Crazy streets and intersections [Split from Ring Road]

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

There is a reason the southern part of 4th st NE is called "Edmonton Trail".

I remember being a kid and never understanding why there was an Edmonton Trail in Calgary, and a Calgary Trail in Edmonton. Then one day my dad explained that Calgary Trail was the road you take out of Edmonton to Calgary and that sort of made sense. But Edmonton Trail remained a childhood mystery to me.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I remember being a kid and never understanding why there was an Edmonton Trail in Calgary, and a Calgary Trail in Edmonton. Then one day my dad explained that Calgary Trail was the road you take out of Edmonton to Calgary and that sort of made sense. But Edmonton Trail remained a childhood mystery to me.

Err it was the road to Edmonton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Trail


Wait, I get it, why would anyone leave Calgary for Edmonton.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Err it was the road to Edmonton.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Trail


Wait, I get it, why would anyone leave Calgary for Edmonton.

Naming it that was a Warning.

"If you follow this Trail, it takes you to Edmonton!"

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Locke

Naming it that was a Warning.

"If you follow this Trail, it takes you to Edmonton!"

I believe the old timey folks like to use terms like "abandon hope"

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Locke

Naming it that was a Warning.

"If you follow this Trail, it takes you to Edmonton!"

Then, in order to protect those poor souls who don't heed the warning, it doesn't actually take you to Edmonton.

[AcGold]

Not because of the names but John Laurie and Crowchild suck so hard every morning. The city officially reached its traffic flow limits and the NW is a nightmare everyday. Tough to get parking anywhere, getting on the lrt is a gamble, staying on the lrt also a gamble if you're by the doors. Gridlock from Dalhousie to SAIT everyday.

Calgary needs to get it together because it's going to negatively effect industry very soon at the rate of worsening traffic flow.

[Resolute 14]

In the olden days of yore, it was the "Calgary and Edmonton Trail". Same reason why Airdrie has an Edmonton Trail.

Also, before Barlow Trail was Barlow Trail, it was Highway 2 (pdf file).

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by habernac

Ctr Street North turns into Harvest Hills Blvd, then Ctr Street once again when you cross Stoney Trail.

There are a few discontinuities because of Stoney Trail in the north. 14th St is kind of a weird one.

[Fuzz]

Centre street may have the most sections. There is that bit up north, then the main bit to the tower, then a bit south of the tower, then another section by Chinook.

[REDVAN]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Not because of the names but John Laurie and Crowchild suck so hard every morning. The city officially reached its traffic flow limits and the NW is a nightmare everyday. Tough to get parking anywhere, getting on the lrt is a gamble, staying on the lrt also a gamble if you're by the doors. Gridlock from Dalhousie to SAIT everyday.

Calgary needs to get it together because it's going to negatively effect industry very soon at the rate of worsening traffic flow.

You are the most negative poster on this whole entire site.

My favorite intersections are: Elbow and Glenmore before the interchange.

[calumniate]

Outside of calgary, confusion corner in winnipeg is one of my favourites. Luckily I'm normally escorted by a dirty hippy in a band van when I'm there, and we just destroy it

[FireGilbert]

I've found Calgary's crazy streets and intersections to be much less crazy than other cities. Possibly because Calgary mostly grew out from the centre (other than Bowness, Midnapore and Ogden) while other cities were the result of amalgamation of various towns and suburbs. Here are a few of my favourites though.

-Richmond Rd: Heading east it turns into 33rd Ave SW while the actually Richmond Rd is a side street to the left. It is then cut in two by Crowchild with the eastern side going to where the old children's hospital was.

-Shaganappi Trail being on the opposite side of the river from Shaganappi.

-19th St SE turning into 17A St SE in Inglewood.

-Lake Bonivista Dr doing a very long loop through Lake Bonavista. If I had a nickel for everytime I went the wrong direction and had to drive all the way around...

[#-3]

Originally Posted by Ace

For some reason in Evanston they actually planned to have four distinct streets called evansborough way (it's a square essentially)...you should see the endless looks of despair trying to find any house on those roads.



This is a brand new community, just can't fathom why it's so hard to call one 'road', one 'vista', one 'drive'...

Evanston Drive is pretty much the same thing. 3 different roads making a box. 1 name.

[Acey]

Deerfoot was originally called Blackfoot, and it was planned to tear right down the middle of Inglewood and destroy it. They said F no, and it got pushed east of the river when they built it by 1975. Then further south Lougheed's darling Fish Creek Park pushed it back across the river again.

[WhiteTiger]

This thread is really quite amusing to me, and really brings home the point to me of knowing where you are, and being able to describe it. So many people blithely drive around and have no idea of what road they are on, or if they do know the name, no idea what roads intersect. What if something happens. There is a reason one of the very first questions you are asked with 911 is "What is the location of your emergency"...it's one of the most important questions.

Back when I was driving to work, I did an experiment to see how many names of the roads I knew that I drove on. I knew most of the ones I actually drove on, but identifying cross streets were tricky. I often forgot that Mcknight is before 64th on Deerfoot, saying 64th when I meant Mcknight.

It's tough when people don't really know where they are...and then you have streets named like the ones in this thread to further complicate it.

[Magnum PEI]

Check out Missoula, the diagonal part was South Missoula, but got absorbed when the main town grew after the university was built.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by #-3

Evanston Drive is pretty much the same thing. 3 different roads making a box. 1 name.

I thought I found ways to overcome this, so thought it was pretty smart to start saying things like 'come to the NE corner of evansborough way' and every single time it's just silence on the other end...

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

This thread is really quite amusing to me, and really brings home the point to me of knowing where you are, and being able to describe it. So many people blithely drive around and have no idea of what road they are on, or if they do know the name, no idea what roads intersect. What if something happens. There is a reason one of the very first questions you are asked with 911 is "What is the location of your emergency"...it's one of the most important questions.

Back when I was driving to work, I did an experiment to see how many names of the roads I knew that I drove on. I knew most of the ones I actually drove on, but identifying cross streets were tricky. I often forgot that Mcknight is before 64th on Deerfoot, saying 64th when I meant Mcknight.

It's tough when people don't really know where they are...and then you have streets named like the ones in this thread to further complicate it.

This happened to me on Wednesday. Girlfriend had the car breakdown on Deerfoot, which obviously was terrible, so she gives me a call. I ask her where she is and she has no idea. I finally got it out of her that she could see the Max Bell Arena, so that narrowed it down quite a bit, but I was surprised that she had no clue as to which exit ramp she was closest to.

[Resolute 14]

It is actually amazing how many people don't pay attention. The exit road from Deerfoot to Glenmore - Heritage Meadows Road - has been a free flow turn onto Heritage Drive since the flood. Three years later, and people still treat it like a yield.

[JBR]

Shaganappi Trail from Bowness Road to 32 Ave NW is about to become a major pain in the butt. Intersection work going on leading into ACH and University City.

Looks like there will be a stoplight halfway up (and maybe southbound too) the hill.