If there's one issue that's guaranteed to get Calgarian's hot under the collar, it's the matter of traffic. For years the debate on whether the city should have a ring road has raged. While many of us would agree without question that Calgary is desperate for such a traffic calming measure, the argument as to where this road should be built is far from over. The solution, it would appear, is stuck in gridlock.

The most universally agreed upon ring road option fell at the first fence, due to it running through Tsuu T'ina land. So, other less popular options were devised and many heated exchanges ensued. The most favoured of these alternative routes, as far as many of Calgary's residents are concerned, is the proposed Route 4, which passes through the Weaselhead Natural Area to connect with 37th Street. Only problem here is that this area is considered by conservationists to be too damaging, and by Lakeview residents as too close for comfort. This latter concern seems to be a recurring issue affecting similar schemes around the developed world - everybody wants a ring road, but nobody wants it in their backyard.

 This image above shows the main proposed routes.

While the powers that be scratch their heads, and city planners look to the growing concerns of residents, Calgary's bars and coffee shops are all-a-chatter with theories, controversies and radical solutions. Online forums and newspaper columns are bursting with opinion and speculation. Of course there are those who sit firmly on either side of the fence, unbending and immovable, while others look for compromise at every step. One can forgive the road-weary for their cries of 'stop talking and just get the thing built!' just as one must sympathize with the environmental lobby who simply wish to see the least damage done to our natural heritage.

Surveys elsewhere have shown that ring roads do significantly alleviate a city's roads from traffic that is heading for other destinations. But equally they have demonstrated, following initial traffic flow improvements, that roads actually see an increase in the number of vehicles that previously chose to avoid the city's clogged highways and before long, the problem returns.

The Stoney Trail Extension: the images above show planned changes between Highways 1 and 8.  

So here we are in 2011, still in a state of indecision; five years after the last study for the south west ring road was completed and two years after it was rejected by the Tsuu T'ina Nation. But now, the possibility of fresh negotiations between Alberta Transportation and the Tsuu T'ina may be on the horizon, bringing the whole issue back to its starting point. It's difficult to ignore the irony of a discussion for a ring road going full circle.

Even if a decision is made in the coming weeks and months, it will be several years before the project reaches completion, and who knows what economic events or political occurrences might happen in that time.

What do you think of the proposed plans? Do we have a duty to consider environmental impact, or are 'green' matters just getting in the way of progress?

And how do you feel about the arguments that suggest we should simply try to change the way in which we get around, by adopting city-wide car pools and adopting greater use of public transit?

By the Justin Havre Writing Team