Calgary Roads

[ken0042]

Does anybody know what they are doing to the big traffic circle in McKenzie Towne? What really scares me is with what had been removed it's alomst like they are getting ready to put in traffic lights.

It scares me because any issues there could be solved with the police doing an "education" blitz. Meaning people wanting to enter who honk at people going around the outside; those people need to be taught that the only cars that the outside people need to yield to are the ones on the inside lane.

Bulldoze it and build a normal intersection. Less heartache.

[Full Mountain]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Does anybody know what they are doing to the big traffic circle in McKenzie Towne? What really scares me is with what had been removed it's alomst like they are getting ready to put in traffic lights.

It scares me because any issues there could be solved with the police doing an "education" blitz. Meaning people wanting to enter who honk at people going around the outside; those people need to be taught that the only cars that the outside people need to yield to are the ones on the inside lane.

When I went through there last night it looked like they were moving the crosswalks back about 5' and good improvement IMO

[freeweed]

Originally Posted by Acey

Herein lies the problem with having only access to Evanston. Crash on NB Beddington right overhead Stoney, and I'm passing under Beddington on CHB and still can't see the end of the backup. This is not okay.

This is why I can't understand why anyone would have moved in there.

[rajuncaucasian]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Does anybody know what they are doing to the big traffic circle in McKenzie Towne? What really scares me is with what had been removed it's alomst like they are getting ready to put in traffic lights.

It scares me because any issues there could be solved with the police doing an "education" blitz. Meaning people wanting to enter who honk at people going around the outside; those people need to be taught that the only cars that the outside people need to yield to are the ones on the inside lane.

They are doing pedestrian crossing improvements, which will be a wanted upgrade for both drivers and pedestrians.

http://shanekeating.blogspot.com/201...-reminder.html

[speedog]

Originally Posted by Acey

Herein lies the problem with having only access to Evanston. Crash on NB Beddington right overhead Stoney, and I'm passing under Beddington on CHB and still can't see the end of the backup. This is not okay.

Is there not a second way in/out via 144th Avenue NW over to Centre Street?

[shreddog]

In a rare event, I was driving home to Tuxedo today from the core during rush hour and noticed something very peculiar. Centre st. has 3 lanes north during the afternoon rush with the right lane reserved for bus, taxi and 2+ HOV cars. Yet about 80% of the cars in the right lane had only one person in them. At one time I counted 9 cars in a row with only the driver ..

So the question is: Are Calgarians oblivious to the HOV signs (they are small), unaware of HOV or just selfish??? And should the city do a better job of marking the lanes and showcasing the 2+ HOV requirement??

FYI, as a single occupant vehicle, I was in the middle lane.

Province should consider adding another lane both ways on Deerfoot between 16 Ave NE and Beddington. It'll fit in the median. Heck, make it a HOV lane.

Originally Posted by speedog

Is there not a second way in/out via 144th Avenue NW over to Centre Street?

I think you can go that way. But it's not remotely practical.

[ByeByeBaby]

Originally Posted by shreddog

In a rare event, I was driving home to Tuxedo today from the core during rush hour and noticed something very peculiar. Centre st. has 3 lanes north during the afternoon rush with the right lane reserved for bus, taxi and 2+ HOV cars. Yet about 80% of the cars in the right lane had only one person in them. At one time I counted 9 cars in a row with only the driver ..

So the question is: Are Calgarians oblivious to the HOV signs (they are small), unaware of HOV or just selfish??? And should the city do a better job of marking the lanes and showcasing the 2+ HOV requirement??

FYI, as a single occupant vehicle, I was in the middle lane.

We have one of the highest educated populations in North America, and drivers in most other jurisdictions have figured out HOV lanes without a problem. I suggest that if someone is too careless or clueless to notice or understand a standard traffic sign, they are too careless or clueless to be allowed to operate a two ton machine travelling up to 110 km/h.

