Sure, we may not live in a city with nightmare commutes like Toronto or Montreal but we still face rush hour gridlock during our daily commutes. Whether you drive, take transit, bike or walk, Calgary has awesome traffic infrastructure to help make your journey a little easier.

If you happen to be a driver, chances are you use at least one of the three major north to south road in Calgary, Macleod Trail, Deerfoot Trail and Crowchild trail. Macleod is the most popular route from the South to downtown with Deerfoot Trail a close second while those living in the North tend to take Deerfoot to Memorial. Both can get quite congested during the rush. Crowchild Trail is also frequently used and is a popular route for cyclists and pedestrians looking to get from both the North and South to downtown.

Running East and West you will find Tran-Canada Highway (16^th Avenue), Stoney Trail and Memorial Drive. The near completion of the Stoney Trail ring road has literally revolutionized peoples commutes shaving lots of time off their route. Slated to be completed in 2024, it is a handy way to bypass the busy inner roads of Calgary if you are traveling from the East to West or vice versa. Memorial Drive is the most popular route into the downtown core being fed by both Crowchild and Deerfoot Trails and is also very popular with pedestrians and cyclists.

For up-to-date travel times, visit the travel times section of the City of Calgary’s website to know what to expect on the roads https://www.calgary.ca/roads/conditions/travel-times.html. They also have informative data from the 2016 civic census breaking down how Calgarians choose to get around the city. The majority of commuters, 67.7%, identify as solo drivers, 14.4% use transit, 10.2% carpool/rideshare/taxi, 4.7% walk and 1.5% choose to ride their bike.

When it comes to the downtown workforce, half of them choose to use public transit daily and it’s a great alternative to driving downtown and paying the high parking rates. In 2022 Calgary transit saw 56.9 million trips, had 150 bus routes, 45 ctrain stations and over 6,200 bus stops to accommodate the growing number of transit users. Bus fares are reasonable with adults paying $3.60 per ticket, $11.25 for a daily pass and monthly passes at $112. 12 + under still ride free with youths (13-17) paying $2.45 per ticket, $8.25 for a daily pass and $82 for a monthly pass. Check out www.calgarytransit.com for more info on their routes and services.

While our weather might not accommodate cycling and walking during the majority of the year, we still have impressive cycling and walking routes for you to explore https://www.calgary.ca/bike-walk-roll/maps.html. And the city has made it much easier for those living and working downtown with the additional of strategic bike lanes to make citizens commute choices easier. Happy travels and join me on Facebook and Google for more about our beautiful city and all things real estate!