Why does everyone in Winnipeg J-Walk?

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Then there was when I first moved to Calgary and discovered you were not allowed to make a U turn at a traffic light. I found this out from the officer who stopped me. The funny part; when I was pleading my case to just get a warning from him he refused to believe that you were allowed to do a U turn at a light. Wasn't until his partner came up; only hearing part of the conversation, and agreed with me about how that was the law there.

Man, the U-turn law here is crazy. They're allowed, but there are so many restrictions they might as well just ban them.

[getbak]

I find this thread especially funny this week.

I've been in Ottawa this week. Last night I was driving through downtown and as I was approaching an intersection, a couple of pedestrians starting crossing the street. I almost slammed on my brakes to yield to them until I realized they were doing what 99% of the world does, and waiting until there's no traffic coming to cross.

When I was in Europe a couple of years ago, I noted three things: In England, everyone jay-walks, but they do it in assigned crosswalks; in Germany, no one jay-walks, anywhere, ever; and in Italy, people walk wherever they want, whenever they want.

It was weird to go from Munich one night, where we "jay-walked" by crossing a "street" that was no bigger than a typical Calgary alley with no traffic coming in any direction and having a local say "oh, jay-walker" while we did it; to Venice the next day where you could do whatever you wanted, without anyone even looking twice.

The only place I've ever been that came close to Calgary was Germany.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by getbak

Venice the next day where you could do whatever you wanted, without anyone even looking twice.

Of course, there's no cars!

Why did the Canadian cross the road? To get to the middle.
Why did the Calgarian cross the street? Because the traffic light said it was okay.

One of the funniest things I've ever seen was going home from work. Walking in a group of people, get to 7th Ave, no trains, cop standing on the other side. Everyone stops except this guy with DJ style headphones who steps off the curb, pauses and looks and the cop. Cop is yelling "I wouldn't do it! I wouldn't do it!" Guy either doesn't here him or ignores him and strolls across the street to the cop who hands him a jaywalking ticket.

[Kidder]

Who here has attempted to navigate confusion corner in Winnipeg? My goodness what a mess of an intersection. The first few times I just followed the car infront of me and hoped I emerged going in the right direction.

Speaking of U-turns at traffic lights in Calgary... I saw the most hilarious case of driver ineptitude the other week. It was at the Calgary Winter Club just off 14th street, one block north of John Laurier. A car was waiting to turn left into the CWC from 14th. Of course the parking lot is shared with a police station and so a police cruiser pulls up behind this car also waiting to turn left.

Well the driver decides that they don't want to pull into the parking lot but rather attempt a u-turn. Either they didn't see the cruiser directly behind them or were ignorant to Calgary's traffic laws. So they attempt the turn but fail to swing wide enough. Instead they bump up hard against the curb and get stuck, unable to jump it due to a bus stop directly infront of them on the sidewalk.

At this point the cruiser turns on its lights but still had to wait for the car to cautiously reverse itself off of the curb before whipping around to pull it over, the final stopping point a mere 10 feet from the u-turn abomination.

Brilliant!

[getbak]

Originally Posted by SebC

Of course, there's no cars!

Good point, I should have said Italy, not Venice.

[Cowboy89]

I never thought that jaywalking was that heavily enforced outside of 7th Ave (The endless list of Train vs. human accidents on that street justify the enforcement in my view) until I saw a cop hiding behind a pillar at Bankers Hall to catch Jaywalkers this morning all decked out in that 'waffen CPS' uniform with the huge boots and red trimmed jacket and hat.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Kidder

Who here has attempted to navigate confusion corner in Winnipeg? My goodness what a mess of an intersection. The first few times I just followed the car infront of me and hoped I emerged going in the right direction.

And the sign makes a lot more sense than the road...

I also love the incredibly useless route numbering system. Nobody at all uses it as all you have to do is miss a single sign and you're lost.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I also love the incredibly useless route numbering system. Nobody at all uses it as all you have to do is miss a single sign and you're lost.

I'm not sure what ou are talking about there. I have never heard somebody in Winnipeg give directions saying "Take Kenaston, it will turn into Century street, then King Edward Street...." Everybody says "Take route 90."

Same thing with route 70, route 110.

And it makes navigating easier. Even numbered routes go north/south and odd numbered go east/west. And if you get onto a numbered route, you can be sure that it will take you to another major artery.

[worth]

I jaywalked across 1st at about 11th ave sw yesterday and by the time i was half way through the street the cars started moving, so i had to book it using some awesome jumping techniques and by placing my hand on the hood of a car whilst leaping. It was awesome. The only thing that would have made it better was if I was wearing a three wolf moon t-shirt.

[Machiavelli]

The thing about Confusion Corner is that once you go through it one time, it's really not that confusing after all.

[JohnnyFlame]

Here is a thread I dont't need to read and can't relate to at all. I've never been to Winnipeg. In fact I've never even been to Manitoba. Never run to Saskatoon either. Why on earth would you unless you had to? I've flown overtop many a time and feel that's more than sufficient!!!!!!

