Quote:
Originally Posted by Mazrim
If it's something that is "plainly obvious", there's a good chance it's already been documented and they probably have a plan to fix or remedy the problem spot. They do bow to public pressure often though, I can agree on that. Highway 63 really got moving this year, didn't it?
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My point is that safety isn't the #1 priority just because you say it is. Read some Dilbert cartoons and you'll understand that there is a big difference between what people/companies say and what actually happens.
I did state that standards are getting better, likely because of lawsuits and public and political pressure. But there are obvious safety flaws that do go ignored for budget or design reasons -proving that safety is not the #1 priority as you suggest it is. Design standards try to address safety issues, but really - you must admit that issues commonly slip through the cracks and we end up with a new roadway with a safety flaw. It's human nature. Nothing is perfect.
As you said, people are reduced to numbers. And when a serious accident occurs on a road with an obvious safety flaw (such as no barrier or median separating high speed oncoming traffic) then rarely is that fixed without public, press, or political pressure. Did barriers get added to Deerfoot N, or Bow Trail because the industry stepped up after an accident? No. The only reason things were changed is because of outside pressure. The insiders did nothing by all accounts. (people may have tried internally to get things done - but I would imagine it's quite rare for something to happen proactively. I'm not trying to insult here, but because things were built to spec at the time, and because safety compromises were likely viewed as acceptable when a project was built it seems unlikely anyone internal ever tries to fix things unless pressured to do so). Maybe there are all kinds of safety audits and things done every year - but in typical government fashion solutions take decades while body counts rise.
I never suggested we need a perfect snow clearing budget. In fact, what we have now is pretty good. But a few years ago the massive numbers of accidents, deaths, injuries were ignored by the city. You see, budgeting in that case for safety was way down on the list. After enough people, press, and politicians complained something was done and things have improved. You may have been one of the "we're doing all we can do" and "safety is #1", but the rest of us saw that it was unacceptable. Man, impassible roads weren't even cleared, and buses couldn't even drive on many main roads - yet the city claimed nothing could be done about it.
We're discussing things, so yes I do care what you say. I know the reasons for not fixing Nose Hill dr very well. But as I said - if safety was the number one factor it would have be fixed first, not LAST. People died because of the known safety flaws. Man, just eliminating the intersection has done wonders for safety - it's strange nobody in the industry spoke up and suggested it. When city council realigned Nose Hill drive they made a huge mistake. The whole design of that area was/is a mess and a lot of mistakes by pros were made. (that's another discussion).
Magic barriers preventing head on collisions do sometimes cause injuries or deaths. Just like seat-belts and airbags sometimes do (referring back to the industry being much like the car industry - sometimes with their head in the sand). Barriers are often dropped from designs for no other reason than to save money - usually at the expense of safety. (which oddly being priority #1 should never be removed from a project yet strangely they often are).
Anywho. I've noticed safety design flaws on Stoney. I believe a huge one was fixed at Beddington (if I'm not mistaken about the interchange). I'm sure it was built to proper standards, but man it was dangerous. The same flaw remains on 16th NW, just north of Sarcee. (an obvious merge is built as a stop - so drivers often floor it to merge without realizing that it's actually a stop sign. Usually a little paint and a few feet of pavement could fix that common type of design flaw.
We almost need to create a forum where people report safety/design flaws. Perhaps that would be useful. I know there are official ways to go about it - but they usually don't result in action - they result in excuses or justifications. The only real way to get action is to bug a politician or reporter.
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