Calgary Roads: Collisions Surge to 10-Year High

CALGARY — Calgary's roads just became a war zone nobody asked for. Collisions jumped 38% from 2021 to 2024, while Vancouver crawled up 10% and Toronto barely moved. The city hit a 10-year high for traffic deaths in 2024 alone, even as overall crime dropped 14%.

The Money Problem

Here's the rub: Calgary throws roughly $5 million a year at road safety. Edmonton? ~$50 million. Toronto? ~$80 million. You get what you pay for, and Calgary's getting body counts. Over 63,000 new drivers hit the streets during this period, according to the City of Calgary's Service Plans and Budgets 2023-2026, but the safety budget didn't grow with them.

Fatal pedestrian collisions spiked 225% in 2024, per Calgary Police Service Traffic Section stats reported to the Calgary Police Commission. 35% involved unsafe speed. The City of Calgary's Safer Mobility Plan 2025 confirmed the collision surge and funding crater in black and white.

Photo Radar Gets Kneecapped

Former Ward 8 Councillor Courtney Walcott points fingers at provincial meddling. The Alberta Automated Traffic Enforcement Technology Guideline choked photo radar deployment to documented danger zones only, killing revenue that fed the Alberta Victims of Crime Fund and local safety programs. City officials from the Mobility department admit their strategy has been "reactive" — code for waiting until someone dies before painting a crosswalk.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) sees dollar signs in the carnage. Alberta's claim costs are already brutal, and the 38% collision spike will likely jack premiums higher. Bike Calgary and pedestrian groups keep screaming about infrastructure priorities, but City Hall's wallet stays zipped.

AI to the Rescue?

City officials are now testing artificial intelligence to predict which intersections will turn deadly before they do. The real fight comes during the 2026-2027 budget cycle, when the Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit decides whether ~$5 million is still an acceptable price tag for this kind of bloodshed.