I work for Mayor Nenshi, ask me anything!

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by shermanator

I’m not one to normally one to go into a thread like this, but something HAS to be done about the complete cluster#### that is the Community Natural Foods on 10th Ave SW. Here is an example of what pedestrians have to deal with.



This is my pedestrian commute this morning. In order to go from the sidewalk that precedes Community Natural Foods, to the sidewalk that follows Community Natural Foods, I have to run into 10th Ave around the semi and dodge traffic.

I don’t even bother going this way on my walk home as I just know I am putting my life into my hands if I choose to do so.

So, what are my options here to express my frustration? 311 I’m guessing?

You may want to check out the Beltline Pedestrian Strategy White Paper:

Link

It was written to parallel and help provide some community perspective to direct the work the City is doing on their Pedestrian Strategy. There is actually a picture similar to yours in the paper.

The reason this particular issue occurs is due to jogs in the property lines at Community Natural Foods and a few other areas along 10th Avenue as a product of the disjointed nature of how the CPR lands were parceled and sold off. So, where the sidewalk ends on the east side on City right of way, CNF owns almost up to the curb of 10th Avenue, leaving no room for a public sidewalk. Also, because it backs onto the CPR tracks, the loading area for Community Natural Foods is done through the front.

It's a good example of something that has gone ignored by the City because the solution isn't clear and it's easier to just do nothing.

[shermanator]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Cross the road? Go around it? Is it that hard?

I commute down that road twice a day walking in the summer/spring time and maybe 2 or 3 times there is a truck there. What did I do? Either walked around it or crossed the street.

Is this really something that makes you so upset?

So, my options are as follows:
- Go around (which I did, by the way). To do this, I have to go into 10 Ave around the truck which is parked not only for the full length of the parking lot, but the bike lane, and into the westbound lane of 10 Ave.
- Cross the street. To do this, I have to walk into 10 Ave during rush hour, peek my head around the truck so that I can see whether I have to play human Frogger, and then make a break for it as I jaywalk in rush hour traffic so that I don't piss any drivers off..

Which of these are safe situations for a pedestrian, exactly?

You’re right in that this is not a common situation in this particular spot. Usually most delivery trucks at Community Natural Foods do not cover the bike lane and part of the westbound lane. However, IMO this type of situation should not be occurring at all and is typical of the complete disregard for the pedestrian in this city.

[Madman]

If it's blocking traffic, (at all), you should call the Police - nothing 311 is going to be able to handle.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by shermanator

I’m not one to normally one to go into a thread like this, but something HAS to be done about the complete cluster#### that is the Community Natural Foods on 10th Ave SW. Here is an example of what pedestrians have to deal with.



This is my pedestrian commute this morning. In order to go from the sidewalk that precedes Community Natural Foods, to the sidewalk that follows Community Natural Foods, I have to run into 10th Ave around the semi and dodge traffic.

I don’t even bother going this way on my walk home as I just know I am putting my life into my hands if I choose to do so.

So, what are my options here to express my frustration? 311 I’m guessing?

No seriously something needs to be done here. What you're talking about is only part of it. You can even add that the drivers block 10th ave and back up slowly into the loading dock blocking traffic.

An even bigger problem, if you sit outside the store and just watch what happens for about 15 minutes you'll get it. People wait on the street for a parking spot to open up. That blocks 10th ave and you get honking and angry drivers. They try to dangerously pass into oncoming traffic while others try to exit the parking lot at the same time. It's a daily thing with the worst being at noon. Add in the u turns everybody makes in front of the store and it's downright dangerous.

I've witnessed a couple near miss accidents and now know to not stand on the sidewalk. It's quite bad and I'm surprised the nothing's being done about it. Someone's going to get hurt.

[Barnes]

Just crawl through the cab. If something is parked or stopped in a cross walk or sidewalk you have every right to go over, under or through.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

I don't know what this means.

It means if people leave bikes in the way of a road, people will freak out.

So why is it ok to leave trucks in the way of a sidewalk?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

No seriously something needs to be done here. What you're talking about is only part of it. You can even add that the drivers block 10th ave and back up slowly into the loading dock blocking traffic.

An even bigger problem, if you sit outside the store and just watch what happens for about 15 minutes you'll get it. People wait on the street for a parking spot to open up. That blocks 10th ave and you get honking and angry drivers. They try to dangerously pass into oncoming traffic while others try to exit the parking lot at the same time. It's a daily thing with the worst being at noon. Add in the u turns everybody makes in front of the store and it's downright dangerous.

I've witnessed a couple near miss accidents and now know to not stand on the sidewalk. It's quite bad and I'm surprised the nothing's being done about it. Someone's going to get hurt.

Yeah, but what could be done? I mean its a busy store with a small parking lot. Really the issue is the drivers (aside from the delivery truck I guess, but they don't seem to have much choice?). I've been there dozens of times myself and it is bad, but I'm not sure what the options are here.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Slava

Yeah, but what could be done? I mean its a busy store with a small parking lot. Really the issue is the drivers (aside from the delivery truck I guess, but they don't seem to have much choice?). I've been there dozens of times myself and it is bad, but I'm not sure what the options are here.

I'm not really sure either but possibly removing the few parking stalls from the front of the store and using that as a waiting area.

Or maybe the store could validate street parking, but probably not going to happen.

But yeah, I like the store, they have some good stuff in there.

[#-3]

Semis at my work have been unable to turn out of our driveway, because of cars parked on the road across the street. Is there a way we could ask the city to consider a no parking sign on the road there?

