Calgary Speed limits to be standard 30km/hr?

[browna]

So did I miss the article of the “relief is coming for the concerning police budget shortfall” or is that in the upcoming days?

[zamler]

Originally Posted by Bunk

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...&postcount=121

I didn't write what it attached to my name in your quote.

[WhiteTiger]

Amusingly timed topical article...

https://globalnews.ca/news/4427353/c...eding-tickets/

The number of speeding tickets issued in Calgary construction zones has increased by at least 1,300 per cent since last year, according to Calgary police statistics released to Global News on Tuesday

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by zamler

I didn't write what it attached to my name in your quote.

Huh. Weird.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

Amusingly timed topical article...

https://globalnews.ca/news/4427353/c...eding-tickets/

Is there 13 times more km of roads under construction? It’s got to be close when the entire Southwest is a construction zone.

[TorqueDog]

No kidding. It feels like there's 1,300% more construction over last year.

[Dan02]

Originally Posted by WhiteTiger

Amusingly timed topical article...

https://globalnews.ca/news/4427353/c...eding-tickets/

tickets that have been issued in construction zones without workers present, we’re up to nearly 40,000 of those tickets being issued.

we have to obey those signs because it’s all about safety for those construction workers.”

Does not compute.

More then half of their enforcement is when there are no workers present, definitely all about worker safety.

Though i'll admit my bias, i got one of those 40,000 tickets going 11 over on Easter Monday. Really saved all those construction workers working the long weekend there.

To paraphrase Warren Buffet, If you put a police car on anyone's tail for 500 miles, they are gonna get a ticket.

That's why everyone hates Photo Radar, its the equivalent of following everyone until they eventually get caught. It does not target the dangerous drivers as it completely ignores the flow of traffic to target the every day driver.

Photo Radar is essentially just a driving tax, just instead of a annual bill you get them irregularly at random intervals. Maybe this year I'll get away with not paying any driving taxes, maybe next year I'll end up getting hit with 2 bills. And because of this it has absolutely zero affect on how anyone actually drives.

I don't know a single person in my life who doesn't get the occasional photo radar ticket who I wouldn't deem a struggler on the road. Maddening both to drive near and just to be in the same car as.

[WhiteTiger]

Originally Posted by GGG

Is there 13 times more km of roads under construction? It’s got to be close when the entire Southwest is a construction zone.

It sure feels like the entire city is one big construction zone these days. Can't drive 2km without hitting a new one.

[Ducay]

I guarantee if it didn't line the city/CPS' pockets we would have wayyy more politicians supporting banning photo radar like BC. I think as soon as they realize the volume of free cash flows it provides (volunteer constable in the seat) any politician would be insane to fight against it since they'd then need to raise taxes to compensate.

[Fuzz]

Tony Churchill, senior traffic engineer with the City of Calgary, said the city has been working with the community and is in the process of installing traffic-calming measures.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...down-1.4810599


This is where the city loses me...If you want people to drive 30, make the speed limit 30, and if that doesn't work, shift to traffic calming. Don't keep the speed limit 50 but engineer the road for 30.


It's like this farce on 10th st. where the dog park hullabaloo happened a few years ago. Someone must have said people were driving to fast after they took the dog fence down on one side, then made the area across the street with no fence the off leash area, which zero people ever use becuase it is a steep hill. Anyway....dog dumbness aside, do they drop the speed limit? No they put speed bumps in on a 50km/h road that require you to slow to 30. So what does the city want out of people? Them to drive 50, or 30? Pick one.



https://goo.gl/maps/uDaBxADTPgR2

[Weitz]

Construction zones in Calgary (and Canada in general) are terribly set up.

Nothing like a 4 km construction zone for 400 m of construction. And lowered speed limits when no one is working.

No wonder people speed through construction zones.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...down-1.4810599


This is where the city loses me...If you want people to drive 30, make the speed limit 30, and if that doesn't work, shift to traffic calming. Don't keep the speed limit 50 but engineer the road for 30.


