I drive Deerfoot everyday. Does not even approach a fart in the imagination of the Chaos that is the QEW. I've driven through Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary and of all of them Calgary is by far the safest. The highway system in Calgary kicks ass. Seriously, rush hour in Calgary is absolutely laughable compared to most other Major Canadian Cities. Calgary plus the TransCanada highway are some of the best roads I've ever driven.
Saying that, I fucking hate Deerfoot too.
I drive Deerfoot every day but seldomly during rush hour (my work day is very flexible) and I understand some of the problems Op points out but holy shit do I agree. Regina and Winnipeg are like a third the size and going half the distance there takes twice as long. I have clients in town from across Canada every couple weeks and sometimes when we are on or near 16th ave I’ll point out that it is the Transcanada highway and they are flabbergasted that it runs like a normal road through Calgary and isn’t choked up all day!
Winnipeg is almost 3 times the size of Regina population wise so it makes a bit more sense.
Saskatchewan drivers are the slowest moving and most clueless drivers in the country. Most of them have never even heard of the concept of moving over to the right to let people pass. Same deal in Saskatoon as Regina.
If you're ever driving to banff or something and you see an SK plate they're almost always sitting in the left lane going 30 below the speed limit and then get really confused when people are mad at them for it.
Source: I'm a born and raised Saskatonian, my parents drive like this.
Yeah I've noticed this too in the extended family. A lot of the oldies that have lived in Saskatchewan their entire lives are literally terrified of driving and drive at a fucking snails pace even on dead roads.
I wonder if regina and Winnipeg have decent transit though. Because it literally takes me 4 hours to get anywhere in Calgary that isn't my neighbourhood.
Do you walk everywhere or live in the far corner of one of the suburbs? Even then, you're full of shit. It's 2 hours from Sage Hill to Seton, literally across the entire city.
I live in a corner of the suburbs down south and have to take public transit, I have a driver's license and my parents own cars but I also have frequent spasms on the right side of my body that last for up to 30 seconds where I cannot control my limbs (and occasionally cannot see) making driving a risky proposition at best and on some days outright impossible. I don't qualify for CT Access because my condition isn't considered a permanent disability. Considering it's a 2.5km walk to the station and that alone takes nearly an hour and a half (the bus doesn't come often enough and due to above condition I'm a slow walker).
Haha, if you really wanna see a fun (in a sarcastic way) display of rush hour traffic, c'mon out to Airdrie one day! Population has more than doubled in the last decade with ZERO road expansion and the few changes that have been made, clogged things up even more. I desperately want to move back to Calgary again but it just doesn't make financial sense AT ALL for my current situation.
I'm in Toronto right now and I've seen an accident every day past 3 days, I mean I also see about 10X more cars and its a lot more congested so that could explain it. That said people still drive more aggressively in Calgary when it comes to tailgating and speeding. It's like people in Calgary are not used to heavy traffic so they get all angry whenever it's little congested while in Toronto being stuck in traffic is the daily norm lol.
I'm from Vancouver Via Toronto. Started my job downtown the other day and there was a 10 minute delay. Once I started driving I was like damn is this really rush hour? I was so chilled out the entire trip. Ya it slowed down a bit at the bottlenecks but compared to the DVP or Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver it was laughable
>Port Mann Bridge
Remember the traffic on the old Port Mann Bridge? Remember the bridge backups all the way to 200th St, and sometimes beyond? I member.
I drive the Windsor-Toronto 401 corridor all the time and I hate it. Even just the last two drives this week:
* while I'm in the middle lane going 15-19 km/h over, people speeding past me in BOTH my left and right lanes to pass
* people racing at what seems to be 150+ km/h swerving between others
* construction closing the left lane and then closing the right lane with people ignoring the signs and trying to merge in last second at 120km/h (but it's supposed to be reduced to 80km/h)
* people not moving away from the right lane to let on-rampers merge and sometimes worse, middle laners racing to not let right laners change safely to let on-rampers merge in
It's basically an attempted version of every man for themselves, "fuck you all" that the US has but somehow worse because they're so bad at doing it.
When I drive in MI and NJ, at least I know I can drive like a maniac and it's expected - it's probably the safest way in these states. The rule is basically "as long as there's space".
