Sooo...driving is a BITCH. Rant here to alleviate stress.

[MJM]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Actually you can with the right riding abilities and knowledge of icy roads. It's not that different from driving. If your car goes through it so can I - it's all about the right speed and picking the right lines. Fresh snow is actually the best stuff to ride in - Monday was actually terrific to ride in. Given the City encourages it by plowing and sanding the pathways it's far from being illegal but actually encouraged.

But hey, it's all about you....

You may have the ability, but the majority don't. I'm not talking about pathways eiither, i'm talking about people biking down an unplowed 5th Avenue, slipping and sliding the entire way.

[alltherage]

See, when you join the 4x4 club this all just sounds ridiculous. I keep my distance, and carefully drive around all you stuck people.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by Nancy

The weather forecast is predicting another 5 cm of snow for tomorrow. It will be another brutal day for traffic. But at least we can take comfort in the fact that pretty much the whole NA continent is getting slammed at this point.

Oh bugger.

I feel like hiding inside until a chinook blows in.

[Cliche]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

For the person going 30kph on John Laurie last Sunday, f*** you.

Oh yeah, and why don't people stay at home when the weather is like this, because going 40 under the speed limit doesn't making it safer out there.

Actually going 40 under the speed limit is recommended at times because of traction issues. And smacking your car into something @15km/h is a lot less damaging than 30 km/h.

Best example would be, ask your friend to punch you while {they are} standing still feet together. Then ask them to punch you while (they are) running. Which one do you think will cause more damage?


Also to the person who was on the 39th Ave hill Eastbound trying to turn onto northbound Blackfoot? F$%) them too for being too fricking dumb to drive up hill and polishing that lane to a nice mirror shine. There's a reason in that automatic POS chrysler that it has a 2nd gear. Learn to use it.

Also if there were fewer cars around, I would be countersteering into every corner instead of taking the grippy line.

[JiriHrdina]

Was driving s/b Deerfoot today around McKnight - saw a pickup truck just lose it. Guy didn't appear to be doing anything wrong - one minute he was going straight the next minute he was doing a 360 across all lanes of Deerfoot. That of course led to others slipping and sliding. Amazingly with about 5 or 6 cars all sliding completely out of control no one hit each other. They just all seemed to go exactly in the right place.

Scared the holy hell out of me though.

[ok, ok,....I get it]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Because I beat you suckers stuck in traffic home by about an hour. And I don't show up hours late for work like my co-workers. And I didn't pay $25 for parking. And I laugh at gloomy traffic reports while you cringe.

Actually, I am self employed and I can commute anytime i want. I dislike idiot bikers that blow lights, drive on sidewalks, and generally act like morons......you want to ride a bike in this or any other weather fine....act like the more vehicle you are and obey the Rules of the Road.

[fredr123]

You notice how certain paths in the streets get worn more than others and they seem to become the default lanes for traffic? Sometimes you can even see through these worn paths the lines that normally divide lanes.

Yesterday and this morning my car was cruising down what would have been the regular traffic lane if there wasn't any snow. Yesterday, some guy chose to follow the worn ruts but was riding one rut from each of two adjacent lanes. Basically he was straddling two lanes. Downtown this morning, I got honked at by a guy who was following the ruts while I was following the regular lanes. If you followed the ruts, four lanes would have been reduced to three. You could see others doing the same as me and it seemed to cause some confusion.

So what's the protocol here? Do you follow the ruts or the regular traffic lanes?

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by fredr123

You notice how certain paths in the streets get worn more than others and they seem to become the default lanes for traffic? Sometimes you can even see through these worn paths the lines that normally divide lanes.

Yesterday and this morning my car was cruising down what would have been the regular traffic lane if there wasn't any snow. Yesterday, some guy chose to follow the worn ruts but was riding one rut from each of two adjacent lanes. Basically he was straddling two lanes. Downtown this morning, I got honked at by a guy who was following the ruts while I was following the regular lanes. If you followed the ruts, four lanes would have been reduced to three. You could see others doing the same as me and it seemed to cause some confusion.

So what's the protocol here? Do you follow the ruts or the regular traffic lanes?

I follow the ruts with the understanding that others might not be and I need to be aware of that and be willing to alter my path accordingly. It just makes more sense to drive on pavement than on packed snow/ice.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Rathji

I follow the ruts with the understanding that others might not be and I need to be aware of that and be willing to alter my path accordingly. It just makes more sense to drive on pavement than on packed snow/ice.

Most of the time I would agree and probably do the same.

However, downtown might be a bit different. The guy that honked at me was effectively driving in the right hand turning lane but intended to go straight. If everyone followed the ruts, one or more lanes would be eliminated.

