engineering review, and that detailed assessments, designs and cost estimates still require significant staff effort.
• Respondents to the City’s survey of Canadian organizations identified budget limits, staff capacity, maintenance and technology reliability as challenges. The report does not quantify Calgary’s future costs or show that the platform has reduced collisions.