These intersections are driving Calgarians crazy
We asked for the crossings that cause the most headaches and you've answered — with many examples
Calgary's most troublesome intersections can be notorious for tricky turns and traffic congestion, and some confusing intersections have people breaking the law to get on their way.
The city ranks the worst intersections to find out which ones need traffic signals. We highlighted the top three last week.
But there are other intersections that cause many Calgarians headaches. We asked for your least favourite crossings, and you've answered.
People wrote in about struggling to see pedestrians while driving around the city, as well as struggling without turning lanes and lengthy green lights.
But here's a sampling of specific intersections that make the commute for these Calgarians not pleasant.
Macleod Trail at 25th Avenue
By far the most complained about this intersection where Macleod Trail crosses 25th Avenue. Multiple drivers noted the disruption of the LRT line cutting across traffic. Matched with short green lights, drivers said there's only enough time for a couple cars or pedestrians cross the street.
"Worst intersection in the city IMO," wrote Sinead Casey on Facebook.
St. George's Drive at 12th Street N.E.
When driving southeast on St. George's Drive in Bridgeland, you can't turn right onto 12th Street N.E., John Smith noted in a comment.
"Such a pain to have to go way around Deerfoot and Memorial to access the intersection from a different angle," Smith wrote.
"On the other hand, you CAN go the opposite direction — southbound 12th Street onto east/northbound St. George's. What gives, Calgary?"
16th Avenue N.W. to 14th Street N.W.
"Sitting through three cycles of lights after ~10 p.m. waiting to turn left off 16th Avenue N.W. onto 14th Street N.W. is one of the more baffling elements of Calgary traffic control," Matt MacKenzie told CBC in a Facebook comment.
Vining Wolff also commented that turning south to get onto 14th Street can be "a scary one" when trying to merge with traffic.
Fairmount Drive and Southland Drive S.E.
Multiple people said turning lanes and lights would help when you're going from Fairmount Drive to Southland Drive in the southeast.
"It's awful there and I refuse to turn till I can see clearly and people behind you get 'annoyed'. I avoid it as much as possible," wrote Jennifer Victoria on Facebook.
10th Street N.W. at Kensington Road
Southbound traffic often backs up during rush hour along 10th Street N.W. at the intersection with Kensington Road.
One of the reasons it piles up is that the next intersection is close by, and crosses the busy Memorial Drive.
8th Street and 10th Avenue S.W.
The intersection in front of the downtown MEC causes a host of problems, wrote Laura Grant on Facebook.
"People seem to ooze through intersections, forget the red light stop or pedestrians or cyclists," she said.
McKnight Boulevard to Deerfoot Trail
Travel around and on Deefoot Trail garnered many complaints. Specifically, Danielle Tillie wrote in about how difficult it is to turn from McKnight Blvd. N.E. and merge onto Deerfoot northbound.
"During evening rush hour... the worst," Tillie said.
"That on-off merge causes all kinds of havoc," Vining Wolff added on Facebook.
13th Avenue and 10th Street N.W.
Along the eastern edge of SAIT campus, drivers struggle to turn south from 13th Avenue N.W. onto 10th Street, John Heights wrote in a comment.
"Especially during rush hours, nearly impossible unless a pedestrian activates the crosswalk at the intersection," he said.
The area is made more difficult to navigate during the winter, he said, as the road has, at times, iced up to the point where the intersection is blocked off for being unsafe.
Calgary: The Road Ahead is CBC Calgary's special focus on our city as it passes through the crucible of the downturn: the challenges we face, and the possible solutions as we explore what kind of Calgary we want to create. Have an idea? Email us at [email protected].
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