[Calgarian]

What do you think of the pedestrian realm in Calgary? do you think the infrastructure is adequate? do you think some drivers need to get pulled out of their car and beaten because they nearly run you over or are they really courteous and stop for you?

I find the infrastructure can be very adequate at times, but I also find that it is crap. Fro example, while walking down 13th ave, I notice that the loading zone (or that's what it's being used for) is over the sidewalk. There is a wide space to the right of the parkade entry that is all cement and it always has cars parked on it and they pretty much block the sidewalk, there is a little bit of room on the concrete apron towards the street that is walkable, but I don't feel I should have to be going around the cars that are blocking off the sidewalk, I should have straight access. I also notice that delivery trucks very often will back up onto the sidewalk to get direct access to to a building and completely cut off the sidewalk. I have seen a pizza delivery van park perpendicular to the road downtown, up onto the sidewalk completely cutting it off. It is little things like this that make me want to pull out my hair in frustration.

For the most part drivers are very courteous and will stop for you to allow you to cross the street, but there are some that come racing up to you in a marked crosswalk honking and yelling at you to get out of the way. My biggest beef with drivers is when they are turning right onto a street, they are always watching left to see if there are any cars coming, but not right to see if there are any pedestrians crossing the street. I've booted a few peoples cars as they almost hit me and nearly got into a fight with them because they were mad that I had the nerve to kick their car, all the while oblivious to the fact that actually hitting me would do far more damage.

What do people think? do you get as frustrated as me, or do I have sidewalk rage and should get some pot and chill out?

[Wooster]

This relates to other discussions such as 1 vs 2 way on 10th, 11th and 12th avenues.

Personally, I think 11th and 12th should both go 2 way with significant public realm (read: pedestrian) enhancements to make them more pedestrian-supportive. They tend to feel like freeways as is.

Other streets like 8th Street SW also carry a lot of pedestrian traffic, but are pretty bleak pedestrian infrastructure. Between 17th and 12th, the roadway should be narrowed from 5 to 4 lanes, with wider, better quality sidewalks and so on.

Moves like this are needed to improve the pedestrian experience.

[Calgarian]

This relates to other discussions such as 1 vs 2 way on 10th, 11th and 12th avenues.

Personally, I think 11th and 12th should both go 2 way with significant public realm (read: pedestrian) enhancements to make them more pedestrian-supportive. They tend to feel like freeways as is.

Other streets like 8th Street SW also carry a lot of pedestrian traffic, but are pretty bleak pedestrian infrastructure. Between 17th and 12th, the roadway should be narrowed from 5 to 4 lanes, with wider, better quality sidewalks and so on.

Moves like this are needed to improve the pedestrian experience.


Agreed, better pedestrian environments in the Center City are much welcome. And no more +15, especially into the Beltline or East Village, that killed pedestrian oriented development in the CBD.

[fusili]

I can go on and on for ages about the pedestrian experience in this city. But here is a short list:

1. No sidewalks. Some places just don't have them. WTF?
2. Absent crosswalks and signs saying "crossing closed, use other sidewalk" and the like. Seriously, you won't let pedestrians cross a street at a signalized intersection? Awesome.
3. Stuff in the way of sidewalks. Utility poles are the worst culprit. There seems to be a deliberate plan to obstruct walking paths in this city.
4. Narrow sidewalks. I am not 1 foot wide, and neither should the sidewalk be.
5. Curb cuts- As Calgarian mentioned, there are lots of them for vehicles accessing properties, but often they are poorly designed and vehicles end up sticking out into the street. In order to get around you have to walk into the street.
6. Lighting. What is this, a farm? Put some damn lights on the sidewalks. Places are absolutely scary at night. And this is coming from a 6'4" male in his mid 20s. If I am scared, likelihood is that everyone else is too.
7. People drive like idiots.


In general, Calgary is absolutely atrocious for the pedestrian. Some places are alright, but that should be expected and should be the minimum standard. I find it shocking how poorly pedestrian infrastructure in this city is treated. If there is a crack in the road, the Roads department is on it right away, but a degraded sidewalk lies as is for years and years.

Sorry for the rant, but in terms of the worst sidewalks in the world, this City comes a close second Juliaca, Peru: the ugliest city in the world. (http://www.newsforthesoul.com/graphics/juliaca.gif) (ok, maybe exaggerating a bit there, but I hope my frustration is clear).

[niwell]

One particular thing that's always bothered me about the pedestrian realm in Calgary is that sidewalks tend to be closed off for construction. Especially apparent downtown in my recent trips to the city where I've had to make unnecessary crossings to the other side for major construction projects. It's really not hard to do hoardings with temporary enclosed walkways and tends to be the norm in Ottawa and Toronto from my experience.

[KONYS]

I'd like to vent too:
I recently moved from Sunnyside to Mission, and on my walk to the train I have to cross 25th avenue after the bridge over the Elbow. There is a set of flashing yellow lights on either side of the bridge for pedestrian safety. I am amazed at how often some driver guns it when he/she sees me reaching for the button, or just blows through the yellow lights with no regard for the pedestrian standing two feet away. A**holes.

[KrisYYC]

How on some streets the stretches of sidewalk alternate from one side of the street to the other forcing you to cross for no reason.

It's painfully obvious that the predestrian wasn't really thought of in decades prior.

[Ferreth]

The city does not build sidewalks with pedestrian demand in mind, they build where blocks have been developed. I realize that you'd end up digging up some sidewalks if you built where people walk past undeveloped areas, but some thought should be given to providing sidewalks in high traffic areas at least. There is no excuse in the core for at least providing pavement grade sidewalk on both sides of every road unless building is going to happen in the next two years.

As far as I'm concerned, the city can stuff it as far as those pedestrian crossing flashing light things are concerned. I always have to watch and be certain the car is going to stop before stepping out into the road. Just put in pedestrian activated traffic lights and be done with it. They frustrate me as much as a driver - is there a pedestrian? Isn't there? Just give me a traffic light dammit!

When I'm commuting as a pedestrian, I LOVE the +15's. No stopping for lights, no weather, no cars. As a recreational pedestrian, I won't touch them other than some of the shopping areas; TD will be especially nice with the skylight. +15's have there place - still think they need to properly extend over the CP rail tracks to connect the beltline - but that's as far as they have to go.

Drivers here are generally good compared to other places I've been. Some pedestrians here need to learn a bit of courtesy too and not cross at the last second to give turning traffic a chance to clear the intersection. I've saw a lady run (literally) the red right in front of a bus trying to make the turn. She had the nerve to be pissed with the bus driver, who was not expecting a pedestrian to dart out at the last second while he was making his turn.

[srperrycgy]

What do you think of the pedestrian realm in Calgary? do you think the infrastructure is adequate? do you think some drivers need to get pulled out of their car and beaten because they nearly run you over or are they really courteous and stop for you?

What do people think? do you get as frustrated as me, or do I have sidewalk rage and should get some pot and chill out?

I have way too many near-misses, particularly when crossing 17th Ave @ 33rd St SW. With the WLRT construction gearing up, you need to be even more aware of your situation. In my experience, pedestrian crossing signals are dangerous. I generally avoid using them. I prefer crossing at a traffic signal. Even still, most drivers are idiots.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I find drivers in Calgary to be the most accommodating of pedestrians of any city I've ever been. In the world.

I cannot recall a city anywhere where cars will stop to let me cross at an unmarked intersection, or even in the middle of a block if it appears as if I intend to cross. This happens to me in Calgary every, single, day.

You people complaining about mistreatment of pedestrians by cars need some perspective.

fusilli, I am a pedestrian. I walk every day in this city. I don't know what city you are talking about.

11th Avenue between, say, 4th and 8th Sts SW is actually quite a nice pedestrian street. One-way streets have nothing to do with it. Every street in downtown Portland is one-way. This is a red herring and I wish you guys would give it up.