The problem is enforcement -- if a dozen cameras went up, one every 2-3 blocks, and people started getting $60 tickets if they appeared in two adjacent images with a solo driver only, the lane would be respected real quick. The deeper problem is NIMBYism and the driver monopoly mentality -- converting a lane to HOV and bus use is and actually enforcing it would have caused a public outcry (even though it would move more people faster -- the shoulder lanes on Centre St probably move more people than any other lane of roadway in the city). So, instead, the signs went up but nobody enforced the rules. And now, we're in a tough position where if you start ticketing people for breaking the law without a big public outreach campaign, people will get upset because they've broken the law dozens of times before without sanction.

And the same thing is now happening on 9th in Inglewood.

[speedog]

Originally Posted by Acey

I think you can go that way. But it's not remotely practical.

So sitting in a traffic jam for 20 minutes or more to get out the other way in the morning is?

[You Need A Thneed]

Originally Posted by ByeByeBaby

And the same thing is now happening on 9th in Inglewood.

I was going to say this too. However, in Inglewood, the signs are almost non existent for stretches. However, there is lots of cars driving in the shoulder lane during the time restriction.

Originally Posted by speedog

So sitting in a traffic jam for 20 minutes or more to get out the other way in the morning is?

Was referring specifically to the example of the crash on Beddington, you might as well take your chances and take Beddington to get into Evanston until they build the 14 St interchange... unless you're coming from WB Stoney. To get out, I dunno... I don't live there. The SB-EB loop at HHB is definitely under-utilized though.

[MasterG]

Originally Posted by Acey

Province should consider adding another lane both ways on Deerfoot between 16 Ave NE and Beddington. It'll fit in the median. Heck, make it a HOV lane.

Agreed with this. I took a trip recently to Salt Lake city and was amazed on the HOV lanes they have on the main N-S throughfare. Essentially it is a dynamically priced HOV lane that is free with 2+ but charges you with cameras per KM you are in it otherwise. The cool part is how long it was (an analogy to the Airdrie to Mackenzie Towne / Seton distance on deerfoot) and that it had dynamic pricing.

0.25$ - 1$ per mile based on live congestion tracking. Morning Rush-hour southbound? $1 per km, afternoon in uncongested areas ? $0.25

This is the next step for Deerfoot. The revenue can be used to upgrade interchanges, expand crossings and integrate with Transit / bus connector routes.

It seems like a simple and effective way to dramatically change the commute patterns and I can't see it being prohibitively expensive (i.e. 2 billion dollar ring road, 2 billion dollar LRT etc.) . The revenues can help pay for big ticket items like that

[sim]

Originally Posted by MasterG

Agreed with this. I took a trip recently to Salt Lake city and was amazed on the HOV lanes they have on the main N-S throughfare. Essentially it is a dynamically priced HOV lane that is free with 2+ but charges you with cameras per KM you are in it otherwise. The cool part is how long it was (an analogy to the Airdrie to Mackenzie Towne / Seton distance on deerfoot) and that it had dynamic pricing.

0.25$ - 1$ per mile based on live congestion tracking. Morning Rush-hour southbound? $1 per km, afternoon in uncongested areas ? $0.25

This is the next step for Deerfoot. The revenue can be used to upgrade interchanges, expand crossings and integrate with Transit / bus connector routes.

It seems like a simple and effective way to dramatically change the commute patterns and I can't see it being prohibitively expensive (i.e. 2 billion dollar ring road, 2 billion dollar LRT etc.) . The revenues can help pay for big ticket items like that

HOT lanes.

[Cage]

Originally Posted by Acey

Herein lies the problem with having only access to Evanston. Crash on NB Beddington right overhead Stoney, and I'm passing under Beddington on CHB and still can't see the end of the backup. This is not okay.

Evanston is getting sacrificed on the alter of no intersections allowed ever on the Calgary or Edmonton Ring Roads, the edict from Alberta Transportation.

