Calgarians planning to drive to the popular McHugh Bluff lookout for the annual New Year's Eve fireworks display will need to make alternate arrangements this year. The City of Calgary is implementing temporary vehicle access restrictions in the adjacent communities of Crescent Heights and Rosedale, a move that has elicited a mixed response from local residents.
Road Closures and Checkpoint Details
Vehicle access will be prohibited from 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, until 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. During this four-hour window, only residents of the affected neighbourhoods will be permitted to enter by car. Those residents will be required to show proof of address at designated checkpoints and must personally vouch for any guests travelling with them.
The city states that the primary goals of the restrictions are to enhance pedestrian safety and to guarantee that emergency service vehicles can navigate the area without obstruction during the festivities. This decision follows significant congestion issues experienced during last year's celebration.
Safety Concerns Prompt City Action
In an official statement, the City of Calgary cited lessons learned from the previous event. "Last year’s celebration was well‑attended, but fireworks traffic created congestion in the area and residents raised concerns about potential delays to emergency response," the city explained. "This year, people can still enter the communities on foot, but vehicle access will be restricted."
Community leaders confirm the severity of past traffic problems. Marie Semenick-Evans, president of the Crescent Heights Community Association, noted that large crowds viewing the fireworks from Prince's Island Park have previously caused streets to be gridlocked for up to three hours. She highlighted a stark contrast: while Crescent Heights has a resident population of roughly 6,000, the association estimates that more than 10,000 people descended on the community for last year's display.
Community Prefers Alternative Solutions
Despite acknowledging the serious safety concerns related to traffic gridlock, the Crescent Heights Community Association expressed disappointment with the city's chosen solution. Semenick-Evans made it clear that closing the community to vehicles is not their preferred outcome.
"This is not the solution that we would want, because we don’t want to close our community off," she stated. "We are an inner-city community, and this is an event that should be accessible to everybody. This is the route that the city has chosen, and it is not a route that we prefer."
The association has been in discussions with the city for two years, hoping to find a middle ground. "We would have liked there to be a solution to find a balance . . . where people can access parking on the streets, and yet vehicles would not be stopped in the middle of the streets," Semenick-Evans added.
The city's measure underscores the ongoing challenge of managing large-scale public events in dense urban neighbourhoods, balancing public access, resident convenience, and critical safety protocols. Attendees are now encouraged to consider walking, cycling, or using public transit to reach the McHugh Bluff area for the New Year's Eve fireworks.
