Ongoing YYCCC (Chu + Farkas) Transgressions Threat

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

They also put up those wire barriers, and they are already damaged in several places. I do wonder why they didn't just put one up the middle...

Is the cable barrier damaged from impact or was it never tensioned in some areas? I've never seen the eastbound portion by Brisebois Drive tensioned and I wonder if they just forgot about doing that.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Is the cable barrier damaged from impact or was it never tensioned in some areas? I've never seen the eastbound portion by Brisebois Drive tensioned and I wonder if they just forgot about doing that.

Definitely damaged in multiple spots. The uprights are bent. I know they were properly tensioned at one point.

[Bigtime]

It's wild hearing all this talk about John Laurie, probably was barely a day back in my 20's where I didn't drive on it. And now I can't remember the last time I was on it, it has wire guards? Crazy.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It's wild hearing all this talk about John Laurie, probably was barely a day back in my 20's where I didn't drive on it. And now I can't remember the last time I was on it, it has wire guards? Crazy.

Yup:

https://goo.gl/maps/2PVJeG5ApkBMwGuC6

June 2022 streetview.

One of the damaged bits:

https://goo.gl/maps/JoZb7q1QUkpWD4wh9

[calgarygeologist]

I expect that rear end collisions will increase due to the new light at Charleswood. It is a recipe for disaster because the intersection is at the bottom of a hill in both directions with the eastbound lanes being pretty steep. It is definitely going to be fun in the winter. Looking at the incident data portal the vast majority, maybe 80% or more, of the accidents are in the winter at those three intersections.

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

They also put up those wire barriers, and they are already damaged in several places. I do wonder why they didn't just put one up the middle...

It's amusing watching the lawn mowers trying to cut the grass in between them.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I expect that rear end collisions will increase due to the new light at Charleswood. It is a recipe for disaster because the intersection is at the bottom of a hill in both directions with the eastbound lanes being pretty steep. It is definitely going to be fun in the winter. Looking at the incident data portal the vast majority, maybe 80% or more, of the accidents are in the winter at those three intersections.

I expect this will slow down traffic in the winter substantially and cause a lot of rear enders. I suppose the city's rational is that more less severe accidents > less more severe. That said I still think those 7 year numbers are extremely low to warrant the lights. This seems like someone in city hall's pet project as it's a lot of money to spend for 18 injuries over a 7 year period.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I expect this will slow down traffic in the winter substantially and cause a lot of rear enders. I suppose the city's rational is that more less severe accidents > less more severe. That said I still think those 7 year numbers are extremely low to warrant the lights. This seems like someone in city hall's pet project as it's a lot of money to spend for 18 injuries over a 7 year period.

It's kind of a hard thing to judge without easy access to sorting all the data to compare similar stretches of road with uncontrolled instersections, and correcting for traffic volumes.

A reasonable comparison would probably be 14 St NW:
- North Haven Dr is a similar T with no lights...and hardly any accidents. TBF there is probably less traffic turning left off SB 14th than off WB JL.
- 64 Ave has lights...and hardly any accidents at all...and I would guess more traffic than any of the 3 intersections on JL

69 St SW is 60kph (though people often rip) - there are two somewhat similar T's in close proximity - 14 Ave, Christie Estate Blvd - hardly any accidents at either.

Old Banff Coach Rd has some somewhat similar uncontrolled intersections with hardly an accidents at all.

Anderson and Woodpark Blvd would be another comp...it has lights and a similar (maybe slightly lower) number of accidents than these JL T's.


I doubt there will be significantly more accidents. I bet these lights cause people to slow down a touch and pay more attention.

[RedHot25]

Well, to bring this thread somewhat full circle, kudos to Farkas in his reflections: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...iser-1.6554569

After 162 days and thousands of kilometres travelled, Jeromy Farkas is days away from completing a campaign like no other.

Earlier this year, the former Calgary mayoral candidate set out to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It's a 4,270-kilometre route running from the Mexican border, through California, Oregon and Washington and back north to Canada.