The city (having blown its MSI funds on Airport Trail Tunnel Project) would like for the developer to pay for part if not all of the intersection at Stoney and 14th street. This is the natural progression for roads in Calgary. However developers do not pay for interchanges (what the province requires). If the city went to province looking for more cash, the province would bring up the afore mentioned MSI arguement.

I do not think the solution for Evanston is the 14th Street interchange because its and interchange does not go anywhere except to small strip mall with Timmies, Co-op Gas Station (all ready got one in Creekside), pub, dance studio, and couple other small retail.

Part of the solution (as mentioned above) is for the city to build out 144th Avenue to Centre street. I believe council can force the developer to pay for upgrade to major road status. Holy smoke I begining to sound like Nenshi. Someone get me a purple shirt and tie; put it on Cal Wenzel's tab.

The other part of the solution is to tie in Symons Valley Parkway to Shaganappi Trail and provide a third access point to cross the moat that has become Stoney Trail. Again the developers in the area can pay for the upgrade to major road status.

Originally Posted by freeweed

This is why I can't understand why anyone would have moved in there.

Evanston and Kincora were planned prior to the openning of Stoney Trail. It was at the openning of Stoney Tr NW and NE the province issued the no stop light (intersection) edict.

Evanston is not the only community with a traffic problem created by no stop light intersection rule. They are just the only community with this problem in Calgary. In Edmonton, the entire3 SW and West portions of Henday have similar problems. For example in Edmonton the communities are MacEwan and Twin Brooks with no chance of a 2nd interchange being built at 119th street. Edmonton has about half dozen communities with a dog in this hunt.

Originally Posted by speedog

Is there not a second way in/out via 144th Avenue NW over to Centre Street?

144th Ave is availablr however its a dirt road from Evanston to Centre Street.

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by shreddog

So the question is: Are Calgarians oblivious to the HOV signs (they are small), unaware of HOV or just selfish??? And should the city do a better job of marking the lanes and showcasing the 2+ HOV requirement??

FYI, as a single occupant vehicle, I was in the middle lane.

It's the 'me first' thing that has become so prevalent. I don't know if this is a Calgary thing or is happening everywhere.

The extra lane on Deerfoot could fix the merge on NB Deerfoot at McKnight and the weave at Beddington. 3 lanes NB right against the median and then there's room to separate the outside lane from the 3 with that wire median thing they like so much. A poor man's C/D system.

Originally Posted by Cage

144th Ave is availablr however its a dirt road from Evanston to Centre Street.

Ah, that explains why nobody goes that way.

Originally Posted by Cage

The city (having blown its MSI funds on Airport Trail Tunnel Project)

Yeah... I have no issue with this. McKnight is an utter disaster and needs relief far more than Evanston.

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by ByeByeBaby

We have one of the highest educated populations in North America, and drivers in most other jurisdictions have figured out HOV lanes without a problem....

The problem is enforcement ... The deeper problem is NIMBYism and the driver monopoly mentality ...

I know the natural reaction is to blame the drivers, and I certainly felt that way, but in their defence the signage is small and we have yet to truly establish the HOV car culture in Calgary.

This is a case where I would certainly advocate better/bigger signage for the HOV lane (perhaps a couple lit signs during HOV hours?) along with some serious enforcement blitzes.

At one time I did count 9 single occupancy cars in a row and they included the full spectrum of drivers; young-old, male-female, etc. Some certainly seemed like the "me first" crowd whereas others seemed oblivious (then why are they driving??).

Again, better signage and serious enforcement would go a long way!!!

Anyway, this was a rare drive for me, so perhaps it was just a one of on that day

[shreddog]

Originally Posted by lubicon

It's the 'me first' thing that has become so prevalent. I don't know if this is a Calgary thing or is happening everywhere.

CPS should definitely include this as part of the "traffic laws enforcement" program and reap a big increase in revenues!

What is the fine in Calgary for being in that HOV lane? Or is it just a bylaw infraction. It'd be in CPS' best interests to start enforcing it.