OT: The New Rules for Driving in Calgary.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by IntotheWest

Point #8...we once encountered an Elk travelling down Bow Trail towards downtown AGAINST the traffic (this was around those new condo towers going up). Hard to miss something that large. Kinda odd he made it that far into the city.

Yeah, not really that strange considering how close it is to the river.

I find the most aggrevating encounters with other drivers in parking lots. Both as a driver and a pedestrian. Especially some of the parking lots with fucked-up designs.

[guymez]

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

Don't flame me, please. I've had a license for 26 years and have never been in an accident; I've only ever had parking tickets, and I have no idea what a "freeflow lane" is. Please explain.

I see it as a lane continuation from 2 adjoining roads. No yielding or merging necessary....just keep driving.

[frinkprof]

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

Don't flame me, please. I've had a license for 26 years and have never been in an accident; I've only ever had parking tickets, and I have no idea what a "freeflow lane" is. Please explain.

A lane, or set of lanes really, which is supposed to allow vehicles to weave in or out of them without stopping. Usually only slowing down to exit off the "freeway" or speeding up to weave into an ajacent lane to continue on the freeway. Basically Deerfoot is supposed to be a freeway, but if people don't know how to merge, there is heavy construction or lane closures, or there is a major collision (usually at least once a week) it ceases to be a freeway.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

Don't flame me, please. I've had a license for 26 years and have never been in an accident; I've only ever had parking tickets, and I have no idea what a "freeflow lane" is. Please explain.

[mersar]

Don't even get me started on the freeflow lanes. I nearly hit one guy a few years back coming off one of the exits onto Deerfoot south, as the guy in front of me had *stopped* to merge into the main lanes of traffic despite the fact he was in a freeflow lane. And to make matters worse, he stopped right as the ramp and deerfoot joined, so you had no choice but to slam on your brakes and hope you were able to stop on time.

[Riise]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Really? I've lost track of the amount of times some dumbass yields getting onto the deerfoot in the merge lane!

Or yields coming off of southbound deerfoot onto westbound memorial, when it is a BLOODY FREE FLOW LANE!!

I think we need mandatory re-testing of drivers licenses every 5 years, and make it for everyone!

OMG, you've hit the nail on the head! What do most driver's in this city think the merge lanes are there for? If the traffic planners wanted you to speed up to freeway speed only once you are on the freeway itself, then I don't think they would have put a couple hundred metres of usually straight asphalt right beside the freeway. I've been discussing the mandatory re-testing od drivers with my dad for quite some time know, I'm positive that over 50% of currently licensed drivers would fail a pop-quiz/exam if they were randomly pulled over and tested. I don't know what's worse in this city, the amount of drunk or plain crappy drivers.

Originally Posted by freeweed

This one I find funny. Maybe I just never drive when everyone's in a hurry, but I find the Deerfoot is a parking lot during "rush" hour, and every other time... let's just say I'd eat my hat if anyone actually went 130. Maybe at 2am when I'm asleep.

When you obviously haven't seen me on Deerfoot... You are correct, though, compared to drivers in other cities Calgarians are pretty slow drivers, or at least speed limit abiding ones.

[bigcanuck]

Freeflow example - if you take Bow Trail west out of downtown and loop onto Crowchild Trail going North or South, you'll get your own lane on Crowchild. This is freeflow.

[korzym]

Yeah things can get pretty hectic out there..

The other day I was going the speed limit in the middle lane and some guy was tail gating me, finally he got a chance to get ahead and the extends his arm out the window and throws somekind of canister high into the air..goes from the left side driver side over to the RIGHT lane nearly hitting a car.

This is why I'm buying two camcorders off ebay with remote control activation, and I'm handing the DVD in to the police if crap like that ever happens again. If someone is driving aggressively or tailgating me I'm going to hit record and legally IMO I'm covered. So think twice people, be legal and safe out there. You want to race go to a track, the roads are for transport and not fun.

[guymez]

Originally Posted by bigcanuck

Freeflow example - if you take Bow Trail west out of downtown and loop onto Crowchild Trail going North or South, you'll get your own lane on Crowchild. This is freeflow.