[Calgarian]

Most drivers are pretty courteous, but there are far too many that are off in their own little world or just don't give a damn, cause I almost get hit a lot. I have the right of way as a pedestrian, so I don't hesitate to walk into an intersection (provided the cars have a reasonable amount of time to stop) and make eye contact to be sure they see me. If it's winter or dark out and cross walks and the like are not as visible, I will will be a little more cautious.

[freeweed]

How on some streets the stretches of sidewalk alternate from one side of the street to the other forcing you to cross for no reason.

It's painfully obvious that the predestrian wasn't really thought of in decades prior.

Well, in decades prior pedestrians didn't necessarily NEED sidewalks. Most of the places I grew up in or hung around as a child didn't have them. We just walked on the road. A lot of small towns (and smaller cities like Calgary back then) did this, so any sidewalks you see are often an afterthought. It's only fairly recently (past 60 years ish) that we've given such precedence to cars, and it's VERY recently (30 years) that we've become so bubble-wrapped that we think it's too dangerous for pedestrians to walk on the road.

Note: this doesn't apply to dense inner city areas, those have generally had sidewalks going back a century or more. Boardwalks, if nothing else. Otherwise, I've found plenty of areas in Calgary that were clearly considered residential/low traffic when built, but now should have sidewalks.

Also, Calgarian's comment about eye contact is the single most important thing every pedestrian should know - if you can't see their eyes, they cannot see you. And if you don't see them *looking at you*, odds are they don't even know you're there. I have this issue downtown all the freaking time. Between assholes yapping on cellphones, delivery vans running perpetually late, and the general bad driving of people willing to take a car into an urban centre during rush hour, I have several near misses every single year. I'm OCD about crossing only when legal and safe, too, so it's not like I'm trying to cross on the hand or anything. When it's dark in the mornings (winter) and I can't see a driver's eyes, I get very nervous. Especially drivers turning left, they always seem impatient because only a handful of cars manage to make it per light change.

[gammell]

I find drivers in Calgary to be the most accommodating of pedestrians of any city I've ever been. In the world.
I found Saskatoon more accommodating but its comparable. I much prefer walking around here to the larger, more pedestrian-heavy cities I've been to like Paris, Seoul or NYC. I eventually adjusted to the aggressive interaction between pedestrians and drivers there, but I never liked it.

[shreddog]

I find drivers in Calgary to be the most accommodating of pedestrians of any city I've ever been. In the world.

...
Not to say that things couldn't be better, but I totally agree with Furry. While there are idiot drivers here, it is still much better that any comparable/larger sized city I've been to on 4 other continents. Hell in one of Canada's "eastern" cities, I've had a driver purposefully drive onto a sidewalk to try and hit me because he didn't like that I was in a cross walk!:haha:

Anyway, my big beef with the pedestrian experience in Calgary (aside from some missing infrastructure) is many of the pedestrians themselves. Too many people take the approach that they have the right of way at cross walk/intersections and cross roads without looking left/right, their MP3 players blaring or yaking on the phone. While they maybe in the "right", Newton's laws will always take priority!

Before crossing a road (regardles if I hit a cross walk button or not), I always look left/right, wait for the break in traffic and then cross the road only after making eye contact with the closest drivers. It's what my mommy taught me and it's worked well all these years. For some reason too many street walkers in Calgary didn't get taught this.

Anyway, while I think things are still good here, they can always get better!

Now as for the cycling experience ....

[SubwayRev]

I find drivers in Calgary to be the most accommodating of pedestrians of any city I've ever been. In the world.

I'll also second this...most cities in Europe or in Asia don't yield to pedestrians, yet they still have good pedestrian realms. Calgary has about the friendliest car/pedestrian relationship I've ever seen.


As for the worst I've ever seen, would have to be Cairo. Despite there being millions and millions of pedestrians, it is one of the least walkable cities I've ever been to. Curbs tend to be 18 inches tall (to prevent cars from parking on them), sidewalks are narrow and inconsistent (they often just end, and you must cross the street or continue on the street), poorly lit and uneven. There are very few traffic lights, making crossing the street nearly impossible. Basically you walk into the street and hope your timing is right.

[Wooster]

My most crazy pedestrian experiences were in Vietnam. Millions of scooters.

As a pedestrian in Saigon, you are faced with intersections like this. To cross streets you just have to go. The technique was to cross at a slow and steady pace and the scooters will somehow go around you. If you suddenly stop or run, you got a lot of angry people. It is madness.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/Vietnam/IMG_3061.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v311/joshwhit/Vietnam/?action=view&current=IMG_3061.jpg)

[Calgarian]

lol, that is definitely far worse than anything I've experienced in Calgary.

[Mazrim]

Before anyone quotes this to tear it apart, please note that I walk and bike a ton around this city, so this isn't Mr. Arrogant-Driver-Who-Doesn't-Give-A-Damn or something.

I hate pedestrians who feel like they're above everyone else, and treat them appropriately (ie. Go whenever they feel like, wherever they feel like, crossing a crosswalk after the warning light is on, darting into traffic unexpectedly, etc etc etc). Give the driver some courtesy, and the pedestrian will return the favor.


2. Absent crosswalks and signs saying "crossing closed, use other sidewalk" and the like. Seriously, you won't let pedestrians cross a street at a signalized intersection? Awesome.
How on some streets the stretches of sidewalk alternate from one side of the street to the other forcing you to cross for no reason.

It's painfully obvious that the predestrian wasn't really thought of in decades prior.
There's a very good reason they close off some sides of the road to the pedestrian at intersections. The biggest reason is to maintain traffic flow on high volume turning movements during peak hours. If the traffic engineers had to account for pedestrians crossing along the same space that a super heavy left turn volume occured, it would increase phase lengths to unreal proportions and the intersection would fail. Your having to walk an extra minute or two is saving hundreds of drivers up to 15 minutes in extra time spent on the road due to traffic jams.

[DizzyEdge]

I can go on and on for ages about the pedestrian experience in this city. But here is a short list:


2. Absent crosswalks and signs saying "crossing closed, use other sidewalk" and the like. Seriously, you won't let pedestrians cross a street at a signalized intersection? Awesome.



My impression is that this is where intersections tend to be so over saturated with traffic that 2 side pedestrians crossings would pretty much grind car traffic to maybe one or 2 cars per signal. For example, intersection of Kensington Rd and 10th St, pedestrians are funneled across the north crossing so they interfere with left turning cars vs the generally larger amount of right turning cars heading downtown or to Memorial. Perhaps advance flashing green turn signals for both left and right turning vehicles as used in a few locations could allow closed sidewalks to reopen?

[DizzyEdge]

I'd like to vent too:
I recently moved from Sunnyside to Mission, and on my walk to the train I have to cross 25th avenue after the bridge over the Elbow. There is a set of flashing yellow lights on either side of the bridge for pedestrian safety. I am amazed at how often some driver guns it when he/she sees me reaching for the button, or just blows through the yellow lights with no regard for the pedestrian standing two feet away. A**holes.

Or the general practice, particularly during rush hour of cars turning while a pedestrian is walking only waiting until there will be a couple of feet of clearance before driving by them.

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

I find that the major cities I've been in Canada have similar standards of pedestrian / vehicle interaction. Sure I've been cut off or near missed by other drivers, but the same has happened with my shopping cart in the Safeway. It happens.

As for accommodating pedestrian traffic, again I find it to be no worse here than other Canadian cities I've lived in. One place where I noticed a distinct lack of pedestrian friendliness was Houston, Texas. People drive everywhere (drive through banks, liquour store, pharmacy) and sidewalks are difficult to find. Compared to Houston we are living in a walking paradise.

I have noticed, however, that every city I've lived in has its citizens that claim their streets, transit, drivers, etc are the worst in Canada.

s.

[Wooster]

One thing that I find interesting is that almost all of Calgary's subdivisions have sidewalks covering almost the entire community. There are a lot of places in North American suburbs, including Canada's where it's difficult to find a sidewalk anywhere. You have to actually walk on the road to get around your community.

[Bigtime]

We've been walking around a lot during this nice weather, my biggest beef is how some sidewalks don't have the ramps at intersections. They are a pain to navigate with a stroller.