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by JohnnyFlame

Here is a thread I dont't need to read and can't relate to at all. I've never been to Winnipeg. In fact I've never even been to Manitoba. Never run to Saskatoon either. Why on earth would you unless you had to? I've flown overtop many a time and feel that's more than sufficient!!!!!!

You know what, downtown Winnipeg is a very beautiful city. It has many heritage buildings and nice park systems. The thing that I don't like about it is allt he homeless people. There is 10 times as many as Edmonton and probably 30 times as many as Calgary. If they could deal with that problem I would rank it in the Top 5 Downtown's in Canada.

[Resolute 14]

And all the squeegie kids. Pushy little twits too.

What I really hate about Winnipeg is how the traffic lights are set up. I'm so used to the lights being overhead, rather than on the sides. Always takes a bit to adapt to that.

Ken - I'm rather surprised to hear that. All of my family in Winnipeg, and their friends, all mock the route numbering system. It seems a giant, jumbled mess compared to Calgary's quadrant system with street numbers rather than names. Though, of course, the city is obliterating that in the suburbs.

[GreenTeaFrapp]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Ken - I'm rather surprised to hear that. All of my family in Winnipeg, and their friends, all mock the route numbering system. It seems a giant, jumbled mess compared to Calgary's quadrant system with street numbers rather than names. Though, of course, the city is obliterating that in the suburbs.

I think the dumbest naming convention is what Calgary is doing in its suburbs with the streets all named either the same or similar but one's a road, one's a lane, one's a drive, one's a circle, one's an avenue, one's a court, one's a place, etc. Are they trying to keep anyone who doesn't live there out by confusing the hell out of them?

[ken0042]

There's pros and cons to the street names being the same. If somebody tells you they live on Mapleburn road, you know what part of the city it is in. Whereas you take a city like Winnipeg- you could have two people who live on the same street name, but not on the same street. (Assiniboine ave, for example.)

I think everybody is missing the best head shaker when it comes to street names in Winnipeg- where is Fifth ave in Winnipeg?

If you guessed "right beside Fourth ave" you would be wrong. Link

[4X4]

Originally Posted by getbak

and in Italy, people walk wherever they want, whenever they want.

Lol. It's organized chaos in Italy. If you've got the cahones, you can just walk right across a street that is just buzzing and the drivers will just dodge you. The thing is, you need to maintain a consistent pace. Just walk at a good clip, look directly at the oncoming traffic and walk straight across the street. They'll buzz by within inches of you. It's almost exhilarating. Sometimes I'd do it in the insane double traffic circle in the center of Rome just to trip out the japanese tourists that were standing on the curb trying to figure out how the hell they were ever going to get across the street.

Calgary is so pathetically anal it's not even funny. Sometimes I jaywalk across 17th without any problem. Other times, I'll be stepping into the street, watching the car coming and timing it so that just as he wizzes by, I'll pass right behind him, and there's always the dumdum that slams on the brakes as though I'm stupid enough to be walking right into his path.
I dunno, I guess I shouldn't mock people like that. Especially with the ridiculous $500 tickets the cops are giving out for failing to yeild to a pedestrian.
It's almost embarassing how over policed our streets are. I swear that that is the root cause of all the strugglers we have on the road in this city. They're trained to obey signs, not to react to the road as you navigate it. I see so many people that drive with invisible horse blinders on. Like they get into a lane and that's it. Brain shuts off. Drive like that in most other places and you'll be toast.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

You know what, downtown Winnipeg is a very beautiful city. It has many heritage buildings and nice park systems. The thing that I don't like about it is allt he homeless people. There is 10 times as many as Edmonton and probably 30 times as many as Calgary. If they could deal with that problem I would rank it in the Top 5 Downtown's in Canada.

Yeah, I don't quite understand all the hate for Winnipeg. I've only been there once, but it was a nice little city if you like architecture. The Forks is a nice area (you can tell what Eau Claire aspires to be after being there), and it was their winter festival to boot, so they had big barrels of hockey sticks and pucks out on the river for anyone to play pickup. Really nice.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by jolinar of malkshor

You know what, downtown Winnipeg is a very beautiful city. It has many heritage buildings and nice park systems.

Downtown Winnipeg probably has more great architecture and heritage than Calgary and Edmonton combined. It's not hard to find things to slam Winnipeg about, but there are definitely things that any Albertan should be envious of.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Yeah, I don't quite understand all the hate for Winnipeg.

I don't get it either. I can understand hating Edmonton. The two cities have a rivalry. But it seems like the word "Winnipeg" is forbidden on here to some especially when it's combined with "NHL". Is Winnipeg Paradise? No, but it isn't Hell either.

[Knalus]

I blame the Goodyear Tire commercial. That's when it seemed it started to be cool to make fun of Winnipeg.