Calgary Drivers and Traffic Stories

[topfiverecords]

Thought I'd create a thread as it seems in the Gear Grinder thread we have stories, often daily, of things we saw other people do in traffic. More and more each day, even within the first few blocks of leaving my house, the things I see happen on the road by other drivers are baffling. Some are gear grinders but most are either just hilarious or make me .

Here's the first from this week. It's 6:30pm and I'm southbound on 11th St SW just past the Armoury. We have green lights but traffic is backed up through the intersection for a freight train. I'm the 3rd car of only 4 that's stopped north of 9th Avenue. There's a single lane that goes through (south), and a left turn lane that takes you (east) on 9th Avenue. There's no northbound traffic because of the train and the east bound one-way traffic on 9th is held by their red.

The minivan guy behind me, decides to not wait for the train so he pulls up and around me on the right (where there is no lane) and just barely squeezes between me and the curb and forces the cars ahead of me over to get through. He then gets into 9th avenue and now the eastbound traffic has a green and he quickly turns left.

The empty left turn lane was right there .

That's all for today folks. Don't forget to get up to speed on that dedicated merge lane and shorten that gap in heavy traffic.

[llwhiteoutll]

Northbound Fisher Street where it exits onto the ramp leading to Eastbound Glenmore is a #### show every single day. There is a stop sign that people wanting to get onto the ramp have, but people will stop and then try to shoehorn themselves into traffic already on the ramp, despite not having the right of way. What's even worse are the people who will stop on the ramp to let them in.

The exit and subsequent merge lane from 130th Westbound to Deerfoot Northbound is terrible as well. People will slow right down for the turn (which is not needed) and then plod along at 60-80 until they get to the dotted lines, then try to merge onto Deerfoot. Meanwhile there are a dozen people stuck behind them wanting to merge as well and then people trying to come off Deerfoot onto Barlow.

[Locke]

Oh yes. This will go well.

[Wormius]

I have noticed this issue particularly in my neighbourhood, even though they have painted the center line and lines down each side of the street demarcating the on-street parking.


PARKED CARS
----------------------------------------- <- PARKING LANE DEMARCATION
EASTBOUND TRAFFIC LANE
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <- CENTER LINE
WESTBOUND TRAFFIC LANE
------------------------------------------ <- PARKING LANE DEMARCATION
PARKED CARS

Most of the houses use their driveways and garages to park, so there is not many cars parked along the street, however the egregiousness is that people driving along the road will drive in the parking lane and will then just stop and wait there as you're backing up into the parking lane to get out.


I guess it doesn't bother me too much if people want to waste their time by driving in the parking lane and having to come to a stop whenever a car backs out of their driveways, but it seems kind of avoidable.

[Wormius]

The drivers who are waiting at the other 3 stop signs here, think there is also a stop sign at this intersection. So it's kind of funny as the drivers will lurch forward a bit thinking it is their turn to go, and then give you the stink eye as you pass through without stopping.

https://www.google.com/maps/@51.1632...7i13312!8i6656

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I have noticed this issue particularly in my neighbourhood, even though they have painted the center line and lines down each side of the street demarcating the on-street parking.


PARKED CARS
----------------------------------------- <- PARKING LANE DEMARCATION
EASTBOUND TRAFFIC LANE
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <- CENTER LINE
WESTBOUND TRAFFIC LANE
------------------------------------------ <- PARKING LANE DEMARCATION
PARKED CARS

Most of the houses use their driveways and garages to park, so there is not many cars parked along the street, however the egregiousness is that people driving along the road will drive in the parking lane and will then just stop and wait there as you're backing up into the parking lane to get out.


I guess it doesn't bother me too much if people want to waste their time by driving in the parking lane and having to come to a stop whenever a car backs out of their driveways, but it seems kind of avoidable.

Somewhat similar situation where I live. Road that is separated by a median, each direction is wide enough for two lanes of traffic (but without a line between them and parking is allowed on the sides of the street. But because of the people parking and lack of line separating the lanes, the people in the neighborhood insist that it's a one lane road ONLY and will bitch in Facebook when they get passed on the left or right.

People also turn from the left lane, across the right lane and into their driveways, then get all upset when they get honked at.

[Huntingwhale]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

The exit and subsequent merge lane from 130th Westbound to Deerfoot Northbound is terrible as well. People will slow right down for the turn (which is not needed) and then plod along at 60-80 until they get to the dotted lines, then try to merge onto Deerfoot. Meanwhile there are a dozen people stuck behind them wanting to merge as well and then people trying to come off Deerfoot onto Barlow.

That entire intersection is straight up horrible. It's easily the lamest part of my commute going to and from work. Not sure what the solution is, but I dread going past there most days.

[Bigtime]

Every single time a motorist treats me on my bike like a pedestrian (while I'm on the road). Don't do that, if it helps I'll make "vroom vroom" noises so you understand that I am a vehicle while on the road and should be treated as such.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Every single time a motorist treats me on my bike like a pedestrian (while I'm on the road). Don't do that, if it helps I'll make "vroom vroom" noises so you understand that I am a vehicle while on the road and should be treated as such.