On another note, I'm not sure that the ruts are always better to drive on. In the 'burbs they get pretty icy too. I would think in some cases it might be safer to drive on the snowy path than to take a chance and ride the icy rut.

[Rathji]

I am referring to Deerfoot/Crowchild/Glenmore etc where there isn't the elimination of lanes due to these ruts. The same concept applies though, if you want to drive the ruts you need to be aware that other people will not be and be prepared to alter your driving accordingly.

[flamesaresmokin]

I'm more disgusted that its over a week since the brunt of this storm hit and we still have to drive through giant ruts and mounds of snow on major roads. Roads like barlow don't even seem to have been touched by crews at all yet.....let alone any semi busy side street that is glare ice. Its definitely not helping all these paranoid drivers begin to pick up the pace. My commute was still 20 minutes longer then normal today and this was the best day all week.....here's hoping the city can lower those tax increases even more with all the money they just saved due to lack of plow/sanding.

[Ironhorse]

The city's snow removal plans seem to depend a little too much on Chinooks...

[ken0042]

This morning on Global a city official said something to the effect of:

"Since the snow started we have logged over 170,000 km on our snow removal vehicles. So to put it into presepctive, that's the same as drive driving around the earth at the equator over 3 times- so we are doing a lot."

Well, to put it into real terms.... the city has 80 some-odd snow plows and sanders. So let's use 160,000 km and 80 vehicles for easy math. That means that in the 12 days since the snow started each vehicle has gone an average of 2000 km; or 167 km per day. Assuming each vehicle averages 30 km/h (which may be slow considering sanders go a lot faster) that means they have only been putting in 5-6 hour days.

The bottom line is the city just isn't getting it done.

[flip]

Originally Posted by ken0042

This morning on Global a city official said something to the effect of:

"Since the snow started we have logged over 170,000 km on our snow removal vehicles. So to put it into presepctive, that's the same as drive driving around the earth at the equator over 3 times- so we are doing a lot."

Well, to put it into real terms.... the city has 80 some-odd snow plows and sanders. So let's use 160,000 km and 80 vehicles for easy math. That means that in the 12 days since the snow started each vehicle has gone an average of 2000 km; or 167 km per day. Assuming each vehicle averages 30 km/h (which may be slow considering sanders go a lot faster) that means they have only been putting in 5-6 hour days.

The bottom line is the city just isn't getting it done.

They've probably been doing more than 5-6 hours per day because the city has said that they haven't been operating at capacity because although they have the plows, they don't have the manpower.

There was a story in the Herald or Sun the other day about how there are quite a few trucks just sitting there unused because they don't have the staff to operate them.

[metallicat]

I hate to say it, but Calgary roads are an absolute joke when compared to Edmonton's. There is just no comparison. Obviously the need is not usually there for you guys, but damn the roads are horrible there right now.

[enthused]

Okay seriously, I have not seen a single snow plow yet this winter. I have yet to drive on a road that looks like it has been plowed.

I might as well effin' skate everywhere because this city is a skating rink.

[metallicat]

The roads are at the point though, where snow plows won't do a damn thing. You need graders, and lots of them.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

The roads are at the point though, where snow plows won't do a damn thing. You need graders, and lots of them.

Exactly, everyone is forgetting the fact the plows won't get ice off the road and sand/salt is ineffective at these temperatures. I keep hearing the same thing in Red Deer here where the roads are either completely covered or rutted with heavy glazed ice between the ruts. The difference between Calgary and Red Deer though is that Calgary at least makes an attempt, it will be like this the entire winter in Red Deer.

Time to stat adapting the driving styles and not expecting good roads all the time.

[Draug]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

I hate to say it, but Calgary roads are an absolute joke when compared to Edmonton's. There is just no comparison. Obviously the need is not usually there for you guys, but damn the roads are horrible there right now.

It is true.

I heard on the radio that Calgary's snow removal budget for this winter is $22M, while Edmonton's is $49M. Obviously, that is why the winter roads are much better in Edmonton.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Was driving s/b Deerfoot today around McKnight - saw a pickup truck just lose it. Guy didn't appear to be doing anything wrong - one minute he was going straight the next minute he was doing a 360 across all lanes of Deerfoot. That of course led to others slipping and sliding. Amazingly with about 5 or 6 cars all sliding completely out of control no one hit each other. They just all seemed to go exactly in the right place.

Scared the holy hell out of me though.

his mistake was not having any weight in his bed (or not enough of it). an empty pickup bed is so light that there is almost zero traction on the rear tires, and on ice that back end will swing out with no effort. there's a reason you see so many trucks with cinder blocks or other heavy objects in the back at this time of year