Calgary Commuting Culture

We're on the same team!!!

So this morning I was commuting to work ala bicycle and a fellow cyclist started giving me a lecture about how to ride with traffic?!? I heading north on 1st St. SW coming up to the corner of 9th Ave. to turn right. Traffic was backed up and there was a cyclist in front of me taking up the entire lane. Now I fully understand that we (cyclists) are entitled to a whole lane but during rush hour I quite often ride off to the right to allow cars by and so I can squeeze up to make right hand turns. This was the case this morning and as I started to ride along the right hand side beside the other cyclist, he started yelling at me. Here's how it went:

Other cyclist: "Hey, don't ride up the curb lane, take up the whole lane!"
Me: "Dude, I'm just squeezing by. I don't need the lecture."
Other cyclist: "YES YOU DO!"
Me: "Whatever. I know how to ride in traffic. Keep it to yourself."

NOTE - he was yelling this as he rode his bicycle onto the sidewalk?!?

It was brief and somewhat comical and the best part is... this guy works at the same place I do! I don't know him per say but I have seen him around the office and at the bike cage. I was expecting him to show up at the bike cage when I was there which probably would have meant as escalated conversation but no such luck...

I don't get it though... he's riding his bike, which is cool. I'm riding my bike, which is cool. We're both just trying to get to work. We're the underdogs. We're the ones who should be uniting to help and protect each other against the vast army of cars. OK, that was a bit dramatic, but really why the yelling? It doesn't solve anything.

Labels: Bicycle

Slow moving on Crowchild!

OK, so I have to bitch. For weeks now the speed limit on Crowchild from Stoney Trail to Dalhousie station has been 50 km/h, when it's usually 80. No big deal right? Wrong, it's soooo annoying. I exit onto Crowchild from Nosehill almost everyday and each day I'm annoyed at the speed limit. The Nosehill Drive intersection has been a disaster since I moved here last August, as they are building onto the CTrain there. They have re-routed traffic like 15 times already and now with the overpass over Crowchild things seems to be getting a little better, except now there are more lights. Boo!! And they are synchronized, so if you get one you get them all.

Anyways, this 50 k and hour thing has to do with the c-train completion also. And I'm not even sure why the speed limit is so low. I don't see guys working on the road, I see them working on the tracks. And the police are usually out trying to catch speeders, so one can't even speed. Remember speed fines double in construction zones. I just had to make this known, because surely I can't be the only one annoyed at this. I miss going 80!!

Labels: Car

Deerfoot trail commute!

We thought it would be a good idea to brave Deefoot trail during rush hour. We also thought it would be a bit of a disaster, but it turned out to be not so bad. Kelly and I took Memorial Drive out of Downtown to Deerfoot Trail at about 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Kelly was driving and I was filming. It was a gorgeous day out, and we didn't have any trouble getting out of downtown. We almost missed the turn off to Deerfoot but squeezed in the cue just in time. All was well!!

There was definitely heavy traffic heading North on Deerfoot, but it seemed to be moving quite smoothly. We listened to the traffic update on the radio and there was no problems, so things moved quite nicely. But I was amazed at the volumes at that time of day. There was a steady stream of cars both in front and behind us. One thought we would never get to Beddington Trail, but like I said traffic flow was at a pretty good pace. Must have been a slow day on the roads, or maybe because it was Monday. Who knows!! We had a really decent drive. No problems, no stresses, no worries, and no accidents!! So that is good. I could only imagine what a disaster it would be with and accident or a stall and Deerfoot, and now I know why the traffic reports always mention accidents and such. It would be hard not to notice something like this on the busiest road in Calgary. It's easy to understand and see how congested things can get out there on the roads, especially that one. I couldn't imagine that drive in the winter on slippery roads. Oh God!!

I forgot how incredibly car sick I get. And I get car sick in one of two ways, either on a bus, or as a passenger in a vehicle. The reason I get sick is because of all the stopping and going. I was practically white after the drive with Kelly, not to mention that I had to film while I was a passenger. Yikes not too good! I had to stop filming once we got to Beddington, or I was going to have to get Kelly to pull over. Besides all the juicy bits happened on Deerfoot anyway, the rest of the drive was smooth sailing and not busy at all. Kelly did mention to get a very dirty look from an angry pedestrian that thought Kelly was going to run her over while crossing at a light. She got the evil alright, it was pretty funny! Anwyays, that's about all for now!

Labels: Car

Bicycle - The last 2 days of filming...

The last two days have been good, I finally captured the gauntlet on Thursday morning and today I managed to get a bit of the Commuter Olympics down on the Bow River pathway. Here is my artistic interpretation of my experience ;)



Before I started the Olympics, I had a truck cut me off this morning on 26th Ave. SW. He accelerated and then pulled a right hand turn in front of me. I had to lay on the brakes pretty heavy, it wasn't really that close but he definitely was driving like a jack a**! I cursed him and his stupid big truck as I pedaled towards work. That was the only really stresser over the past couple of days.

I also managed to capture my morning gauntlet, which is by far the most stressful part of my commute in to work. Here's the video to prove how busy the traffic can get...



Physically I've been feeling better and better on the bike, my legs are starting to feel the magic again, although they're a far cry from my racing days, they still like to make the wheels spin! And now that things aren't as cold or slippery I've noticed that I am able to have way more to think as I pedal along, which is one of the primary reasons why I like to ride my bike so much: time to think, time to reflect.

Now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is out earlier I've really noticed way more people on the pathways and bike routes, which is good but sometimes it's pretty cool to have the whole path to yourself... so quiet, so peaceful... and usually so cold ;) But in the big picture, the more people that are using the pathways, the less they're driving their cars and that is alllll goooood.