Cliff Bungalow is a big offender in this area. I'm surprised that they haven't been changed due to the amount of kids we see in the neighbourhood.

[freeweed]

One thing that I find interesting is that almost all of Calgary's subdivisions have sidewalks covering almost the entire community. There are a lot of places in North American suburbs, including Canada's where it's difficult to find a sidewalk anywhere. You have to actually walk on the road to get around your community.

This one is striking to me as well. I mentioned before that I was used to having to walk on the road in many places; in Calgary it's a pedestrian's dream by comparison. Although even at that there are plenty of roads that don't have sidewalks (a lot of cul-de-sacs and the like).

Calgary also has far more pedestrian bridges crossing major roads than I'm used to. Nothing gets your blood pumping like having to cross an 80km/h street and just praying cross traffic is actually going to stop for a red light.

[Calgarian]

My impression is that this is where intersections tend to be so over saturated with traffic that 2 side pedestrians crossings would pretty much grind car traffic to maybe one or 2 cars per signal. For example, intersection of Kensington Rd and 10th St, pedestrians are funneled across the north crossing so they interfere with left turning cars vs the generally larger amount of right turning cars heading downtown or to Memorial. Perhaps advance flashing green turn signals for both left and right turning vehicles as used in a few locations could allow closed sidewalks to reopen?

Maybe a scramble would work in that location.

[DizzyEdge]

Maybe a scramble would work in that location.

Also a solution worth looking at.

[Rusty van Reddick]

wooster- my worst pedestrian experience was in KL last year. I waited 20 minutes to cross a street- one with lights and a pedestrian signal. Cops simply could not let pedestrians across- it was humiliating and very dangerous. And sidewalks are a nightmare there.

In Buenos Aires you have excellent sidewalks and a definite cafe-culture pedestrian realm, but crossing streets was terrifying- a speeding cab would not even attempt to slow down. Odd mix of pedestrian heaven and hell (crossing streets).

[freeweed]

In Buenos Aires you have excellent sidewalks and a definite cafe-culture pedestrian realm, but crossing streets was terrifying- a speeding cab would not even attempt to slow down. Odd mix of pedestrian heaven and hell (crossing streets).

What little time I spent in Paris (1 day) was like this. There weren't that many cars but plenty of motorcycles/scooters, and woe upon you if you dared to get in their way.

[Jimby]

Good idea for a thread Calgarian! I could rant and rave for pages!
In Cairo, I tried to be hyper aware of what was going on around me when I was out walking, and coming from Montreal I think I'm a savvy pedestrian, but I nearly could have been flattened. I thought I was in a parking lot as it was jammed with stopped cars with no drivers and pedestrians here and there, (but I was actually automatically looking on the wrong side of the vehicles for the drivers and some cars had passengers, some didn't) as I took pictures of the surrounding buildings and street scenes. Then I felt something hard steel pressing against the back of my leg as a man put his hand on my shoulder and said "take care!" and I quickly realized the whole parking lot was moving and it was a car bumper that was pushing against me as I jumped out of the way. But I got my shots!
In south India, I was at the Sunday market in a small remote town popular with Indian tourists and it has a small international community. It was complete gridlock on the street leading to the market. There was no where to move. People were pushing, but there was no where to push to. I have never experienced such a crush of people, much more tightly experienced pedestrian-vehicle-cow-cycle-scooter chaos than the Lilac Fest for example which only has people and clowns to contend with. I didn't get a scary feeling that I could be flattened in a mainly human stampede until I felt something hard pressing into my back - I knew it wasn't just another aggressive human - so I turned to see what it was and it was the handlebar of a motorscooter with an Indian family on board relentlessly motoring through the solid mass of people, calmly but persistently pushing the pedestrians out of their way, perhaps the way we would drive through deep snow.

[93JC]

No complaints other than the sidewalk on 8th St SW between 10th and 11th being too narrow.

I find most drivers don't notice or don't care to stop at unmarked intersections, but other than that most people are courteous.

[Ferreth]

We've been walking around a lot during this nice weather, my biggest beef is how some sidewalks don't have the ramps at intersections. They are a pain to navigate with a stroller.

Cliff Bungalow is a big offender in this area. I'm surprised that they haven't been changed due to the amount of kids we see in the neighbourhood.

I don't get the priority for installing these ramps either. If repairs are happening anyways they put a ramp in, but in terms of straight out replacement, I can't put my finger on any sort of priority, other than as part of traffic calming.

[mersar]

I don't get the priority for installing these ramps either. If repairs are happening anyways they put a ramp in, but in terms of straight out replacement, I can't put my finger on any sort of priority, other than as part of traffic calming.

I know that in Cochrane they did a push to get all the pathway system crossings to have ramps and most of the downtown area as well, in the name of "we'd better do it or disabled people will yell at us and maybe sue"

[Radley77]

I've seen people in wheelchairs stuck on corners unable to access the sidewalk due to non-uniform grading between the street and sidewalk. If it wasn't for someone jumping out of their vehichle to aid, they could have been in someone's blind spot and run over.

[niwell]

As others have mentioned motorists in Calgary can quite considerate when it comes to pedestrians crossing. The problem I've always had though is that they just don't seem to be that aware of how pedestrians operate. I've had cars slam on the brakes while I was crossing a street with more than enough room to spare on a few ocassions. And god help you if you're jaywalking, nobody seems to know how to deal with that, especially if you stop on the yellow line. Speaking of which, do police still ticket regularly for crossing mid-block?

I've actually grown to prefer the aggressive drivers of Montreal and Toronto which seem more dangerous but really tend to be more aware of pedestrians (and cyclists0 simply because there are so many of them. They terrified me at first though.

The sidewalk thing in the suburbs is nice, but I wish some of the streets in the older subdivisions were a bit narrower and less curvilinear. The area I grew up in Calgary was mostly fine, but because the street was so wide you'd occasionally have cars coming around the corner at 60km/hr. Newer subdivisions are a bit better in that regard but streets are still considerably wider than brand new areas in Ottawa I biked around a few years back. The streets were quite narrow with plenty of street parking (this helps too) but still often have only a sidewalk on one side.

[The Chemist]

Drivers in Calgary are VERY polite to pedestrians compared to basically anywhere else in the world. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly hasn't experienced cities where pedestrians really do come second to all manner of vehicles.

[Wooster]

The sidewalk thing in the suburbs is nice, but I wish some of the streets in the older subdivisions were a bit narrower and less curvilinear. The area I grew up in Calgary was mostly fine, but because the street was so wide you'd occasionally have cars coming around the corner at 60km/hr. Newer subdivisions are a bit better in that regard but streets are still considerably wider than brand new areas in Ottawa I biked around a few years back. The streets were quite narrow with plenty of street parking (this helps too) but still often have only a sidewalk on one side.

In Calgary, each newer subdivision seems to be designed with a rather wide and fast moving collector street, with local streets eminating from it that dead end or are crescents. As a consequence of this hierarchy, traffic speed and volume is unbalanced. The collector is fast, high volume and wide and generally pretty awful as a pedestrian, with the rest of the local street network having very low traffic, narrower roads, but still with sidewalks.

[Bassic Lab]

My one complaint would have to do with vehicles making turns, especially left turns. I've noticed a lot of drivers don't seem accustomed to having to watch for pedestrians crossing the street that the vehicle wishes to enter. This of course only occurs with turns on solid green, since turns on a flashing green arrow only occur when the crosswalk is on Don't Walk. I've seen oncoming traffic have to stop because of cars that slam on their breaks in the oncoming lanes to avoid hitting the pedestrian they didn't bother to look for. That or they have to swerve around them. Many drivers seem to concentrate on the oncoming traffic, waiting for an opening, to the exclusion of all else. Right turns can also be bad where the driver doesn't bother to slow down enough to see if a pedestrian is crossing prior to proceeding.

That said, I really have no idea how prevalent the problem is. It is the kind of thing that is only noticed when the drivers make an error. The drivers that wait for pedestrians patiently are not remembered. Of course this is not a matter of discourtesy; it is a matter of negligence. They're respectful of pedestrians when they see them.

