Calgary to install new in-street crosswalk signs at all K-6 schools (calgary.ctvnews.ca)

submitted 11 months ago by yads@lemmy.ca to c/calgary@lemmy.ca

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Probably a good thing. Seems like more and more parents are choosing to drive their kids to school and the chaos results in a lot of impatience.

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[-] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world -1 points 11 months ago

These things don't really work, that is without a redesign of the actual street to promote traffic calming.

We have a bunch of these around Toronto for example, they have the speed posted on them. After a few months they work pretty much the same as speed limit signs you regularly see. Drivers just ignore them and drive the speed the road or street is designed to drive.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

That's Toronto, plus we have photo radar here in the school zones, and they are heavily radared. Speed in school zones isn't the real issue.

We also have privatized licensing here, and that's the real problem. This isn't going to do shit. People fucking suck at driving here, and if anything else, these signs are just going to cause more confusion for the folks that probably can't understand them, and got their license at the local kwickymart license bureau. I know this isn't exactly a PC stance or comment, but I'm sick of tip toeing around this issue, like it's not an issue. It's an issue, and a big one.

I also live around the corner from a school, and all these school zones and signs and drop off zones do, is push all the traffic to the alleyways and any nearby parking lots. Just about got creamed by an Audi that came flying through our alley the other day, me having the audacity to think I had a free moment to back into my garage, not expecting a car to fly around a blind corner at highway speeds. Plus the guy flipped me off.

[-] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

I agree with you, I almost get hit at every intersection or crossway I cross at in Toronto and around the GTA as well.

Most if not all crosswalks at intersection without signaled lights and crossways in-between intersection have a pedestrian right of way, though most cars speed past them without a thought in mind.

I find the issue is in north america we don't really design our streets and roads all that well. If we prioritized our streets design with children safety in mind everything else may just fall into place naturally in terms of pedestrian safety.

[-] frostbiker@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago

Drivers just ignore them and drive the speed the road or street is designed to drive.

That's what drivers usually do. I thought the purpose of in-street signs is to reduce the speed at which drivers feel safe driving because there is a bloody sign in the middle of the road that will scratch their paint. It may work better combined with a chicane.

[-] NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 1 points 11 months ago

You are correct, that is the idea of the sign.

Though the sign is only one part (the cheapest) that should be implemented with a redesign of the high-speed road as a whole into a low speed street.

Here is a link that shows all these individual traffic calming techniques, if implemented together they make low speed streets. These are both plesent to walk near or drive on even in busy areas.

https://globaldesigningcities.org/publication/global-street-design-guide/designing-streets-people/designing-for-motorists/traffic-calming-strategies/

[-] frostbiker@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 months ago

Thank you for the source. It has great diagrams. I love mini roundabouts for traffic calming.

[-] GrindingGears@lemmy.ca 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Go to McKenzie Towne, that roundabout is anything but calming. Roundabouts don't calm traffic. Maybe if people knew how to drive and how to use them properly, they would. Or if the city knew how to properly design and properly sign/lane them (again, looking at McKenzie Towne), maybe then they would calm people. Instead they enrage and cause hella traffic backups.

[-] frostbiker@lemmy.ca 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

I suspect you are conflating regular roundabouts with traffic-calming mini-roundabouts. The link above shows the latter, if you are curious.

this post was submitted on 11 Oct 2023

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