After deadly year on roads, Calgary explores using drones and VR for traffic safety

After reporting an 11-year high for collision fatalities last year, Calgary is turning to new technology in an attempt to make its roads safer.

Calgary is the first Canadian city to test drones and virtual reality to monitor traffic in real time. The city has purchased around seven drones to monitor traffic, and allow city staff to understand how crowd patterns are forming and whether officers are needed to control traffic.

Operators at the city's traffic management centre are also piloting a virtual reality headset to keep an eye on congestion at intersections, and adjust traffic signals in real time. It's currently being tested at Macleod Trail and 42nd Avenue S.W.

These new tools come after 29 people died in collisions in 2024, including 13 pedestrians.

"I'm really hopeful and optimistic that we can alleviate some of the pressure on traffic, and maybe calm drivers down to some degree so that we're not experiencing the same amount of collisions that we have seen in the past — in particular the collisions between vehicles and pedestrians where lives were lost," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

Aside from safety, Gondek said the city's goal is to use these tools to make road travel faster and more predictable.

The VR headset was tested during the recent G7 leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alta., when thousands of people from across the world were travelling through Calgary. Gondek said it was a success.

"We had a lot of motorcades passing through and so we had to accommodate those, but very quickly the teams at the traffic management centre were able to reset the signals to allow for full flow of traffic again," she said.

The city plans to expand the VR program to up to 15 more locations next year, said Ravi Seera, Calgary's acting director of mobility.

Seera said it cost the city roughly $10,000 to bring the VR headsets online, adding that each drone costs "less than $1,000." But he said these tools should save the city money in the long run.

"The whole intention behind the pilot is we want to make sure there is value behind the investment. So we are looking at low-cost, high-value investments," said Seera.

Faster Google Maps updates

Calgary has also landed a partnership with Google to make it the first city in the world to upload images directly to Google Street View.

Gondek said that means Calgarians will get faster updates and more accurate information on Google Maps. City staff is also exploring partnerships with similar platforms like Apple Maps.

"On average, it takes Google about two to three years to update their maps. We're enabling them to do it within about six months," said Gondek.

Similar to Toronto, the City of Calgary is also partnering with Waze, a popular navigation app.

"Calgary has created a two-way data connection with Waze, which gives drivers and the city access to live traffic updates on closures and detours, and it helps drivers to report any incidents and delays that they may be witnessing in real time," said Gondek.

In addition, the city is using artificial intelligence for traffic counting. City staff are also looking into ways AI can help to prevent potholes or cracks in roads.

"What we expect is in a few years, that would replace our manual data collection and inspection of our roadways. It will give us information about which roads need to be paved," said Seera.

Gondek said the city has robust safety protocols in place to ensure all data is protected.