Winter Weather Begins This Week

[burning_acid1]

The roads weren't as bad as I thought they would be. It look triple the time for my commute.

[The Yen Man]

I was bracing for the absolute worst, so the commute wasn't as bad as I thought. It still took me over an hour longer to get to work, but I was expecting it, so it didn't aggrevate me.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

Took me an extra 5 minutes, but I only live 10 minutes from work. Just want to let some folks know, its not the best idea to tap your brakes every 20 feet when going downhill. Your car isnt going to take off like a runaway freight train if you lift your foot off the gas and coast.

Taking the car out of overdrive, on a day like today would be a good start.

[Muta]

Originally Posted by MJM

This city is completely F'ed when it comes to snow removal/maintenance. We can build a 25 million dollar bridge so the yuppies in Kensington can save themself a block on their way home, but we can't look after our roads. Idiocy at its finest.

If we didn't build so many damn roads (alot of them unused by the majority of the city), we'd have more money to service the ones we do have. But I digress.

[Vena]

Woke up at 4am this morning to see the streets and houses covered by snow and a bright sky. Nothing more beautiful than a quiet, snowy morning.

Went back to bed knowing that the commute would suck. Bus was on time, but got stuck on the train for a while.

[Mazrim]

Well, Elbow Drive was salted and sanded yesterday and today. I imagine that has something to do with it being a major bus route.

Also, they were out last night before the storm, perhaps some of you didn't see them? I doubt you're watching 24 hours straight out your window to make sure it happens, but it does. I imagine the skating rinks the roads could have been this morning would have been worse without their preventative work!

I always have to laugh when people think salt/sand/sprays will somehow stop all the accumulation/ice from happening. It definitely took a bite out of how much came down in the initial temperature drop/wind/heavy snow at midnight. The roads were better than I expected, personally.

Originally Posted by MJM

We can build a 25 million dollar bridge so the yuppies in Kensington can save themself a block on their way home, but we can't look after our roads. Idiocy at its finest.

Once again, the City did not pay for the bridge. You can thank the provincial government for those funds.

[jar_e]

For people predicting amount of accidents, you should keep in mind last year at the first seasonal snow fall they had 1,023 collisions in 24 hours. An average day in calgary is 138 collisions. So I think you guys are a little low on the predictions

http://newsroom.calgary.ca/pr/calgar...ps-179144.aspx

[J pold]

It's days like this that I'm so glad I go to school in Lethbridge.

[MJM]

Originally Posted by Muta

If we didn't build so many damn roads (alot of them unused by the majority of the city), we'd have more money to service the ones we do have. But I digress.

Well if they could atleast look after thtee major ones (deerfoot, Crowchild, MacLeod) it would be a start.

[GreatWhiteEbola]

Originally Posted by J pold

It's days like this that I'm so glad I go to school in Lethbridge.

I am glad I can reschedule appointments and work from home.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by Superflyer

So I wound up walking a few blocks to a different bus, going to the train (now I remember why I don't take the train) and got to work 45 minutes late.

I took the train this morning and had no problems. Was one of the few people in my office that wasn't late.

For the past several years I have been taking the train I find it to be very reliable. The drive from office is quicker than the train, but there are more delays on the roads than with the train. Of course very rarely when the whole system goes down it's a huge pain, but that has only happened about 3 times of my whole train riding experience. Two was when people got hit by the train and the other was when some homeless guy shut down the bridge starting a fire or something.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by MJM

More snow tires may help, but that's not the problem at all here in Calgary. The problem here is there is zero preventative measures taken in advance of the storm. They do absolultely nothing, the snow/freezing rain hits and coats the ground, snow piles on top of it, cars start to drive on it. Voila, you have an ice field on every street that can last for weeks. The city sends their trucks out hours after the storm is done, and it's an absolute waste of time because the damage is already done.

I grew up in a town where a 40 cm snow storm a week was the norm. The night/day before every storm the trucks would be about coating the streets with salt and gravel for hours in advance. Snow hits, the first bit of it would melt because it it the salt/gravel solution, reducing the ice build up, they'd give the major roads a quick sweep in the morning before traffic hit packing it all down, and everyone went on their merry little way.

Now Calgary can't too this for all it's street, but it goddamn should be doing it for major roads used in the commute. This is the city dropping the ball, not a lack of snow tires. I kept saying to my wife last night, "Why the hell aren't the trucks out getting the roads ready". It's now almost 10 am and I have yet to see ONE salt truck, and haven't seen one plow on the road. This wasn't a freak storm, we knew about it for days in advance.

This city is completely F'ed when it comes to snow removal/maintenance. We can build a 25 million dollar bridge so the yuppies in Kensington can save themself a block on their way home, but we can't look after our roads. Idiocy at its finest.

I beg to differ on all counts. I was out VERY early this morning (ie, midnight, 2am, etc). In the south I spotted numerous plow trucks and sanders. So many that I lost count.

In fact, the roads were worse while they were working on them than this mornings commute. I was actually pleasently surprised the roads were as good as they were this morning.

You ask for too much.

[The Yen Man]

Yah, honestly I don't think the roads were that bad. It's just people not knowing how to drive or not having winter tires on that delayed the commute. It's not like the city can regulate that.

[MJM]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

I beg to differ on all counts. I was out VERY early this morning (ie, midnight, 2am, etc). In the south I spotted numerous plow trucks and sanders. So many that I lost count.

In fact, the roads were worse while they were working on them than this mornings commute. I was actually pleasently surprised the roads were as good as they were this morning.

You ask for too much.

I don't ask for too much, I ask for what every other city in Canada that gets snow has. We don't get it here. Just like certain posters in the Flames here, there's certain people that absolutely refuse to admit their is anything wrong. There isn't a city in Canada whose handling of snow is as bad as ours including our neighbours to the north.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by MJM

I don't ask for too much, I ask for what every other city in Canada that gets snow has. We don't get it here.

I'm failing to see what they get over us? Are you asking for roads completely clear of slush/ice/snow, just after a major snowfall and while snow is still falling?

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by MJM

There isn't a city in Canada whose handling of snow is as bad as ours including our neighbours to the north.

Apparently you haven't been to Regina.

[BlackArcher101]

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Apparently you haven't been to Regina.

Or Red Deer

[Finny61]

I think they did a decent job in the city (routes I was on anyway) but the highways outside of the city were a joke, someone really dropped the ball out there.

[Russic]

Originally Posted by Burninator

I took the train this morning and had no problems. Was one of the few people in my office that wasn't late.

For the past several years I have been taking the train I find it to be very reliable. The drive from office is quicker than the train, but there are more delays on the roads than with the train. Of course very rarely when the whole system goes down it's a huge pain, but that has only happened about 3 times of my whole train riding experience. Two was when people got hit by the train and the other was when some homeless guy shut down the bridge starting a fire or something.

Agree 100%. What you lose in speed you gain in reliability. I've taken the train twice a day for a few years now and the number of times I've been noticeably delayed is probably fewer than 10. Sure 20-30 minute delays happen a few times over the winter, but for the most part it's very reliable.

This morning wasn't much of a treat. I have a friend watching my kid on Tuesdays and I had to take 22X to get to her. It took me over an hour to get about 1 km on account of there being a giant hill. I then had to drive back to the train and take it to the other end of the line. All in all it took me an extra 3 times as long to get into work.

That all being said, I encountered many smart drivers today who avoided situations that could have been trouble, and I received several waves from people when I let them in. Stuff like that makes my commute so much more enjoyable.

[tete]

Originally Posted by BlackArcher101

Or Red Deer

Or Saskatoon.