He set out to raise funds for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary and Area — and has collected about $115,000 so far — but as he nears the end of the hike, Farkas says he's also had time to reflect.

"I thought that I understood what teamwork was. And in hindsight, I really didn't. Not until you're climbing an ice wall hand in hand with somebody beside you. If they fall, you fall. And if you fall, they fall," he said in an interview on Daybreak Alberta.

"It doesn't click until you're in situations like that. And I think it played out in some of my political career. Looking back, in hindsight, I realize there's quite a bit of ideological jackassery that just has no place out here on the trail."

All of that is behind him now, Farkas says, and he doesn't want to beat himself up over things he could've done differently.

"I think I got a lot of things right when I was in politics. I got a lot of things wrong, but there's a lot of time out here to think, to dwell, but in a constructive way.… I think it's really been eye opening," he said.

"The trail doesn't care about your cockiness, it doesn't care about your overconfidence. It doesn't care about any of that. It only cares about what you can bring to the table and the work that you can accomplish with the people who are out here with you."

As he approaches the finish line of his journey, he says he's grown in ways he never realized he needed to.

"If I walked into the southern California desert the same way that I walked as a city councillor into some of these city council meetings, I wouldn't have escaped alive," he said.

"The fact that so many former political rivals have stepped up in such a big way to support me has been eye opening to me on a personal level."

Farkas set out to raise $50,000 but says he reached that goal before he left Canada. He then aimed for $100,000, which was raised halfway through his trip. The goal is now $125,000.

[Ashartus]

Hopefully he really has learned, particularly if he plans on going back into politics. Often I didn't really object to his political positions, it is good to have some people on council who questions expenses and takes a fiscal conservative approach. But he was pretty much the opposite of a team player and spent too much time grandstanding intsead of working towards solutions.

[SebC]

Maybe we should make all our political leaders walk from the US to Canada first!

[RedHot25]

On the very last quote I pulled. Its not entirely in this article, but I remember hearing from him in an interview somewhere that he was a bit surprised who reached out to him post-election and who generally didn't. His quote gets at it, in that a lot of his "political adversaries" or people maybe considered on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum reached out to him, but many of the people he thought as allies, shared similar beliefs and perspectives didn't. I'll see if I can track that down, it was an interesting reflection - and I hope I'm not misconstruing it.

[Bill Bumface]

Couldn't stand him as a politician, but I probably couldn't stand myself at certain points in life if I met that person now.

Always cool to see someone self aware and willing to grow. Maybe we just need to send all politicians deep into the mountains with limited supplies and equipment before they take office.

Edit: Too slow, as always.

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by RedHot25

Well, to bring this thread somewhat full circle, kudos to Farkas in his reflections: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calga...iser-1.6554569

It will be interesting to see what (and where) his next step is. As a Councillor and later a mayoral candidate, his "schtick" often seemed contrived, like he was putting on an act. Hopefully he's "matured" and moved past that.

I did like this part of the article:

"Many friends and supporters, they came to me and said, the next time I run for something, they want to be the first to write a cheque.… I figured it didn't have to be for politics again. I could help support other causes," he said.

"For better or for worse, I have a certain level of fame or infamy in Calgary, and I decided to put that to a good use."

He admired the work being done by Big Brothers Big Sisters, which focuses on providing mentorship to children and youth facing adversity, and decided to partner with the organization.

EDIT: To RedHot's point, I wonder how many of his donors supported Jeromy the person, and how many supported Jeromy the politician which could be leveraged for further gain.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

I bet these lights cause people to slow down a touch and pay more attention.

lol not a chance. I'll take that bet.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by SebC

Maybe we should make all our political leaders walk from the US to Canada first!

Reverse the direction and bar the door after them and I think you're on to something.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Reverse the direction and bar the door after them and I think you're on to something.

I agree with you in spirit, but from a practical point of view I think nature abhors a vacuum and a new crop of politicians would just spring up, with all the same issues as the last batch.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by rotten42

lol not a chance. I'll take that bet.