[jeffwhit]

^^There are a few intersections int he city where I really would like to see Scramble Intersections utilized for this reason. The one I think of, which I take a few days a week during the afternoon rush hour is the corner of 4th ave ad 1st street SE.
No one coming making the left hand turn from 4th ave onto 1st street (which you can make from left-lane to left-lane because they're all one way streets) ever slows down before making the turn, making crossing 1st street a dangerous proposition. When a ped does decide to go for it, a lot of traffic gets caught in the intersection when the light changes causing cluster-fuck city. A scramble would solve everyone's problems.

The main problem with the scrambles in the Eau Claire area are that they are not sufficiantly marked (or explained.)

Are there any problems with the scramble system that I am not seeing? I think they are the best system for place where heavy vehicular traffic meets heavy pedestrian traffic, like a lot of places DT in Rush Hour.

[freeweed]

Are there any problems with the scramble system that I am not seeing? I think they are the best system for place where heavy vehicular traffic meets heavy pedestrian traffic, like a lot of places DT in Rush Hour.

The police seriously need to crack down on motorists turning right on red. Beyond that, they seem to work well for low volume intersections.

[mwalker_mw]

I would argue that Calgary, due to drivers generally being so accommodating to pedestrians, actually has the opposite problem. I have frequently observed some pedestrians crossing mid block as if they owned the place. This wasn't a quick scamper across, this was a slow stroll causing traffic to slow down on a major downtown road during morning rush (Most recently 5th, but I've seen other places). There is also the above mentioned last minute run on the flashing hand preventing turning vehicles from clearing the intersection and the ever present not looking both ways while listening to ipod.

I think we need to push a bit more toward equal responsibility - there are certainly places where 100% pedestrian priority is warranted and effective (marked crosswalks, parking lots, signed ped crossings w/ lights) but there are also places where the responsibility needs to be clearly shared (both in use and in the case of an accident) such as all corner "unofficial" crosswalks and ped crossings with only paint markings. The burden of responsibility cannot be placed entirely on the driver with pedestrians who walk out without so much as a glance, often from behind telephone poles, signs, other traffic, vehicle pillars, etc. Doubly so for cyclist illegally using crosswalks - they approach at too high a speed for drivers to monitor. The final part of this are pedestrians who jay-walk where there is clear vehicular priority. I'm not going to advocate making them fair game for a hood ornament (though a little part of me would like to see that) but there needs to be much stricter enforcement to discourage this - specifically when their actions impact traffic. Now, I actually do support jay-walking provided it is done under the assumption that the pedestrian assumes all risk in the matter and does not impede traffic and I do not believe jay-walking tickets should be handed out if the pedestrian takes due care. Cross where you like - but make damn sure there isn't any oncoming traffic.

As long as drivers seem to be willing to stop for anyone, anywhere - and the laws for liability are heavily biased towards the pedestrian - there will be a self-entitled portion of the population who will take advantage of this. Lessons need to be taught...

(I say this as someone who does quite a bit of walking and also learned to look both ways before I cross the street.)

re: Right on red @ scramble - yet another area of traffic where the city needs to do a better job of communicating the rules to the entire city. Placing signs up for a couple of months does not address the vast majority of the city who only drives in the Eau Claire area occasionally. I live downtown and I only went through there once when instructional signs were posted. More media, mailouts, whatever is needed - but make usre everyone knows the rules before complaining about people who don't follow them.

[Calgarian]

I think we need to push a bit more toward equal responsibility - there are certainly places where 100% pedestrian priority is warranted and effective (marked crosswalks, parking lots, signed ped crossings w/ lights) but there are also places where the responsibility needs to be clearly shared (both in use and in the case of an accident) such as all corner "unofficial" crosswalks and ped crossings with only paint markings. The burden of responsibility cannot be placed entirely on the driver with pedestrians who walk out without so much as a glance, often from behind telephone poles, signs, other traffic, vehicle pillars, etc. Doubly so for cyclist illegally using crosswalks - they approach at too high a speed for drivers to monitor. The final part of this are pedestrians who jay-walk where there is clear vehicular priority. I'm not going to advocate making them fair game for a hood ornament (though a little part of me would like to see that) but there needs to be much stricter enforcement to discourage this - specifically when their actions impact traffic. Now, I actually do support jay-walking provided it is done under the assumption that the pedestrian assumes all risk in the matter and does not impede traffic and I do not believe jay-walking tickets should be handed out if the pedestrian takes due care. Cross where you like - but make damn sure there isn't any oncoming traffic.


agreed 100%

[frinkprof]

^You're up over 10 000 posts Calgarian, in case you haven't noticed.

As for the topic, I don't find drivers that bad. For me it is more an issue of infrastructure and urban design that factors into experience as a pedestrian. As for reducing the conflict between myself (as a pedestrian), and other modes of transport, my first concern is looking out for myself. If I don't do things like looking both ways, making eye contact, etc. I am only asking for trouble.

[93JC]

I would argue that Calgary, due to drivers generally being so accommodating to pedestrians, actually has the opposite problem. I have frequently observed some pedestrians crossing mid block as if they owned the place. This wasn't a quick scamper across, this was a slow stroll causing traffic to slow down on a major downtown road during morning rush (Most recently 5th, but I've seen other places).

I was driving through Marda Loop yesterday and turned right from northbound 20th St onto eastbound 33rd Ave, when out of nowhere the two cars in front of me stopped. I exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing?!"

They stopped mid-block to let two 'cougars', shopping bags in hand, cross the street. :mad: They only had to walk another fifty feet to the marked crosswalk.

[Calgarian]

^You're up over 10 000 posts Calgarian, in case you haven't noticed.

holy crap, I knew I was getting close but didn't realize I passed it. I should get back to work! lol

As for the topic, I don't find drivers that bad. For me it is more an issue of infrastructure and urban design that factors into experience as a pedestrian. As for reducing the conflict between myself (as a pedestrian), and other modes of transport, my first concern is looking out for myself. If I don't do things like looking both ways, making eye contact, etc. I am only asking for trouble.


I agree about the infrastructure and design. My complaint about Union Square is a good example where the pedestrian realm is overlooked in favour of vechicle traffic, in a pedestrian area.

[Wooster]

holy crap, I knew I was getting close but didn't realize I passed it. I should get back to work! lol


10,000 posts! ha ha. you have no life!

...oh, wait.
:cool:

[kw5150]

I walk to work everyday, but........

1. I agree that pedestrians should try harder to let vehicles through during rush hour. In the small town I was from it was common to do a short jog to move out of the way. People REALLY REALLY seem to slower saunter across streets here and it drives me crazy. It only creates more anger in this nice city of ours. Even if it is those crazy drivers heading out to the burbs, we have to be more courteous.

2. I agree with making eye contact with drivers turning right!! Very important. (I have almost ran over a pedestrian that way as well)

3. Again, I walk to work everyday..... :)

4. On 9th ave SW, the exit ramp to bankers court has an abnoxious, very very loud buzzer that goes off when a vehicle is exiting. It needs to be swapped out for something else. It actually scares people...lol

[freeweed]

On 9th ave SW, the exit ramp to bankers court has an abnoxious, very very loud buzzer that goes off when a vehicle is exiting. It needs to be swapped out for something else. It actually scares people...lol

There are many of these in the downtown lately, some worse than others. Seems to be some new fad over safety or something. I agree, they can be needlessly loud but I guess they need to make sure I hear them over my iPod. :haha:

[Riise]

I definitely have to agree with Rusty, drivers in Calgary are very respectful of pedestrian's right of way. While I do like the ability to jaywalk freely around London, I'm very wary when I'm crossing the road at non-signalized intersections. Unlike back home I have no clue who has the right of way, car or pedestrians, and cars seem to act like they have the priority. In Calgary, you can feel very confident when crossing the street and that's great! Unfortunately, that can almost get travelling Calgarians killed as we get so use to just walking out on the road and expecting cars to stop for us.

