Ban Semi Trucks from Highway 8 - Update from "Twin Highway 8" Thread

[Baaarrden]

Originally Posted by KelVarnsen

No offence, but that will never get anywhere.

I'm just spreading the means to the information for people who travel Highway 8 or to people who have any interest in it, to try to make a change to it if they want. It may not get anywhere, but you have to try if you want any possibility of change, and my friends are obviously passionate about it as they went to the difficulty of making a website for it.

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Why is highway 8 more important than highway 63 on the way to Ft. McMurray?

I can't answer that question because I never said it was more important?

Originally Posted by KelVarnsen

Also, didn't they just "twin" parts of highway 8 to 69th street?

Yeah they did, but that's not really the portion of the highway that was the safety issue.

[Jacks]

It would be nice if you gave reasons for banning heavy trucks from that route. Can't see the need to ban heavy trucks, the idiots are usually driving passenger vehicles.

[KelVarnsen]

I understand the passion and respect you wanting the change, but I would focus more on the actual twinning of the highway. This petition will just get a few laughs and blow off my most people. Not to mention those alternative routes suck. Can you imagine getting stuck behind numerous trucks going up Sarcee?

[4X4]

Truck traffic is just as important as passenger car traffic. This petition just seems like people that have now moved into the nice suburbs on the west side are now trying to take over the only road through there.
I feel bad replying to a person that was friends with people who died on this highway, but banning trucks wont keep car drivers from operating ipods on the same road. Trucks have better safety records than cars.

[Northendzone]

I only use that road to cut off part of the city as we drive out to Canmore, bang etc. I suspect that lots of people do the same, and between the general traffic on this and 22x and the horrible merge on to the transcanada I am rethinking taking this road again.

[Ducay]

Agreed that this is not really an effective plan; throw those efforts behind lobbying McIver on getting the provinces side of twinning done faster. Trying to ban trucks on a rural road that is a major trucking route is not going to work and is a band-aid fix for the problem.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by 4X4

Truck traffic is just as important as passenger car traffic. This petition just seems like people that have now moved into the nice suburbs on the west side are now trying to take over the only road through there.
I feel bad replying to a person that was friends with people who died on this highway, but banning trucks wont keep car drivers from operating ipods on the same road. Trucks have better safety records than cars.

I agree with you. If you eliminate highway 8 as a semi route then they will all be forced to come in through highway 1/16 ave, which would create a traffic nightmare not only on those roads, but on Sarcee Tr. Which would be made worse by the massive hill on Sarcee Southbound. I almost think that having semi-traffic on highway 8 makes it safer because it slows the general speed of traffic down. Instead of focusing on something that isn't an issue other than slowing down traffic, focus on texting and driving. If those kids hadn't been distracted they would probably still be walking this earth. 99% of my friends (who are in the same demographic) are guilty of some part of distracted driving whether it is texting or changing a song on their ipod.

[VictoryJuice]

i think it makes more sense for the semis to travel on highway 1 since its already twinned. Highway 8 is already dangerous without the semis.. theres tons of blind spots on that road

[Resolute 14]

Sorry dude, but crass as it is to say given the personal nature of this for you, banning semis won't make stupid drivers smart. A dedicated police program to nab and fine distracted drivers on that route would be far more effective.

[Cheerio]

Originally Posted by VictoryJuice

i think it makes more sense for the semis to travel on highway 1 since its already twinned. Highway 8 is already dangerous without the semis.. theres tons of blind spots on that road

The semis take highway 8 in to Calgary so that they can avoid coming in on highway 1 and then having to drive up the massive hill on Sarcee. Have you ever seen a semi/large vehicle drive up that hill? By the top of the hill they're lucky to be going 40.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Cheerio

The semis take highway 8 in to Calgary so that they can avoid coming in on highway 1 and then having to drive up the massive hill on Sarcee. Have you ever seen a semi/large vehicle drive up that hill? By the top of the hill they're lucky to be going 40.

hahaha. i just noticed one 2 weeks ago. i thought there was an accident or something because the right lane was going so slow.

that hill doesnt seem very steep, just pretty long. is it that bad for trucks?

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

hahaha. i just noticed one 2 weeks ago. i thought there was an accident or something because the right lane was going so slow.

that hill doesnt seem very steep, just pretty long. is it that bad for trucks?

Stoney Trail around the Shaganappi and Sarcee Trail interchanges are the same way for trucks.

[rotten42]

Originally Posted by Jacks

It would be nice if you gave reasons for banning heavy trucks from that route. Can't see the need to ban heavy trucks, the idiots are usually driving passenger vehicles.

This. Impatient drivers doing unsafe passing.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

hahaha. i just noticed one 2 weeks ago. i thought there was an accident or something because the right lane was going so slow.

that hill doesnt seem very steep, just pretty long. is it that bad for trucks?

Try this with you car, rent a uhaul trailer and load 3x your cars weight in it and drive up that hill.

If a part of your drivetrain doesn't fail let us know your speed at the top.

Gravity

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by T@T

Try this with you car, rent a uhaul trailer and load 3x your cars weight in it and drive up that hill.

If a part of your drivetrain doesn't fail let us know your speed at the top.

Gravity

To add some more to this, the average grade over the 2 km hill on Sarcee is 5%. That's pretty significant for a truck driver.

Also, there are some significant climbs and drops between Calgary and Highway 22, and you don't really get any of those if you take Highway 22 and Highway 8.

[emti]

it may not get anywhere but it litteraly takes about 2 minutes of your time. Yes i understand what everyone is saying about how it won't help and its not a good alternative but having grown up driving that road my whole life and losing 2 friends just recently it really is all we can do. So if you can spare 2 minutes of your time to just sign the petition, and stop saying how it wont work that would be great. Were just trying to get the word out and look for an alternative so we dont lose more lives on this road.

[ken0042]

You are asking people to sign a petition that they don't agree with?

[T@T]

Originally Posted by emti

it may not get anywhere but it litteraly takes about 2 minutes of your time. Yes i understand what everyone is saying about how it won't help and its not a good alternative but having grown up driving that road my whole life and losing 2 friends just recently it really is all we can do. So if you can spare 2 minutes of your time to just sign the petition, and stop saying how it wont work that would be great. Were just trying to get the word out and look for an alternative so we dont lose more lives on this road.

Seriously, most if not all people on this board have lost friends or family to accidents of some kind so we understand your pain, growing up I lost 3 friends in 2 separate accidents on the same curve in the road,public outcry was the curve was too sharp but the fact is that curve was clearly marked "sharp curve ahead 20mph". investigators estimated 50+ MPH.

Roads aren't perfect and either are drivers,accidents happen,celebrate their lives and move on.

[emti]

Originally Posted by ken0042

You are asking people to sign a petition that they don't agree with?

Well yes, everyone here has basically said they agree something needs to be changed. So, I don't see the harm in you taking 2 minutes out of your day to type your first and last name onto a petition to get something done. It may not actually do anything but whats the harm in trying?

[Jimmy Stang]

Sorry, but I just don't think that any of the alternatives are viable. Increased truck traffic going up the Sarcee hill would create its own set of traffic problems and safety issues. It was quite a few years ago that a car full of nuns got killed at Bowfort Road because they were rear-ended by a big truck. With no viable alternative, the problem is merely shifted onto other roadways.

Unfortunately there is no ideal solution. In a perfect world, the highways would all be twinned and we'd all get home safely. But I just can't get behind an idea that wouldn't even be a band-aid solution - it just shifts the problem elsewhere.

Edit: I'd sign a petition to twin the highway in an instant, because that addresses the need. Banning trucks is missing the mark.