Maybe not everybody, but I know my brain engages more approaching lights to be ready if it turns yellow and/or I wonder if there might be a speed on green camera - I naturally find myself within 10kph of the limit at signalled intersections.

[PsYcNeT]

Could go here or the Fed thread, but a thoughtful and informative response from Gondek regarding the Freeland incident.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1563992273180049409

2/Why on earth would I openly state that I feel fear after seeing that horrible video? Because you need to hear what actually happens to women after something like this. We have been conditioned to never show fear, but I think it’s high time we talk about it.

3/I’ll explain what I mean with some experiences I have had as a candidate & political figure. During the 2017 civic election, I had a man call to tell me he knew where I lived & I should watch out. He then confronted me in person at a public debate. He was about 6’2”, 200 lbs.

4/In an open area packed with people, he loomed over me to hiss that he had made that call & he would make sure I lost the election. He then sat in the front row leering at me for the whole event. I compartmentalized the fear, cleared my head & crushed the debate.

5/Here’s another one. Minutes before the UofC mayoral debate in 2021, the Western Standard published a story but used my kid’s name instead of mine. My blood ran cold. Why would they make a mistake like that? Were they planning to write something about my family?

6/Once again, I compartmentalized the fear & went into the debate. I have no idea how I responded to anything because my mind was scared for my family. I got through it but the bizarre mention of my kid’s name made me wonder if my family would be safe should I win.

7/Then in January 2022, protestors came to my home to air their grievances over pandemic measures. Unbeknownst to me, they stood on my driveway until I opened the garage door, when they scurried to the street. My mum was with me. We closed the door quickly & went back in.

8/It didn’t last long but it shook our family. Would this happen again? How did they get my home address? Again, we all compartmentalized the fear & moved on. My mum still looks out to the driveway nervously every time we have to drive somewhere.

9/April 2022 brought us a new low of finding a costume horse head on my driveway. Pretty clear what a horse head symbolizes. Accompanied by tire marks on the street in front of my house from the erratic driving that was supposed to wake me up at 3:30 am.

10/I was asked to file a victim statement so charges could be laid. The statement had to show fear. Took me 2 days write because actually unpacking my fear was emotionally draining. Compartmentalizing works because you can ignore how you feel. Speaking of your fear is exhausting.

11/There are many more examples. The man who yelled racial & misogynist slurs at a retirement dinner, followed by an attempt to charge at me. Random man on Stephen Ave telling me to go back where I came from. Balaclava-clad man trying to get into Council Chambers to see me.

12/I am sharing all of this now because you need to know that there are people who feel that their freedoms involve being able to intimidate others. They go after journalists & politicians with no fear of retribution. And we’re left to compartmentalize so we can do our work.

13/The cold reality is that we all know the Deputy Prime Minister will be targeted again. We know I will be targeted again. All the stories that are being shared by journalists & politicians should show you it will happen again. And the next time may result in injury or death.

14/All this to say that I obviously condemn what happened to our Deputy Prime Minister. And I hope you can now see how such vile actions create situations for the rest of us, where we have to ask who’s next. Women in media & politics often feel like we’re screaming into the void.

15/The condemnation of hateful verbal assaults like this is important, but it has to be accompanied by action. More needs to be done to identify groups & individuals who are perpetuating organized hate. They must face consequences before the inevitable violence is unleashed.

16/ Expecting people to “be better” is not enough anymore. Organized hate has to be rooted out & stopped through legislation. The justice system needs to protect people who are targeted. Listen to women who are telling you the law is not strong enough to protect us.

17/That’s it. There’s my pound of flesh for those who needed proof that such acts of hatred take a toll on us. But let’s be clear. Like all the other women speaking up, I’m not going to back down or give up. Fear doesn’t win. We have work to do. Let’s go.

[Hack&Lube]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It's wild hearing all this talk about John Laurie, probably was barely a day back in my 20's where I didn't drive on it. And now I can't remember the last time I was on it, it has wire guards? Crazy.

Definitely my childhood road, the road everyday to U of C, etc. and now I don't think I've been on it for over a decade.