[jeffwhit]

I totally agree about equal responsibility as well. The scrambles in Eau Clare I don't feel are explained well enough by the signage in place. Cars turning right on red is a problem, but so are pedestrians unaware that they have to wait two lights to go.

Again, I think the benefits of these types of intersections are twofold. Pedestrian safety, and traffic flow are both improved drastically, particularly at high-volume intersections.

[Ramsayfarian]

I was driving through Marda Loop yesterday and turned right from northbound 20th St onto eastbound 33rd Ave, when out of nowhere the two cars in front of me stopped. I exclaimed, "What the hell are you doing?!"

They stopped mid-block to let two 'cougars', shopping bags in hand, cross the street. :mad: They only had to walk another fifty feet to the marked crosswalk.


I don't understand why people stop jaywalkers. If they're halfway across the street sure, but when they're standing on the side of the road, they can wait or head to an intersection.

Being a none parent, I'm constantly dumbfounded when I see parents jaywalking with their small children. The fines for that should be huge.

[Wooster]

I have no problem with mid-block jaywalking as long as those pedestrians don't interfere with automobile/cyclist traffic as it moves through. Jaywalking is a part of city-life, it's how people naturally move throughout urban environments.

As Christopher Hume puts it:
We are all jaywalkers. We have no choice; to negotiate the city on foot requires endless street crossing without benefit of traffic light, crosswalk or corner.

[niwell]

Regarding the jaywalking situation described above this is a problem with both drivers and pedestrians in Calgary. There is absolutely nothing wrong with crossing mid-block, and in Ontario at least it's completely legal. Not sure on Alberta traffic laws, but based on the people I knew growing up getting tickets for jaywalking I'm assuming it's illegal. The problem is people who cross impeding traffic, and in turn the cars who come to a complete halt at the first sign of someone attempting to jaywalk.

In my neighbourhood jaywalking is commonplace and I do it at least a few times a day. But... pretty much everyone waits for gaps in traffic, even if this means waiting on the yellow line. And cars don't come to a stop if they see someone hovering just off the curb waiting for a gap. If you just walk into traffic people will stop (they're paying attention) but probably honk at you. I think it's a good balance that would be good for central areas of Calgary.

[bigcanuck]

I was in New York several years ago and a buddy of mine from Staten Island said that a few years prior, the city tried to crack-down on mid-block jaywalkers. However, the effort was short-lived as the crack-down actually impacted vehicle traffic flow too much at intersections (where the pedestrians were now forced to cross).

[Calgarian]

CPS was doing a crackdown on jay-walking a couple weeks ago, it's definitely illegal. I jay-walk all the time, even if I'm at a corner and I have a do not walk light, if there is no one coming, why should I wait.

[kw5150]

CPS was doing a crackdown on jay-walking a couple weeks ago, it's definitely illegal. I jay-walk all the time, even if I'm at a corner and I have a do not walk light, if there is no one coming, why should I wait.

Totally agree. I am responsible for my own life. I SOMETIMES jaywalk. I figure if I do it 25% of the time it reduces the chance of getting caught. In Winnipeg you can jaywalk wherever you want even though it is illegal. No one cares. Just dont get in the way of a car or bike!!

When I moved back to alberta after being in Winnipeg for 5 years I felt like a little child who was not allowed to cross the road anymore!

[Danma]

Every Calgarian should spend a week in NYC. They might appreciate how nice drivers are in Calgary by comparison. I remember being in a cabbie who, upon coming across a pedestrian, sped up and honked his horn incessantly. The pedestrian scrambled... :)

[KingBrisketBoy]

I found Saskatoon more accommodating but its comparable. I much prefer walking around here to the larger, more pedestrian-heavy cities I've been to like Paris, Seoul or NYC. I eventually adjusted to the aggressive interaction between pedestrians and drivers there, but I never liked it.

after living in vancouver for the last year it was extremely refreshing to come back to calgary for a visit where it didn't feel like I was going to be run over every time I crossed the road.

overall I find calgary to be a very pedestrian friendly city, but yet again I love to walk and experience the urban landscape on foot wherever I am, so im a little biased.

[freeweed]

Totally agree. I am responsible for my own life. I SOMETIMES jaywalk.

Unfortunately this is far from the truth. First, because we have a medical system that everyone else also pays for.

Second, and this is much more subtle, but pedestrians are almost never at fault when hit by a vehicle. If you run in front of me and there's no way I can stop, odds are I'll still be held responsible. Best case is it affects my insurance, worst case I'm facing vehicular manslaughter charges because you couldn't walk to the nearest intersection. There's also the situation where I have to slam on my brakes and/or swerve to avoid you, thereby causing an accident behind/beside me, all to save your selfish ass.

Jaywalking laws aren't really there to protect you. They're there in large part to protect the rest of us from your mistakes. Much like helmet and seatbelt laws, for that matter.

That being said, I jaywalk when there's no traffic as well. I don't think CPS is that bored that they'll ticket me for it when the next car is 2km down the road. But there's a whole range between "no car for 5 mins" and "I can make it if I run as fast as I can", and I wish that people who do the latter would get ticketed, every time. Downtown Calgary is full of retards who insist on running in front of moving traffic and I'm sorry, but you deserve a ticket for doing this. Regardless of whether or not you think it's "safe for you".

[frinkprof]

I don't think CPS is that bored that they'll ticket me for it when the next car is 2km down the road.While I agree with your post, this part reminds me of an anecdote.

To illustrate, this is the intersecion of Queensland Drive/Deer Ridge Drive (it changes names at the intersection) and Canyon Meadows Drive.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y54/frinkprof/qlandbycanyonmeadows.jpg

During the north/south movement phase of the traffic signal, the northbound lanes get an advanced green, whereby the lane marked green is a left hand turn only lane (to go westbound on Canyon Meadows Drive), and the orange is straight through northbound only. All other lanes, marked red, are facing red lights. Most importantly, this means the southbound lane of Queensland Drive can't turn left to go eastbound on Canyon Meadows Drive.

Now, although no cars can cross the crosswalk marked by yellow during the advanced green phase, the signal is set up to show "Don't Walk" during the advanced green. The crosswalk marked by black also sees "Don't Walk," which does make sense. Anyone who regularly walks in the area ignores this and walks anyway when using the yellow crosswalk, since, like I said before, there is no way a vehicle can (in a legal sense) or will cross that crosswalk during the advanced green. I've done so myself hundreds of times. It's just a signal design oversight.

One time though, my roommate and his friend was crossing at that intersection, against the "Don't Walk" signal in the manner I described above, when the cops stop him shortly after he had crossed. After trying to explain the situation to the cops, they still got tickets. Now, of course they were technically crossing illegally (J-walking), but quite obviously weren't really doing anything wrong.

Anyway, it's not the most exciting story, but it's little things like this that irk me when it comes to the "pedestrian experience."

[freeweed]

Oh absolutely. There are plenty of stupid pedestrian situations just like there are plenty of stupid car situations like that (construction speed when there's no construction for miles around; ie: Stoney Trail for the past couple of years, or times when a light sensor refuses to change and you either sit there for an hour or run a red light).

Thing is, we either go "zero tolerance" on this stuff, which is lunacy, or we turn everything into a judgment call, which inevitably ends up with people doing some pretty dangerous things. Common sense being very uncommon and all. It's annoying because there's no real answer.

Personally, I just try to follow the rules and avoid hassle in life. It's not worth the annoyance of having to argue a ticket just because I wanted to shave 30 seconds off my day.

[KrisYYC]

Adult cyclists on their bikes using crosswalks are fair game to hit if you ask me lol. They claim they have the rights of a car, but then expect the rights of a pedestrian too.

[fusili]

^You're up over 10 000 posts Calgarian, in case you haven't noticed.

As for the topic, I don't find drivers that bad. For me it is more an issue of infrastructure and urban design that factors into experience as a pedestrian. As for reducing the conflict between myself (as a pedestrian), and other modes of transport, my first concern is looking out for myself. If I don't do things like looking both ways, making eye contact, etc. I am only asking for trouble.