It's like this farce on 10th st. where the dog park hullabaloo happened a few years ago. Someone must have said people were driving to fast after they took the dog fence down on one side, then made the area across the street with no fence the off leash area, which zero people ever use becuase it is a steep hill. Anyway....dog dumbness aside, do they drop the speed limit? No they put speed bumps in on a 50km/h road that require you to slow to 30. So what does the city want out of people? Them to drive 50, or 30? Pick one.



https://goo.gl/maps/uDaBxADTPgR2

I disagree here, leaving the speed limit at 50 everywhere and using traffic calming devices to reduce speed in certain areas is the correct approach. People shouldn't need to be checking signs for speed limits on a residential road, they should drive at a speed that feels safe. People are going to drive at a speed they feel comfortable with so add trees and boulevards to reduce speeds in these areas make sense.

For 95% of people a well designed road does not need a speed limit. You will drive at a safe speed for the road. I'm sure if you look at high accident areas you will find road design issues where the design does not match the current function.

That said speed bumps are the worst of traffic calming devices. Just alternate yield directions or add a few 4-way stops instead and you will accomplish the same thing.

[Fuzz]

But if the goal is to have people drive 30, should you not tell them that?

[Ducay]

Having one category of residential is half the problem.

Look at Mt Royal where they put 40km everywhere, including on the main road (14th St, Elbow Dr). That is too low for main residential roads, but if people go 40 down the "standard" residential roads (ie parking on both sides, not really enough room for 2 full lanes of driving, I'd say they're being reckless.

But at the end of the day, both 14th ST, Elbow and the side residential roads have houses on them, so we treat them the same. Could you imagine Elbow Dr @ 30 the whole way? Bad enough with the "playground" zone that goes 200 blocks

[pepper24]

I can live if residential side streets are 30 km/h. I probably drive around that speed anyways most of the time.

Just need to make sure that main streets through residential areas like Elbow Drive, Northmount Drive, Center Street, 14th St NW etc stay at 50 km/h. They are key commuting roads for many on already long commutes.

[Mazrim]

Younger me would have been pissed at this idea, even if it's only residential streets. As I've gotten older I've certainly mellowed out my feeling about having to get everywhere as fast as possible. It's not worth the stress, and having seen the effects of a person vs car up close through a friend's struggles with recovery from that crash, I can't deny the facts and science behind it. We need to be more careful, and since we aren't doing that, they need to force us.

It's a small step forward in a more gradual shift to safer roads. It's too bad we can't make a better jump (ie. passive speed control in road design) but that costs a lot more money than changing the speed limit on residential streets.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

But if the goal is to have people drive 30, should you not tell them that?

With good design you shouldn’t have to. Should a door have a label telling you to push or pull or should it be designed properly so it’s intuitive. Signage should be the last resort to get people to behave properly. I would say a sign instructing someone to do a non-intuitive behaviour is a failure of design.

The speed limit is the maximum under perfect conditions. It’s the responsibility of the driver to adjust their speed to the conditions that are there whether it’s a permenant traffic calming device or snow or parked cars.

[Flames0910]

Originally Posted by GGG

With good design you shouldn’t have to. Should a door have a label telling you to push or pull or should it be designed properly so it’s intuitive. Signage should be the last resort to get people to behave properly. I would say a sign instructing someone to do a non-intuitive behaviour is a failure of design.

The speed limit is the maximum under perfect conditions. It’s the responsibility of the driver to adjust their speed to the conditions that are there whether it’s a permenant traffic calming device or snow or parked cars.

Most residential streets are unsigned and my understanding is that changing the limits wouldn't mean putting up a bunch of new signs. The notice of motion, if you read it, even talks about the need to budget for short and medium term projects that would update residential street designs to reflect the new limit. And Gian-Carlo Carra has talked about the need for a "generational" redesign of residential streets. It's not like the city is going to pronounce new limits and leave it at that.

How is the city supposed to have developers build slower streets if the current legal limit tells the developer to design for 50km/h?

[TheScorpion]

Why such a dramatic change? 50 to 30 seems like such an overzealous deduction. Why not just go with 40 and stick with it?

[Ashasx]

Would the entirety of 10th street between 14 street and 16 ave be considered residential?