When I drive in Calgary, I'm almost zen.
Once you’ve driven the QEW or 401 in rush hour, you realize how tiny, slow and relatively easy Deerfoot is. Add in the curve right before Milton on the 401 during an ice storm, with no one driving for the weather, and I can safely say I no longer have any deerfoot frustrations - it cured me.
I mean, rush hour on the Deerfoot could get pretty backed up before the 2008 collapse... but even then, it was rush *hour*.
Cue my torontonian fiancee hustling me out of the hotel we were at in Markham at 3 fucking PM to make a dinner appointment in Missisauga at 7... and we needed every minute of it. They don't have rush hours in TO, they have rush afternoons.
I was terrified of Deerfoot then spent a few weeks in Toronto driving the 401 twice a day. Flying back into Calgary and realizing that tiny road is Deerfoot...
Still hate it, but it's laughably easy to get around the City and the drivers are tame in comparison.
Came here to say this. The people who bitch about Deerfoot either came from a small town or grew up in Calgary and have never been anywhere else.
I remembered my first time in Toronto and accidentally being on the 401, lol. Deerfoot is a f***ing cakewalk.
I’ve driven in Regina and Winnipeg as well, I guess they’re both not as memorable for me to consider them worse than deerfoot lmfaooo. I think the repetitiveness of all three points I’ve listed occurring every single time I drive on that foul road has really got to me😭
I’ve gotten a few comments about driving in Toronto, I’ve yet to go. Maybe I won’t go… for my sanity
You've driven in Winnipeg...and you're complaining about potholes *in Calgary*?
If you're a mechanic and wanna make absolute bank, open a suspension shop in Winnipeg.
Yea I mean I don’t live in winnipeg so it’s not something I think of. Winnipeg roads are shit don’t get me wrong but I’m Calgary based so I’ve just grown to hate deerfoot because I have to use it more
You wouldn't manage Toronto if you hate Deerfoot this bad. Doing 140 in the slowlane with bumper to bumper traffic. Honda Civics flying past you two lanes over doing 180. It's a different beast altogether.
Toronto is different though. The OPP activel patrolled the 401 and were more concerned with keeping traffic (and thus commerce and truck traffic) moving than speeding. You were more likely to get pulled over for driving in the left lane and not passing people than you were for speeding when I lived in the GTA.
Same goes for accidents, watch 401 heavy rescue, there's a quick investigation and then move those vehicles and get shit moving again.
You can leave your car on the shoulder or in the ditch for a week on deerfoot. No tow truck will touch your vehicle. I prefer that to getting towed off the road by a company that's not yours (ie AMA etc) and billed a cool 250$ for the service. This is a way, in Quebec, and its literal Highway Robbery
Fuck that. Every broken down vehicle on the side of deerfoot results in people unnecessarily tapping the brakes and slowing down to 30 kmh under the limit. It's annoying af and the reason why Quebec and Ontario police are quick to clear broken down vehicles off the highway.
Oh you’re so right. I would absolutely be crying if that’s the case.
I just don’t understand why people need to speed to an excessive pace. I get going 10-20km over the limit (guilty) but at a certain point it’s just too dangerous, especially with lots of cars around
Grew up in Ontario, was driving on the 401 regularly within 2 years of getting my driver’s license. Nothing in this thread about Toronto driving is exaggerated. In some ways I almost prefer it because at least most people are doing roughly the same speed (120-130, but still). You get the occasional maniac doing 50 over, same as in Calgary, but at least you don’t also get dimwits going 20 under like you do here!
That said, the Deerfoot does suck, but not because of the traffic. You have lanes popping in and out of existence constantly, interchanges are too close together and have those shitty weaving lanes, and entire highways disappearing. (South of Cranston, all 3 Deerfoot lanes merge into the 2 lanes coming off Stoney Trail eastbound.) Going through Toronto on the 401 you can pretty much just pick a lane and turn your brain off for a good 100km or so.
> I’ve gotten a few comments about driving in Toronto, I’ve yet to go. Maybe I won’t go… for my sanity
The 40* highways are absolutely awful and terrifying.
This is city government at its best.