Today was it for filming, now we have the task of compiling our footage into something meaningful and engaging. I think we're going to rock it out. I will be sprinkling video throughout my postings over the next couple of weeks, adding some visual reference to my experience. I'm trying to decide what music to use... I guess it depends on the footage. I am open to any suggestions...

p.s. -- This entire month cost me $0.00 to commute to and from work everyday. Obviously there was the cost of the bicycle ($500), helmet, locks and clothing (<$500) and the bike cage rental (one time fee of $25) but those are a very small amount to pay when compared to a car. No gas money, no parkades, sweet! If nothing motivates you to try different forms of commuting, just think of the economics!

Labels: Bicycle

Everything as Usual

The Route:
For the past couple of days my gallavanting has been minimal. I have only been heading to the university and back, adding up to 20 minutes a day with a few extra minutes to wait for the bus to arrive!

The Expereince:
Nothing unusual has happned and my ride has been typical. I have not been able to sit down everyday but it hasn't been so crowded that I feel squished.

The Highlight:
Nothing interesting to report!

How I feel:
Everything has been great so I give transit a 9 out of 10!

Labels: Transit

Bicycle - Monday to Wednesday... oh where to begin!

Monday
So, Monday was standard ride into work, with nothing really exceptional to report. Monday afternoon, Mike and Teresa filmed me going from SAIT to the top of the hill as you roll into Marda Loop. We got some good footage and things were pretty standard, although it was little cool to be wearing shorts... It was fun to hang out with people and the narcissistic part of me loved seeing myself on my bike on the video tape ;)

Tuesday
The ride on Tuesday was another standard day, with nothing out of the ordinary to report. My morning gauntlet was a bit hectic, but nothing I couldn't handle. The most interesting part of the day came at lunch when I was walking down to the gym near City Hall. Another woman and I were waiting to cross the street at the corner of McLeod Tr. and 5th Ave. I know how the lights and crosswalk signals work at this intersection. McLeod Tr. southbound gets an flashing green arrow before both lanes are given green lights which means we get a delayed walk signal when waiting to cross. This situation does not create optimal crossing conditions for pedestrians because drivers who are speeding to make the flashing green arrow often blow through the intersection after the walk signal has come on and pedestrians have the right-of-way.

So, that's where I was just after noon and the intersection was really busy and as the walk signal came on, a big dump truck was finishing its right turn ala the flashing green. I'm cool with that, he started his turn on yellow, no problem. The dude in his BMW behind the dump truck started to make the turn as the woman and I started to walk (with the walk signal on). He had to screech his brakes and I made an emphatic motion towards the walk signal and gave him essentially a WTF? look. He rolled down his window and started throwing F-bombs at me like they were going out of style. I'm not really one to back down in these sorts of situations... I started walking towards his car throwing my own volley of F-bombs. I ended up standing in the middle of the intersection yelling at this guy in his car as he swore at me and sped away.

I know this doesn't have anything to do with riding my bike, but it is a testament of how some drivers in this city just don't really understand the rules of the road and who actually has the right-of-way! Drivers like this guy make me afraid to ride my bike or walk on or near busy roads because they just don't get it...

Wednesday
This morning I had this grand plan to take the long way to work so I could capture some of the Commuter Olympics which are common down on the Bow River path during the morning and afterwork rush. I hooked up with the pathway just before the Crowchild pedestrian bridge and it was game on! I was heading east towards City Hall and I must have passed about 15-20 riders along the way. And as expected, I ended having about 4 guys latch on to my wheel and catch my draft, it was like a TDF peleton, except it was a bunch of middle aged men with too much testosterone ;) I ramped up my speed close to 40KPH and dropped most of them. One dude hung on and passed me, but I think it just about killed him because a few moments later I passed him back... I guess I am the Commuter Olympian. It was kind of fun to ride that way, just like old times. Unfortunately, my camera shut itself off. I think it may have been a little too cold for it. I will try again tomorrow, perhaps in the afternoon, just so I can capture the spectacle of the Bow River bikepath during peak hours.

3-Day Summary
I felt good on the bike, I logged about 60KM over about 2.5 hours of riding. No real stress, just some laughs during the Commuter Olympics. Oh yes, and it cost me $0.00!!!

Labels: Bicycle

Rush Hour Commuting!!

Like Kelly, I rarely ever hit rush hour traffic, because a) I rarely travel downtown and b) the times when I commute are after or before rush hour begins. Yesterday we braved the rush hour commute from Westhills to my house in Scenic Acres (Northwest). We were northern bound at about 5 p.m., oh yes, we were in the thick of it. Not as bad as I imagined it would be, but still nothing that you'd want to face everday after a long day at work. Seemed OK for just one day, but as our backseat passenger put it . . . imagine doing this everyday with a family and a busy life to come home to. Then it clicked. Yes this would get tiresome and annoying.

It was pretty backed up on Crowchild as we neared downtown and it stayed this way until the university. There was some action, which we were pathetically hoping for (we weren't hoping for any bad action, like a horrible car collision or anything). There was an accident, and it was a little confusing as to what the protocol is when there is back to back cars and ambulances, firetrucks, and cop cars are trying to get through. It was pretty funny, because there was three of us in the car and not one of us knew whether to pull over right or to pull over left. It was a bit intense for a brief moment. The accident, and all the commotion, didn't interfere with the traffic flow at all really, and it looked like a minor fender bender. By the time we drove by everyone was on the meridian, so all was well. We made pretty good time, a lot better than I expected. All in all it only took about a 1/2 hour, to go from Westhills to Scenic Acres. I'm sure others have it a lot worse.

All in all a pretty mild day I would say. Then again it was Monday, I've seen it way worse at 3 p.m. on a Friday afternoon when everyone is eager to get home and get their weekend started.

Labels: Car