Exactly. I think some people confuse freeflow lanes with merge lanes.
Not the same thing.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by feepa

That usually gets a long horn and big middle finger of appreciation from me

Not enough people use their horn in this city. It's there for a reason people! I feel like I've done something illegal when I give someone even a little toot of the horn...

[Champion3]

There are some disasterous ramps that don't help with the yield vs. merge situation. The chute that dumps traffic from Barlow/Peigan onto northbound Deerfoot comes to mind. Thankfully the province is going to be doing some work on that area soon...

[feepa]

[Rusty van Reddick]

OK, but that "freeflow lane" might turn into an exit only lane- I know that when I get on crowchild at 24th Ave, I had better move over one lane ASAP or I am going to be stuck there when it becomes exit-only at bow trail with too much traffic on my left to do anything about it. I exit at 17th Ave.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I have to add that having learned to drive on the Borman and Kennedy in Chicago and suffering years on the 401 in Toronto and GODDAMNED Allen Road "exrpressway," where every asshole in town thinks they can cut you off when you turn onto Eglinton, I find Calgary to be a walk in the park. I think it's one of the easiest cities to drive in, in fact.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by Champion3

There are some disasterous ramps that don't help with the yield vs. merge situation. The chute that dumps traffic from Barlow/Peigan onto northbound Deerfoot comes to mind. Thankfully the province is going to be doing some work on that area soon...

Same with the yield from 17th Ave SW onto Crowchild north...why is that not a merge??

[LordMandeep]

agrees ^^^

I never understood why couldn't they make left lanes especially on three lane roads more to left and on the other side as well, so that you can see oncoming traffic clearly. Meaning seperate the left turn lane by a small space from the rest of the traffic. When its full rush hour, i just wait till its for sure clear or it is red. Its even a risk at red because morons like to cross reds. I have just seen to many of these accidents to risk it anymore. You really have less then a second to react if you make a left and there is actually a car coming.

Really i think the situation above imo is really a way even good drivers can get into an accident.

[entheosfog]

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

I find Calgary to be a walk in the park. I think it's one of the easiest cities to drive in, in fact.

Agreed...

[lubicon]

Originally Posted by furrycanuck

OK, but that "freeflow lane" might turn into an exit only lane- I know that when I get on crowchild at 24th Ave, I had better move over one lane ASAP or I am going to be stuck there when it becomes exit-only at bow trail with too much traffic on my left to do anything about it. I exit at 17th Ave.

Crowchild is a bit of a goat fuck when it crosses over the river both northbound and southbound. Going north there are 2 lanes that cross the river but the right lane is to exit onto Memorial so. The left lane then becomes the right lane after that and the onramp from Bow Trail West becomes the new left lane. Then when you cross Memorial another lane is added on the right so you are now in the centre lane until the left lane exits onto University Drive. So you go from the left lane to the right lane to the centre lane and back to the left lane in about a 2km stretch, and all without switching lanes.

I'll agree that we really don't have a clue how to drive on a 'big road' up here. I've driven in Dallas, Houston etc and find their freeways much easier to navigate and people know how to drive them, or maybe the on and offramps are jsut designed better.

Anectodal story. My Aunt & Uncle took their motorhome on a 3 month trip from Calgary and travelled east to Ontario, down the Eastern seabord (NYC, Washington etc) to Florida, then across the bottom of the US to Texas and back up to Calgary. The last thing that happend as they left Calgary was they got cut off by some moron who didn't know how to merge on Deerfoot. It didn't happen for another 3 months until they got back to Calgary where some moron cut them off trying to merge on the first onramp they came upon along Deerfoot. Probably the same guy.

[feepa]

Originally Posted by LordMandeep

agrees ^^^

I never understood why couldn't they make left lanes especially on three lane roads more to left and on the other side as well, so that you can see oncoming traffic clearly. Meaning seperate the left turn lane by a small space from the rest of the traffic. When its full rush hour, i just wait till its for sure clear or it is red. Its even a risk at red because morons like to cross reds. I have just seen to many of these accidents to risk it anymore. You really have less then a second to react if you make a left and there is actually a car coming.

Really i think the situation above imo is really a way even good drivers can get into an accident.

They have seperated left turn lanes all over Edmonton here - some single some dual left turn lanes...
I figured this was common all over the place

[LordMandeep]

that is true for very big intersections, but there are still places that suffer that problem...