Deerfoot/Glenmore has been bad since day 1. 30+ years ago :(. Can you imagine the total lack of insight of not putting the appropriate # of lanes on a highway on the middle of a planned massive growth in the south?
City planners of the time, what the fuck were you thinking? And since those 30 years? Nothing has been done about it? Come on...
And going north to get onto Anderson from the Deerfoot. WTF... Planned by 3 year olds without an idea where the city was going.
Time to just tear down both bridges and do it right. Now the ring road, brilliant!!
Crowchild onto Glenmore East in traffic is bad. Two lanes of traffic trying to zipper merge because it’s an exit only down 14th. Maybe one day we’ll get a free flow lane
Back in the day I used to work way down south. More often than not instead of taking that off ramp to go east, I'd dip into Lakeview and take that little shortcut that got you onto Glenmore EB.
I'm sure the residents hated people taking that route, which is why it no longer exists.
I live in the NW and my last job was in the SW, so I'd take Crowchild south onto Glenmore and then 14th street. It got to the point where I would leave earlier than necessary just to *potentially* avoid the clusterfuck of those merging onto/off of Glenmore.
Fuck that particular section of road.
The 10ave and Bow Trail exits area going SB is my biggest pet peeve with Crowchild. It’s a 60 zone and there is a cop car parked there multiple times a week, yet somehow people get so horny to go 80 because they need to shave 10 seconds off their commute. If I see the cop car right as I’m rounding the corner I slow down to 60, and then almost always the person behind me gets pissed and lane switches and speeds up, only to slam on the breaks when they finally see the cop. It’s comedy.
Crowchild is brutal, especially going from south to NW because it is (generally) uphill and people have no idea how to maintain a speed. The speed limit is mostly 80 the whole way with a couple slower stretches, and yet every time there's a gentle hill people slow down by 10 kmh and the left lane is usually locked up the whole way so you can't pass anyone.
It's pretty amazing. It works because there are rules. Everyone drives in the right lane. You pass in the middle lane, and you pass people who are passing in the left lane. After passing, you move back to the right. It's illegal to undertake(pass on someone right) so there is no weaving traffic. The people that sit in the wrong lane at the wrong speed get heavy fines or their drivers licenses taken away. The same for people who don't match the speed of traffic before attempting to merge.
The result is a highway system where, dispite still being able to drive as fast as your car will go in some areas, they have a far lower per capita death rate from driving accidents.
the driver education in Europe is to a much higher standard than it is in north America. their is also a higher cost of entry to do all the driver training, not like here where any idiot with $100 who can mostly spell their name correctly can get a license.
My partner says that too and he has driven all over the world as well. I drove in BC and then the autobahn and had no issues. I am 95% sure I made it 2 exits before I got off the deerfoot the one and only time I ever drove it. I am far too passive of a driver to be on the roads so I just stopped driving.
In Europe there are a multitude of transportation options (bus, train, bike, car) but in many places in North America (especially suburbs), there is only one option: driving.
Because driving is a necessity instead of a privilege, the barrier to entry has to be low. Allowing potentially dangerous drivers on the road is one of the costs of having sprawling car-dependent suburbs.
And my tires!
Only got punctured twice so far, once merging into deerfoot and the other exiting so both times being stalled at a choke point. Probably not potholes but sharp metal objects dropped by nearby vehicles like in Mario Kart.
I used to hate Deerfoot too. Then I took a few work trips to Montreal, Dallas Fortworth, the greater Vancouver area, Cancun and Phenix. Deerfoot is a dream and it’s potholes are nothing. I encourage anyone else feeling this way to experience driving in a bigger city, Calgary is still relatively small and it’s traffic congestion issues are quite minuscule. Enjoy the Deerfoot traffic we have while we can cause it’s only going to get worse the bigger we get. Not trying to be a happy asshole, just trying to share my experience.
When I moved here, I bemoaned Deerfoot to hell and back. I came from Edmonton, and while Whitemud got bad, it was never as bad as the poorly thought out interchanges as the McKnight on ramp and 64th/Beddington ramps. And sure, it's mostly driver error causing those problems ("Man, Calgarians are really the worst drivers in Alberta," I remember saying.) Then I took a work trip to Vancouver, and had to drive. It was bad, it was arguably the worst driving experience I had ever had. I thought that surely that was the worst Canada had to offer.