I agree fully. Curb cuts and the like are pretty bad in some places. It is really about the infrastructure for me. I think both pedestrians and drivers need to be aware of their responsibilities and take caution. Some pedestrians are just unsafe and don't bother to look where they are going, while some drivers just don't look out at all for pedestrians.

As for Calgary compared to the rest of the world, I would say Calgary is probably one of the best I have experienced for how driver's treat pedestrians (Peru, Greece and Turkey were my worst experiences, Bolivia was the best actually). Some of these places it seems like drivers are intentionally trying to kill pedestrians. But in terms of pedestrian infrastructure, Calgary isn't so good. Other cities are worse, of course, but that was mostly in third world countries where there just isn't any money for infrastructure. Many of the places I have traveled were built before cars (South America and Europe), so everything for pedestrians is in place already as opposed to here, where most of the city was built for the car.

And Furry, I totally agree about Argentina. Trying to cross Neuve de Julio (the huge avenue that runs down the centre of the city) was hell. Here is a picture link for reference: Link (http://www.traveltowork.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/9deJulioAvenue9.png)

[fusili]

Adult cyclists on their bikes using crosswalks are fair game to hit if you ask me lol. They claim they have the rights of a car, but then expect the rights of a pedestrian too.

I will say it again and again. The problem is that there is no proper cycling infrastructure in this city. We need dedicated bike lanes so the rules are clear to everyone. 17th Avenue SW is one of the worst, people ride their bikes all the time on a crowded pedestrian street when they should be on the road. A dedicated bike lane would easily solve that problem. And the issue with bikes having the rights of both a car and a pedestrian is that sometimes they need to make that transition as a matter of necessity, such as going up on the sidewalk to access the building they are on. Bikes are different than cars and different than pedestrians, and until we realize that, there will always be conflicts.

When I cycled, I rode right in the middle of the lane, just like a vehicle, which is what you are supposed to do, but believe me, that is scary as well. Especially on one ways, which I avoided like the plague. A bike will never be able to go with the flow of traffic on these streets (let alone against), and a separated bike lane would do wonders to get bikes off the sidewalk (which is what cyclists mostly do on one ways). The biggest problem with cycling in downtown Calgary is that it is impossible to go east-west safely- 9th, 5th, 6th and 4th are one ways, 7th is the transit corridor and bicycles are prohibited on Stephen Avenue. Something has to be done about that.

And I know you were being sarcastic about the above comment, but nobody is ever fair game to hit with a car, no matter what they are doing wrong.

[Calgarian]

Adult cyclists on their bikes using crosswalks are fair game to hit if you ask me lol. They claim they have the rights of a car, but then expect the rights of a pedestrian too.

That really bothers me, cyclists pretty much do whatever the hell they want and no one does anything. As a motorist you hate pedestrians, as a pedestrian you hate motorists, and everyone hates cyclists! lol.
We need actual bike lanes, and those have to be against the curb, if it is a space between traffic and parked cars, that won't be utilized as there will be lots of cars coming in and out, not to mention opening doors. lol

[freeweed]

Most adult cyclists don't bother me, but man oh man, bike couriers are the WORST drivers of any sort of vehicle on the road, hands down.

I can't count the number of times I've almost been hit by them in a crosswalk, where they're blowing through a red light trying to beat the cross traffic. Especially when there are parked trucks/vans and we can't see each other... what the hell are these people thinking?

[fusili]

Most adult cyclists don't bother me, but man oh man, bike couriers are the WORST drivers of any sort of vehicle on the road, hands down.

I can't count the number of times I've almost been hit by them in a crosswalk, where they're blowing through a red light trying to beat the cross traffic. Especially when there are parked trucks/vans and we can't see each other... what the hell are these people thinking?

Couriers are the craziest, but that is because they are paid per delivery. If I was a courier I would be breaking rules all the time too. But although they seem dangerous, they are extraordinary cyclists, and they will move around you, so you don't have to worry about them. It is just like skiing or snowboarding, the people who are the craziest are also the best, and if you are a beginner, don't worry about them, because they will move around you.

[freeweed]

Couriers are the craziest, but that is because they are paid per delivery. If I was a courier I would be breaking rules all the time too. But although they seem dangerous, they are extraordinary cyclists, and they will move around you, so you don't have to worry about them. It is just like skiing or snowboarding, the people who are the craziest are also the best, and if you are a beginner, don't worry about them, because they will move around you.

Unfortunately just like with skiing/snowboarding, there's an intermediate class who *thinks* they're that good, but *aren't*. My paranoia has saved me from this type many times. Coming within a foot of me doing 30-40 km/h on a bike gives you just about zero reaction time if I do anything you're not expecting. Really good snowboarders can actually give enough distance to be safe while bombing the hill at 90.

Being paid per delivery is a pretty weak excuse. Truckers and cabs and all sorts of motorized delivery vehicles work exactly the same. While those do have some bad apples, they're nowhere near as consistently insane as bike couriers.

[floobie]

This is an interesting thread. Perfect for my inaugural post!

I'd like to think that I have a pretty balanced perspective on the issue. I'm young, and haven't forgotten what it's like to have to walk literally everywhere. Since I started driving (about 5 years ago), driving has always made up part of my commute, be it to the U of C, or downtown for work over the summer. But walking is also always part of my commute. I'm too poor to afford parking in immediate proximity of where I need to be.

Around the U of C, pedestrian traffic is very well accommodated. Sidewalks everywhere, drivers are always courteous, pedestrians are even courteous to drivers, stopping to let a few cars cross a particularly busy crosswalk. Pretty nice, overall.

Downtown is also quite pleasant. I love walking around downtown. Sidewalks can always be wider and all, but overall, I've never felt in any real danger. There has been the occasional close call... but I have no difficulties telling when a driver isn't paying attention. And it's pretty obvious how one should react in such a situation (ie. don't cross!).

Overall, I think Calgary coddles pedestrians a bit much, at least with regards to the law. I think pedestrians should have a bit more freedom with regards to jay-walking and such... but they should be held responsible for their actions. I see absolutely nothing wrong with someone jay-walking across an empty road, or through a sufficient gap in traffic. It's entirely possible to safely jay-walk. Some people just suck at doing that... be it because they're oblivious, or just plain suck at it (lack of practice?).

Overall, pedestrian and vehicle interactions are a two-way process. Both parties need to be aware of each other, and generally be courteous. In general, I think Calgary is a pretty nice environment for that. I've walked around in Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Vancouver, (and others... but I was too young to remember) and I'd say Calgary's pedestrian experience is pretty comparable.

I can think of two infrastructural things I don't care for, though:

- Flashing yellow cross-walks. As has already been mentioned in the thread, a pedestrian activated traffic light would be far more effective, and far less ambiguous. Usually those flashing yellow cross-walks are in areas where pedestrian traffic isn't all that frequent, so the flashing lights are meant to announce that a pedestrian is crossing. I think a regular traffic light would work just as well. It would be green for the vast majority of the time anyway, only turning red when a pedestrian needs to cross.

- Unmarked crosswalks. Is it really so difficult to spray two white lines across a road and put up a sign? Pedestrians know they can legally and safely cross there, drivers know they need to be aware of pedestrians. Again, this would really remove a lot of ambiguity from the situation.

Edit: Since it looks like cycling has also come up:

I can rant a bit here. I biked part of the way to work for a few summers, and I can say with complete, unwavering confidence, that a LOT of cyclists are absolute dicks. I've seen way too many pedestrians clipped at ridiculous speeds, vehicles illegally cut off, and generally appalling behaviour from cyclists on a daily basis to have any sympathy for them.

I think we have a pretty good bike path system going. But, soooo many cyclists just completely ignore them and drive on the road instead... even if there is a bike path RIGHT GORAM NEXT TO IT.

Don't get me wrong, I've also seen cars treat cyclists very poorly, but that happened very infrequently. Usually, automotive traffic does a great job of accommodating cyclists, even when the cyclist is almost intentionally making an obstacle of himself.

I think a more extensive and less ambiguous bike lane system would be great, though.