Do you act like a vehicle on the road?

[Bigtime]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Do you act like a vehicle on the road?

I try to stare at my phone as much as possible while riding.

[InglewoodFan]

Saw someone on SB Blackfoot at 53rd SE over lunch block the left traffic lane so they could wait to make a (pretty sure illegal) U-turn to NB Blackfoot.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Saw someone on SB Blackfoot at 53rd SE over lunch block the left traffic lane so they could wait to make a (pretty sure illegal) U-turn to NB Blackfoot.

About 99% of u-turns are illegal so you can be assured it was.

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Saw someone on SB Blackfoot at 53rd SE over lunch block the left traffic lane so they could wait to make a (pretty sure illegal) U-turn to NB Blackfoot.

I've seen this happen multiple times on NB Blackfoot at Glenmore. Of course, since the drivers behind these dolts aren't expecting someone to come to almost a complete stop, they nearly hit them each time. The speed limit there is 80 km/h - what made you think a U-Turn was a good idea? Being a couple minutes later getting to the Farmers Market isn't worth causing an accident.

Side note - I've also seen this happen on NB Macleod at Lake Fraser Gate, and it was only the sharp reaction time and light traffic on the road at the time that let the driver behind this guy not smash into him at full speed.

[psyang]

This is a brutal t-intersection.

The road that heads into the T has the right of way since only the through road of the T has yield signs in both directions. 90% of the cars that approach the T to turn left or right will stop and wait for the yielding cars to go through.

But I understand why they would stop. If you're heading into that T and turning left or right, and other cars are approaching that intersection, it's a huge game of chicken. You have right of way, but do the cars approaching that intersection from your left or right know that?

So you get cars with right of way slowing/stopping when they should be going. Cars that know to yield angry that the car with the right of way is slowing. And cars that don't know they need to yield getting into close calls with cars that know they have the right of way. No one wins.

[jwslam]

Originally Posted by psyang

This is a brutal t-intersection.

The road that heads into the T has the right of way since only the through road of the T has yield signs in both directions. 90% of the cars that approach the T to turn left or right will stop and wait for the yielding cars to go through.

But I understand why they would stop. If you're heading into that T and turning left or right, and other cars are approaching that intersection, it's a huge game of chicken. You have right of way, but do the cars approaching that intersection from your left or right know that?

So you get cars with right of way slowing/stopping when they should be going. Cars that know to yield angry that the car with the right of way is slowing. And cars that don't know they need to yield getting into close calls with cars that know they have the right of way. No one wins.

To be fair the yield was the other way about 6 years ago so I would bet there's people who have lived there for 6+ years and just going by what they knew without actually seeing the sign is the other way now.

edit: actually if you see the streetview for Oct 2012 it used to be a stop sign.

[psyang]

Originally Posted by jwslam

To be fair the yield was the other way about 6 years ago so I would bet there's people who have lived there for 6+ years and just going by what they knew without actually seeing the sign is the other way now.

edit: actually if you see the streetview for Oct 2012 it used to be a stop sign.

Yeah, I remember when the signage switched too. It seemed like a bad idea then, and still seems like a bad idea now.

The only reason I can think of switching the signs is that traffic coming in off of country hills must be getting backed up a lot. But really, 90% of those cars will be turning right at the intersection. They would only be stopped by cars travelling straight up the hill from the small set of houses at the bottom of the hill (that road only continues another block or so). Would that really cause such a jam?

Further to this, it just feels wrong to put the yield on the through road on a T. I'd think the city would have to have a real good reason to switch to something non-intuitive, but I just can't think of one.

[DownInFlames]

There was a guy in a truck hogging the left lane on EB Glenmore this morning. I wasn't in a big rush so it wouldn't have been a big deal except he had the bed loaded full of wood scraps with nails sticking out. I can't count how many times I've seen stuff like this fall out of a truck so I got as far away from him as possible.

Cover your load, idiot!

[Flacker]

Just took great pleasure watching Mr 40km/hr everywhere get photo radared in a playground zone.

This is the fool that insists on doing 40km/hr in a 50 or 60 zone, then fails to slow down even a little for a playground zone. What is wrong with these people? It seems exceedingly common for such moronic behavior.

[Shazam]

Luckily I am a perfect driver and have never done anything stupid. Whereas the rest of the morons in Calgary are horrible drivers that probably can't even read.

[puffnstuff]

Originally Posted by Flacker

Just took great pleasure watching Mr 40km/hr everywhere get photo radared in a playground zone.

This is the fool that insists on doing 40km/hr in a 50 or 60 zone, then fails to slow down even a little for a playground zone. What is wrong with these people? It seems exceedingly common for such moronic behavior.

I hate those guys. So glad to hear one of them got a ticket.