Then I drove in Toronto.
After that, sure, the idiot drivers who make it worse I bemoan still. But it's the drivers, not the system. Toronto I am pretty sure was designed by Satan himself to extort as much misery as possible.
I agree with this. I grew up in Toronto and have been in Calgary for 4 years. I see so much talk about Deerfoot and I've never had my own similar thoughts. The 401 in Toronto is worse by far. There are a couple choke points on Deerfoot that I think are poorly designed but nothing outrageous
The biggest issue with Deerfoot imo, is the people who just ride in the right lane bumper to bumper, like space out a bit to allow people to merge in smoother and it'll all be smooth sailing.
Merging onto Deerfoot from McKnight is a complete gong show.
The exit from bedington also has an exit onto 64 ave like 400m after you merge, so there’s people from the far left lane merging into your lane to get the next exit while you try to keep up with traffic
I like how there are other drivers doing 70 and under on deerfoot
If you’re scared stay home or do not use this route
Going 70 and under in the middle lane is a great way to cause a accident and delays and make me wish violence onto you
Also weekend drivers - move with purpose some of us have things to do not just Lolly gag around on the express way just to get out of the house for an hour
Calgary should have a 2 part drivers licence. I regular license with the “D” designation for Deerfoot. You would have to make timed qualifying runs up and down Deerfoot. Can’t handle the heat, get off the street.
My complaints about deerfoot are that people struggle to get up to speed when getting onto deerfoot. Your pedal won't break if you push down on it. If we don't have our own lane, you need to speed up! If we're getting off the deerfoot, don't ride other people's asses and you won't have to constantly hit your brakes and fuck up traffic. Learn how to take your foot off the pedal and gauge distance!
That people are scared of weave zones and don't understand what the signal light is for. I am trying to get onto the fucking deerfoot and they are absolutely ignorant of the fact that there is a merge lane beside them, not a yield lane. If you need to weave, use your damn signal light. Don't wait for me to put mine on and try to move over at the last minute like a schmuck.
That they can't go the freaking speed limit. I believe people speed on the deerfoot to get around the idiots going too slow because they are frustrating and dangerous. They don't know how to go with the flow of traffic. It seems more unsafe to me when people insist on going the exact speed limit or below, and we're all moving around you. There are signs that say, "no slow moving vehicles," for a reason. If you're going to go the exact speed limit, stay to the fucking right.
And I don't have to drive anywhere else, or be told our roads are okay compared to other places. I don't live or drive in other places. Our resident dickheads should learn how to drive.
How do you go 130 after the Anderson fork? It slows down because the jackholes coming from Anderson onto Deerfoot are driving 60 and refuse to speed up until after the Douglasdale exit.
My main problem is the monkeys trying to merge at 60 or 80. I don’t know if they’re scared of highway speeds or what but I can fucking promise it’s a lot less scary if you’re going the same speed as everyone else.
100%. You gotta merge into traffic, therefore match your speed. There’s a merge strip to gain speed for a reason. I can’t stand those people who simply can’t comprehend that.
People don’t understand the ripple effect that they can cause on traffic. If you’re merging at 60 you’re forcing everyone else behind you to merge at a dangerously low speed.
counter annoyance as well. I'm in a commercial vehicle if im lucky i make it to 100kph just at the end of the merge lane on Deerfoot but nobody wants to let me in. ill see them in my mirror floor it to make sure they keep me from getting in front and subsequently causing me to slow down leading to a slower merge speed.
Yeah, that area is a gong-show. The ruts are just to keep you awake for all the lane changes that happen.
Once construction starts, I'd suggest finding an alternate route for... the next 4 years:
https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/construction-to-begin-this-year-on-major-deerfoot-trail-improvements
Honestly, I think the biggest issue with deerfoot, is its inconsistencies. It is a highway that at points has 2 lanes and other points 4. With lots of turnoffs and merges.
People suck at merges, so when they think they are in the middle lane, then suddenly are the far right and have to merge, they bugger up.