[Riise]

This is an interesting thread. Perfect for my inaugural post!

...

In general, I think Calgary is a pretty nice environment for that. I've walked around in Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Vancouver, (and others... but I was too young to remember) and I'd say Calgary's pedestrian experience is pretty comparable.

...

Don't get me wrong, I've also seen cars treat cyclists very poorly, but that happened very infrequently. Usually, automotive traffic does a great job of accommodating cyclists, even when the cyclist is almost intentionally making an obstacle of himself.

I think a more extensive and less ambiguous bike lane system would be great, though.

Welcome!

I think the pedestrian experience in Calgary is similar to the German experience in the way that drivers give way to pedestrians and don't act very aggressive to them but after that I think the similarities with places like Berlin end; the walking environment is the focus of a lot of their urban realms.

From my personal experiences and the stories of others, in my view motorist treating cyclists poorly is often the norm rather than the exception in Calgary. I mean, drivers in Calgary aren't very accommodating to other motorists, far less, inconspicuous cyclists. However, that is why I agree that a more commuter-oriented cycle lane system would be welcomed as cycling can be down right dangerous in Calgary.

Tfl is doing a great advert campaign over here that highlights one of the major problems that I feel cyclists in Calgary have to deal with when cycling on the road.


64T319-PhDI&feature=youtube_gdata

[hulkrogan]

I was amazed to see two cars stop on memorial at a green light between Centre Street and 10th Street for a pedestrian.

You know, the traffic light they replaced the pedestrian triggered flashing amber crossing with so that they could maintain traffic flow on Memorial in the summer when there are tonnes of pedestrians crossing there.

I honked to tell the idiot the light was green and he should keep driving and he flipped out pointing at the pedestrian (who was busy crossing on a don't walk signal because she was as baffled by them stopping as I was).

People are idiots. If you can't figure out green light = go, red light = stop, there is no hope.

[Mazrim]

I'm curious what people here think of this. If someone is standing a few feet away from a marked crosswalk, but not actually at the crosswalk and wants to cross the road, do you stop for them? I decided not to when this happened yesterday, and wondered if I should have let the guy have his way. It seemed like a slippery slope to letting them cross whenever like hulkrogan was just mentioning.

[DizzyEdge]

I was amazed to see two cars stop on memorial at a green light between Centre Street and 10th Street for a pedestrian.

You know, the traffic light they replaced the pedestrian triggered flashing amber crossing with so that they could maintain traffic flow on Memorial in the summer when there are tonnes of pedestrians crossing there.

I honked to tell the idiot the light was green and he should keep driving and he flipped out pointing at the pedestrian (who was busy crossing on a don't walk signal because she was as baffled by them stopping as I was).

People are idiots. If you can't figure out green light = go, red light = stop, there is no hope.

Unfortunately I've encountered many motorists 'being nice' and relinquishing their right of way, confusing the hell out of everyone.

[srperrycgy]

Just back from my near-daily trip over to Westbrook. With the WLRT construction picking up speed, walking paths have been restricted a bit (ie: 17th Ave, 33rd St.). I can still get to where I need to go, but the path taken has changed. I feel for the folks with restricted mobility who have to navigate through the mess. Hopefully, the construction will be as efficient as possible.

[Calgarian]

I'm curious what people here think of this. If someone is standing a few feet away from a marked crosswalk, but not actually at the crosswalk and wants to cross the road, do you stop for them? I decided not to when this happened yesterday, and wondered if I should have let the guy have his way. It seemed like a slippery slope to letting them cross whenever like hulkrogan was just mentioning.

If someone looks like they are trying to cross, I'll slow down or stop as required, but if you are standing back from the curb a few feet, that doesn't tell me you are about to cross and I probably won't stop.

[hulkrogan]

I'm curious what people here think of this. If someone is standing a few feet away from a marked crosswalk, but not actually at the crosswalk and wants to cross the road, do you stop for them? I decided not to when this happened yesterday, and wondered if I should have let the guy have his way. It seemed like a slippery slope to letting them cross whenever like hulkrogan was just mentioning.

I'm a big fan of cities where you basically have to stick a toe into the road before people will stop. This keeps from the awkward situation of cars stopping for you if you happen to be hanging on the corner of a sidewalk for another reason (no, not that reason :haha:)

[freeweed]

I'm curious what people here think of this. If someone is standing a few feet away from a marked crosswalk, but not actually at the crosswalk and wants to cross the road, do you stop for them? I decided not to when this happened yesterday, and wondered if I should have let the guy have his way. It seemed like a slippery slope to letting them cross whenever like hulkrogan was just mentioning.

I think it's idiotic, and drivers in Calgary should be ticketed for contributing to a very dangerous practice.

If a pedestrian runs out in front of my car, crosswalk or not, of course I'm going to stop or avoid hitting them by whatever means necessary. But people just standing there?

Firstly, it encourages dangerous crossing, otherwise known as running into the middle of traffic. This isn't someone jaywalking when there's no cars around, this is literally walking in front of nearby moving vehicles. This is especially dangerous on multi-lane roads (ie: all of them) where one lane stops but the other doesn't necessarily, and the idiot pedestrians don't have the sense to check past that first "helpful" car. If there's no crosswalk anywhere in sight, *maybe*, but come on - move your lazy ass and walk the 10 feet to the corner so you can cross safely.

Secondly, it creates dangerous road conditions. Yes, we're all told that we're supposed to be able to stop if the car in front of us does, for any reason. In practice however, try driving around for a day and randomly slam on your brakes from time to time. See how many accidents you cause. And get ticketed for - contrary to these "helpful" drivers beliefs, you can be charged for being an idiot (I forget the exact reason, but stopping for no reason whatsoever is definitely ticketable).

I have a few friends like this (one outside of Calgary even). They try to be "helpful" all the time. It's not just for pedestrians too - I've seen them come to a complete full stop on a road to let traffic merge in front of them. When said traffic is sitting at a freaking YIELD sign. Needless to say I'm amazed they don't have 16 cases of whiplash yet.

I don't know why so many people completely forget the rules of the road 2 hours after getting their license, and start making shit up in a quest to be the "nice guy".

[93JC]

I got stuck behind a car this morning on 58th Ave SW, between 5th Street and Elbow Drive. Not only was she going 30 in a playground zone which was not yet in effect, she stopped dead in the middle of the block to let a pedestrian jaywalk.

When we got to Elbow and she went right (northbound), I went left. Just as I turned on to westbound Glenmore I turned on the radio and caught the end of a traffic report saying "...and there's a pile-up on westbound Glenmore just east of Crowchild, traffic is backed up well past Macleod," or in other words you're a fool!

:gaah:


I ended up looping around at 14th and going northbound Elbow anyway (which was just as bad a cluster****...).

[McMahon]

I'm a pedestrian, not just a part-time pedestrian, but someone who has never driven at all. I walk/take transit everywhere. Added to that, I'm European, and I have to agree with others that the pedestrian/driver relationship is amazingly good here in Calgary. 99.5% of the time, I've never had a problem with drivers.

I've also never had many problems with the lack of pedestrian infrastructure in places. I don't really care if a sidewalk is narrow, or it's cracked. I can still walk on it. And if there isn't a sidewalk, I can just walk on the grass.

The problem comes now that I have a child in a stroller. The lack of a sidewalk becomes incredibly frustrating. Quite a few times, I've had to push him on the gravel filled side of a road (St. George's Drive yesterday), or struggle with him through grassy/mucky patches (MacLeod Trail from Anderson Stn up to Southland Dr has no sidewalk; I took Southport Road instead and even there the sidewalk stops after 100m or so). It has really opened my mind as to how a person in a wheelchair would get around. There are also a hell of a lot of buildings that don't have automatic doors, but that's another story. 14th SW is another road without a sidewalk and If you want to get from one neighbourhood to the one on the other side of 14th and you're not near the intersection, you've got a long walk out of your way ahead of you.

[freeweed]

Agreed 100%. I can't imagine how much work it must be to be in a wheelchair in this (or any other) city.