Our area does not exactly have a parking shortage, but we fell it is not our place to ask other business not to park there. We would like to see if it makes scenes for the city to make that call.

[moncton golden flames]

Originally Posted by shermanator

So, my options are as follows:
- Go around (which I did, by the way). To do this, I have to go into 10 Ave around the truck which is parked not only for the full length of the parking lot, but the bike lane, and into the westbound lane of 10 Ave.

Walking and paying attention to what you are doing for an entire 60 foot detour is that hard? If a delivery truck is sticking that far into 10th Avenue, then westbound vehicles are either stopped waiting for the truck to move or they are driving slowly as they manoeuvre around it because a truck is in their lane. Either way, you're being overly dramatic, suck it up princess.

Originally Posted by shermanator

Cross the street. To do this, I have to walk into 10 Ave during rush hour, peek my head around the truck so that I can see whether I have to play human Frogger, and then make a break for it as I jaywalk in rush hour traffic so that I don't piss any drivers off..

You poor thing, having to look both ways before you cross the street, at an intersection (not jaywalking) where pedestrians are supposed to cross.

May I suggest you wrap yourself in bubble wrap and stay in your mom's basement if venturing out into the real world is too daunting for you.

[Northski]

Community Natural could take there delivery's at night or they could use a smaller delivery truck and a round about could be but at 13 st and 10 ave sw.

[stampsx2]

Why are garbage trucks doing runs on holidays? What a waste of taxpayer money.

They get paid double time and who knows what else. I don't mind waiting an extra day or two. It's not a neccessary service like police or ems that they need to work on holidays. This city needs a much more fiscally conservative stand before signing contracts with unions.

[Tyler]

Do you know how many places in the world WISH they had consistent sanitation removal and lived in a city routinely branded as 'The Cleanest city in the world'??

Talk about some first world problems and complaining for the sake of complaining. "I wish I didn't regularly get my garbage picked up. Those hundred or so garbage collectors getting double pay a couple times a year are the reason I can barely afford my $7 daily latte."

This city needs less of you and more people just thankful to live where they do with a public service that works hard even when you have the day off

[SebC]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Why are garbage trucks doing runs on holidays?

[...]

I don't mind waiting an extra day or two.

It would probably be an extra week, assuming that they are working other streets the "day or two" later you would have them come.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Do you know how many places in the world WISH they had consistent sanitation removal and lived in a city routinely branded as 'The Cleanest city in the world'??

Talk about some first world problems and complaining for the sake of complaining. "I wish I didn't regularly get my garbage picked up. Those hundred or so garbage collectors getting double pay a couple times a year are the reason I can barely afford my $7 daily latte."

This city needs less of you and more people just thankful to live where they do with a public service that works hard even when you have the day off

You're the reason our property taxes creep up each year and the city still has a budget problem. Spend away. And by the way i don't drink lattes.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Why are garbage trucks doing runs on holidays? What a waste of taxpayer money.

They get paid double time and who knows what else. I don't mind waiting an extra day or two. It's not a neccessary service like police or ems that they need to work on holidays. This city needs a much more fiscally conservative stand before signing contracts with unions.

Assuming garbage operates at 90% capacity it would take 10 days (2 weeks) to catch up.

I think the only options would be to

A) skip a week of garbage collection for the Friday and Monday people whenever stats fall on them
b) move everyone in the cities collection day by one day into the future every stat day.

Would you be willing not to have garbage pick up 5 or 6 weeks a year for Friday stats? I think I could manage but it would definately generates tons of complaints by Friday/Monday people that they pay the same for garbage collection and don't get the same service.

Now b is a neat idea but the amount of communication required and confusion it would generate having your pickup day change every month likely makes it a non starter.

My personal solution would be to dial back garbage and recycling to every 2nd week to cut the cost in half. This would save us money and then we wouldn't have to worry about the OT costs.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by GGG

Assuming garbage operates at 90% capacity it would take 10 days (2 weeks) to catch up.

I think the only options would be to

A) skip a week of garbage collection for the Friday and Monday people whenever stats fall on them
b) move everyone in the cities collection day by one day into the future every stat day.

Would you be willing not to have garbage pick up 5 or 6 weeks a year for Friday stats? I think I could manage but it would definately generates tons of complaints by Friday/Monday people that they pay the same for garbage collection and don't get the same service.

Now b is a neat idea but the amount of communication required and confusion it would generate having your pickup day change every month likely makes it a non starter.

My personal solution would be to dial back garbage and recycling to every 2nd week to cut the cost in half. This would save us money and then we wouldn't have to worry about the OT costs.

Up until recently (I don't know exactly when) didn't the City have a system where collection day would adjust (move back due to holidays?) I vaguely recall in the early 2000's that this was the case. If I remember correctly we had a collection day calendar in the kitchen so that we wouldn't miss a pickup date change.

[You Need a Thneed]

Garbage collection only happens Tuesday to Friday on regular weeks. If a stat holiday occurs on a day other than Monday, that garbage that is supposed to be picked up on that day can be picked up on Monday instead.

[You Need a Thneed]

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...-Schedule.aspx

[Wormius]

Yeah. It's kind of interesting, because even as a family of 4 we don't generally fill up either of the blue or black bins each week. Sometimes I don't even bother to put them out every week if I am feeling lazy. Really the only time a weekly service is needed is around Christmas when disposing of Christmas present packaging and stuff.

We might be unique though, but a biweekly pick up wouldn't bother us.