You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[timun]

Originally Posted by getbak

I blame the French. They're usually the culprits for our messed up language rules.

Ouais bien sûr, en français c'est «par accident»!

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

You southsiders get your water from Lake Bonavista lake.

*Sikome lake.

[Sliver]

I love how Calgary is in a drought, but lake Bonavista keeps getting topped up with city water so I can stand-up paddle board if I feel like it. I mean, I don't feel like it, but it's nice to know the option is there.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I love how Calgary is in a drought, but lake Bonavista keeps getting topped up with city water so I can stand-up paddle board if I feel like it. I mean, I don't feel like it, but it's nice to know the option is there.

I feel like they make sure to do that to keep that leech population stable and healthy.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Sliver

I love how Calgary is in a drought, but lake Bonavista keeps getting topped up with city water so I can stand-up paddle board if I feel like it. I mean, I don't feel like it, but it's nice to know the option is there.

One thing I noticed throughout the restrictions is that all the commercial properties I drive past on the way to work early morning never changed their watering patterns (most are every 2nd day) at all and half of them water more road than grass.

[jayswin]

The new "permanent" location for the photo radar vehicle on deerfoot south. Used to be along the southland turnoff. Now they're getting around the fact that they've been mandated to be highly visible to traffic with a yellow "drive safe" wrap, by "hiding" the vehicle, which is bull****.

Now they're parking along the side lane that goes from glenmore west to deerfoot south over the bridge. They sneak it along the merge lane, beside the barrier so deerfoot south drivers can barely see it until it's too late, which is exactly what they were mandated against doing.

Hidden vs visible debate aside, it just grinds my gears because they're creating unsafe merging as the vehicle is right beside the glenmore west/deerfoot south mergers. Everyone already merges too slow there, now everyone's slowing down to like 50km's an hour next to the drive safe radar vehicle because it's so close (or maybe some think the legistlation of slowing to 50kms beside an emergency vehicle counts in this case?) and then there's a line of us trying to merge onto deerfoot at 50kms. Like **** off with that radar placement for multiple reasons.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by jayswin

The new "permanent" location for the photo radar vehicle on deerfoot south. Used to be along the southland turnoff. Now they're getting around the fact that they've been mandated to be highly visible to traffic with a yellow "drive safe" wrap, by "hiding" the vehicle, which is bull****.

Now they're parking along the side lane that goes from glenmore west to deerfoot south over the bridge. They sneak it along the merge lane, beside the barrier so deerfoot south drivers can barely see it until it's too late, which is exactly what they were mandated against doing.

Hidden vs visible debate aside, it just grinds my gears because they're creating unsafe merging as the vehicle is right beside the glenmore west/deerfoot south mergers. Everyone already merges too slow there, now everyone's slowing down to like 50km's an hour next to the drive safe radar vehicle because it's so close (or maybe some think the legistlation of slowing to 50kms beside an emergency vehicle counts in this case?) and then there's a line of us trying to merge onto deerfoot at 50kms. Like **** off with that radar placement for multiple reasons.

Report it.

Make sure you call out the facts you've stated: this creates a dangerous situation for drivers attempting to merge onto a 100 KM/H freeway and violates the spirit of the law about the vehicle being clearly visible. Using a barrier to obscure the high-vis vinyl (as it does in that section) is clearly what the law was intended to prevent.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Calgary/com...right/j1586uk/

Originally Posted by birchy98

TL;DR - I complained about this behavior through the appropriate channel at CPS, and they acknowledged, agreed, and appear to have made adjustments in the specific area I complained about.

More detail: I had some free time so I decided to submit a complaint through the "Professional Standards" division provided on their website: https://www.calgary.ca/cps/public-se...ry-police.html. I made reference to the spirit of the law - and how even though they had bright signage on the vehicles and were far enough away from the transition zone (commended them for those things) - the fact that they were still purposely hiding behind obstacles defeated the purpose of the legislation - and was "disingenuous at best, illegal at worst". I also said that if this was about safety, there's tonnes of space in the same area for them to park out in the open where everyone can see them. I was expecting to get some form of defensive response with some mental gymnastics to show they were not 'technically' breaking the law.. but to their credit, they agreed and owned it. This was the reply from a Sergeant in the "Specialized Traffic Enforcement Unit" (names removed):

Good morning birchy98,

Thank you for bringing the issue of parking behind the bus stop in the 5400 block of Crowchild Trail to our attention.

I realize that the matter was flagged as resolved at Professional Standards, however I wanted to notify you that we are addressing it.

You are quite right that parking behind a bus stop or similar object is not in compliance with the spirit of the regulations.

We did specifically notify our operators over the past month to refrain from doing so.

Further reminders have been sent.

Thank you,
Sergeant

I was out again last night and though I didn't see it up close to know 100% for sure - I saw a parked vehicle with the 4 way flashers on - in the same general area they always park, except this time out in the open before the bus stop. So if it was the photo radar unit, it appears they got the reminder above and changed their behavior! So kudos for that!

Long story short - if you have specific examples in your own areas - it appears the official complaint process actually works, so please take a few minutes to fill out the form!

[GordonBlue]

Picked up a book from the library that looked good.
Before bed I started it, and realized that I'd read it before.
I didn't recall by just reading the book jacket blurb.