[fusili]

Agreed 100%. I can't imagine how much work it must be to be in a wheelchair in this (or any other) city.

Exactly, that is exactly who we should be planning and designing our cities for. I know I complain about sidewalk conditions a lot, but frankly, the people it really affects are people with strollers and people in wheelchairs. Some of our pedestrian infrastructure is completely unacceptable in that regard.

[Radley77]

The city has ripped up the temporary pavement sidewalk along the transit corridor on 7th Ave near BMO. I am excited for the real cement sidewalk to be installed!

[kw5150]

I am anxiously awaiting the new plans for the Eau Claire Plaza. While I had a great time at "Taste of Calgary" I felt kind of cramped in that space. Hopefully this project moves forward.

[Radley77]

Google Maps has been adding cycling and pedestrian routes lately!

The following is an example route between Crescent Heights Bluffs, down the wooden bridge, and across Prince's Island Bridge to Eau Claire:

http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=51.054007,-114.070058&geocode=FX4ZCwMd6Hcz-Q%3B&gl=ca&hl=en&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&dirflg=w&sll=51.056057,-114.068105&sspn=0.010588,0.019248&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16

It's not perfect, but it's a start!

[mr.steevo]

Hi,

I thought Google Maps had this over a year ago?

Maybe it was just the iPhone Google Map that I'm thinking of.

s.

[freeweed]

Google has had this for a while (easily a year) but coverage is ... spotty at best. It also does such wonderful things as suggesting walking down Interstates in the US.

[jeffwhit]

^^yeah, the walking routes are still tied to roads. From my house on the east side of Sunnyside to my job at the Epcor centre, it suggests walking down memorial, up edmonton trail, across 7th ave NW then down the centre street bridge.

[Radley77]

^^yeah, the walking routes are still tied to roads. From my house on the east side of Sunnyside to my job at the Epcor centre, it suggests walking down memorial, up edmonton trail, across 7th ave NW then down the centre street bridge.

There seem to be some additions though of pedestrian paths that have been added that weren't present before. Before it always seemed to use the roads\highways and didn't have any of the pedestrian crossing or routes.

For example, Google Maps knows as one pedestrian route that you can use the suspension pedestrian bridge at the west end of St. Patrick's Island, or the wooden stair case just north of Prince's Island Park.

Not perfect directions (as freeweed mentioned), or knows all the shortcuts, but it seems to know more than before.

[kw5150]

So I took the day off and went for a great bike ride. I cant believe how many people were on the pedestrian pathways yesterday. Certainly something to be proud of. There were people running, walking, biking, going for lunch and the pathways were absolutely packed. I could not even bike around the people so I went on the grass....

Here are some images. It felt much busier in person but you can get the idea. What surprised me the most were the amount of people walking across the river to Kensington.

I am so thankful that we are getting the new pedestrian / cyclist bridge bridge. It is almost impossible to weave around everyone.


http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/6368/dsc01960m.jpg

http://img225.imageshack.us/img225/9382/dsc01959vu.jpg

http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/8844/dsc01975ld.jpg

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/6986/dsc01977u.jpg

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/4139/eauclaire1.jpg

http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/3198/eauclaire2.jpg

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/7425/eauclaire4.jpg

[Riise]

Clearly the last one has been photoshoped as no one walks across the river because Calgary is a winter city and doesn't need $25M pedestrian bridges built by fancy Europeans. You conniving latte sipper!

[kw5150]

Clearly the last one has been photoshoped as no one walks across the river because Calgary is a winter city and doesn't need $25M pedestrian bridges built by fancy Europeans. You conniving latte sipper!

haha.....but really I should have taken a video. There were thousands of people on the streets and pathways yesterday.

[freeweed]

Clearly the last one has been photoshoped as no one walks across the river because Calgary is a winter city and doesn't need $25M pedestrian bridges built by fancy Europeans. You conniving latte sipper!

Not true. We all walk across the river all winter long, when it's frozen. No need for a bridge then.

Duh!

[jeffwhit]

I nearly got run over about 4 times yesterday on c-train bridge. Can't a guy wearing headphones and wheeling a frigging bass around get any respect from those filthy cyclists. ;)

Seriously, the latte bridge can't open fast enough.

[DizzyEdge]

Clearly the last one has been photoshoped as no one walks across the river because Calgary is a winter city and doesn't need $25M pedestrian bridges built by fancy Europeans. You conniving latte sipper!

Clearly they're all photoshopped, Eau Claire areas need to be redeveloped since no one uses those open spaces.

[kw5150]

I nearly got run over about 4 times yesterday on c-train bridge. Can't a guy wearing headphones and wheeling a frigging bass around get any respect from those filthy cyclists. ;)

Seriously, the latte bridge can't open fast enough.

I agree. See the little dirt trail (picture 4) on the right hand side of the concrete walkway? I am oficially calling that the new cycling path

[Ramsayfarian]

Clearly the last one has been photoshoped as no one walks across the river because Calgary is a winter city and doesn't need $25M pedestrian bridges built by fancy Europeans. You conniving latte sipper!

Obviously shopped. They cloned out the teeming masses that cram the bridge from dusk to dawn. :jester:

I know I'm a bit slow, but I can't believe that it's taken me this long to figure out why the Peace Bridge was put in such a crappy spot. It's not for the latte lifting lefties over in Sunnyside, it's for the benefit of the LaCaille Group and their properties at the head of the bridge on the South side.

A final farewell gift from Bronco to his biggest supporters.

[Calgarian]

I was walking home from lunch today and noticed for the 2nd day in a row, that contractor vehicles are completely blocking the sidewalk on the 13th Avenue side of Union Square. This really frustrates me as it forces me to walk around them on the street and blocks the view of me from any vehicles coming in or out of Union Square. I called 311 but they didn't seem to take me seriously, same with the Parking authority. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get the city to look at this situation before I get run over before some idiot who isn't paying attention.

[Radley77]

I was walking home from lunch today and noticed for the 2nd day in a row, that contractor vehicles are completely blocking the sidewalk on the 13th Avenue side of Union Square. This really frustrates me as it forces me to walk around them on the street and blocks the view of me from any vehicles coming in or out of Union Square. I called 311 but they didn't seem to take me seriously, same with the Parking authority. Anyone have any suggestions on how to get the city to look at this situation before I get run over before some idiot who isn't paying attention.

Ugggg. I dunno maybe you could contact the Centre City team? When East Village upgrades were happening last year, it was havoc for pedestrians. What helped is some small signage that showed maps of alternate routes and scheduled completion timelines. I also like that later in the year, CMLC put up signage of a general project overview along the fencing.

[mersar]

Ugggg. I dunno maybe you could contact the Centre City team? When East Village upgrades were happening last year, it was havoc for pedestrians. What helped is some small signage that showed maps of alternate routes and scheduled completion timelines. I also like that later in the year, CMLC put up signage of a general project overview along the fencing.

I think that his complaint is more like contractors who are working in the building (fixing things most likely) are parking on the sidewalk instead of on the road. The site isn't an active construction site so theres no reason why they should need to be parking there, aside from a desire to park as close to the building so they don't need to walk far in the cold most likely.

[Calgarian]

I think that his complaint is more like contractors who are working in the building (fixing things most likely) are parking on the sidewalk instead of on the road. The site isn't an active construction site so theres no reason why they should need to be parking there, aside from a desire to park as close to the building so they don't need to walk far in the cold most likely.

There's a big flat area beside the parkade entrance that I assume was meant to be used as a loading space, but there are no parking signs on it. It's guys like Thyssen elevators and heating companies that are always parked there, and they always block the sidewalk. Moving trucks always back into there and block the sidewalk and half the road sometimes too.

[Radley77]

I think that his complaint is more like contractors who are working in the building (fixing things most likely) are parking on the sidewalk instead of on the road. The site isn't an active construction site so theres no reason why they should need to be parking there, aside from a desire to park as close to the building so they don't need to walk far in the cold most likely.

Whoops, I thought the 13 Avenue Greenway had already been kicked off. Dang.