That ever happen to any of you? It sucks. lol

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by GordonBlue

Picked up a book from the library that looked good.
Before bed I started it, and realized that I'd read it before.
I didn't recall by just reading the book jacket blurb.

That ever happen to any of you? It sucks. lol

I read 3/4 of a book once... bitching all the way that it vaguely but not completely seemed like a rip off of something I seemed to have read before.

Then I realized I had read it before and the remainder of what happens in the book flooded my memory.

I don't recall which book it was but I have a slight guess, so this might happen again sometime in the future.

I've suspected it's something Isaac Asimov or Phillip K Dick. I keep thinking I've never read anything Asimov or PKD before, but I had suspicions this isn't completely true as well (may have randomly read a ton of their work in my low memory distracted youth without knowing who they were).

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

I read 3/4 of a book once... bitching all the way that it vaguely but not completely seemed like a rip off of something I seemed to have read before.

Then I realized I had read it before and the remainder of what happens in the book flooded my memory.

I don't recall which book it was but I have a slight guess, so this might happen again sometime in the future.

I've suspected it's something Isaac Asimov or Phillip K Dick. I keep thinking I've never read anything Asimov or PKD before, but I had suspicions this isn't completely true as well (may have randomly read a ton of their work in my low memory distracted youth without knowing who they were).

Both Asimov and PKD dabbled in time travel so that may be affecting you. Some books are well worth reading more than once. A one or two year hiatus can give you a different perspective on the story.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Geraldsh

Both Asimov and PKD dabbled in time travel so that may be affecting you. Some books are well worth reading more than once. A one or two year hiatus can give you a different perspective on the story.

I wasn't a fan of Sci fi as a kid. I couldn't wrap my mind around it. But now that I'm older, I love the genre.

I'm waiting to find a good deal on a hard cover set of the Foundation series to really start digging into their stuff. Does anyone also know if they ever made good hardcover, tome like compilations of Asimov and PKD's work? Not a soft cover basic compilation. Like display quality, anthology caliber. I wasn't able to find any for a reasonable price.

Similarly, I wish I nabbed the Roald Dahl adult stories ones when I was in my youth.

[The Yen Man]

Is there any good reason at all to have Airport Trail speed limit at 60km/hr? And I'm not talking about the residential section in Harvest Hills, so probably from the blue ring and beyond going east. It just seems like such a blatant fishing spot for photo radar to keep it at 60 on that stretch. It's built like a wide open highway with wide lanes, and yet we can't even go at least 80km there?

[timun]

Airport Trail is 80 km/h from Deerfoot to the tunnel under the runway, and 70 km/h out to Stoney... ?

[GordonBlue]

always bugs me when someone asks me to place an order for an item that has to be licensed by Healthy Canada, but the link provided is for the website from another country.

Just because it exists online doesn't mean I can freaking buy it and get it into Canada.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

Is there any good reason at all to have Airport Trail speed limit at 60km/hr? And I'm not talking about the residential section in Harvest Hills, so probably from the blue ring and beyond going east. It just seems like such a blatant fishing spot for photo radar to keep it at 60 on that stretch. It's built like a wide open highway with wide lanes, and yet we can't even go at least 80km there?

Just guessing here, but I bet the excuse is that because the road will be heavily used by travellers unfamiliar with the city in rental cars, the lower speed is to reduce the chance of serious incidents due to abrupt lane changes, etc.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by timun

Airport Trail is 80 km/h from Deerfoot to the tunnel under the runway, and 70 km/h out to Stoney... ?

Other direction, it slows to 60 here:


https://maps.app.goo.gl/c2XFja6QkBS3FsMaA

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by you&me

Just guessing here, but I bet the excuse is that because the road will be heavily used by travellers unfamiliar with the city in rental cars, the lower speed is to reduce the chance of serious incidents due to abrupt lane changes, etc.

Cool. So why frequently put photo radar there? It just screams cash grab if that's the case.

Not trying to mow you down, just saying if that's indeed CPS' reasoning, it's a bigger pile of BS than normal.

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Other direction, it slows to 60 here:


https://maps.app.goo.gl/c2XFja6QkBS3FsMaA

Yah, there's like a photo radar SUV permanently parked there it seems. I bet it gets a lot of people, as every time I come back from the airport, I usually see 1 or 2 cars caught as I drive that stretch.

[you&me]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Cool. So why frequently put photo radar there? It just screams cash grab if that's the case.

Not trying to mow you down, just saying if that's indeed CPS' reasoning, it's a bigger pile of BS than normal.

To be clear, I think it's BS too, but I'm just imagining what excuse would be given...

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Cool. So why frequently put photo radar there? It just screams cash grab if that's the case.

... well, it's photo radar, a thinly-veiled cash grab is what it is.

Photo enforcement programs and equipment are designed and marketed to municipalities as revenue-generating tools, an opportunity to shore up the budget. They're sold to the public under the guise of safety, despite the fact that they routinely do nothing of the sort and especially when used in such a manner to accomplish their primary goal of revenue generation; see jayswin's report of the photo radar vehicle being placed on a freeway near a merge lane with the barrier hiding the high-vis vinyl despite being contrary to the provincial regulations as a recent example. There's another spot on south Deerfoot by the north Barlow / Ogden merge ramp that is similar.

It's not for safety. Not now and never was ever about safety.