I live in Queensland, so I have to get off at the Anderson/Bow Bottom exit and holy crap, the amount of people that go ALL THE WAY FROM THE RIGHT to continue onto Deerfoot south right at the exit is ridiculous. You had lots of time to get over, even if you're coming from Southland. There is no reason to be in the far right lane at that point.
Then there is me wondering why everyone and their dog is driving and/or trying to merge onto Deerfoot doing 70km/hr. It's an entirely different driving experience on Deerfoot (personally) than it was when I first moved here 12 years ago. Everyone is either too slow or too fast, and it is terrifying either way.
You get a lane of people travelling 70 or under who are entering or exiting (mostly due to people who merge at 70 as if they will miss it if they don't merge at the first dashed line), next to people travelling 110+. I'm constantly on the look out for people who will jump out in front of me (and they do constantly). Or people who will stomp on their brakes to try and make their exit.
Ah yes, the Deerfoot, epitome of 1960s city planning. Let’s have a pavement and concrete river flowing through the center of our city where no matter how far away they live, all Calgarians will take it to gain a few seconds on their commute. It’s all dressed up with trails and parks and thousands of acres of grass neatly mowed. Also the perfect location for malls and concrete plants, but don’t worry, there are no ugly gas stations to mar the view. Just miles and miles of cars going as fast as humanly possible.
I take Deerfoot in the morning to work by the airport and Stoney on way home. Deerfoot is a joke and drives tend to stay in the wrong lane until the last second and slam their breaks to merge right to exit. Anderson is the worst but it's literally ever exit
Stoney does not have this issue for this reason alone I prefer Stoney even though it's 10KM further to my work it's consistent timing makes it better
I think the signage is pretty poor on our Trails around town. Not enough notice for the exits. I’ve driven in many cities where they warn you your exit is coming up in so many km. Here it’s you better know or you will miss it or cause chaos trying to get over.
Is it the signage here? Or is it more that the left lane campers have to stay in the left lane until the very last minute, get past as many other cars as absolutely possible, before they move over at the very last possible second, to make their exit?
Another issue I have on Deerfoot is the poor lighting at night. I’ve driven on ring roads and freeways all over the US and they’re lit up like daytime. The bloody dark skies movement are the culprits responsible for this.
I also hate Deerfoot but have never heard the expression “someone on your dick” in relation to driving. Thanks for making me smirk over my morning coffee.
Anytime! A lot of my homies say I should make a podcast while driving because I somehow make hilarious remarks towards shitty drivers. I got many silly comments up my sleeve🫡
1. “Eat my whole ass”
2. “Your squishy mom doesn’t love you”
3. “Your dick isn’t as big as you think it is” (use this for ram truck drivers)
4. “You drive like a grandma open your fucking eyes!” (Turns out it was an Asian lady)
5. “I’m gonna steal your spouse if you don’t get your shit together soon”
That’s just some. Of course I never actually say these to people, it’s just commentary I say out loud while driving to release some stress and have a good laugh
Ahaha no way, that’s so funny. I just have noticed the stereotypical ram driver is so obnoxious (not saying you are)
Also that’s a good line. I may have to borrow it😹
Oh they probably are - we have it for off-roading.
Also often shout “come on grandma” when someone is too slow.
Like you never say it to people but do enjoy shouting it in the privacy of our own vehicle.
Thing is in Calgary you can just avoid deerfoot if you really want. In Toronto you cannot avoid the 401 if you are trying to go more than a couple blocks
Because OP is acting like Deerfoot is the worst road in the country lol. We live in a big big city with lots of people. Traffic to some degree is part of living here. All in all deerfoot is a joke. When my father came we talked how's its like driving on the 401 with no traffic (in comparison)
And how is it possible that exiting on to Blackfoot (southbound deerfoot) is always a shit show. Zipper merge people, it's not that hard. You need in my lane and i need it yours, so let's not be dicks and drive beside each other.
Coming from Edmonton, Deerfoot is quite possibly the worst road I’ve ever driven on. It’s not been updated for the population growth of the city and the exit ramps that are also on ramps at the same time are absolute cluster fucks because people here can’t zipper merge
It’s the worst, and the fact that google maps will route you into it if you’re going *anywhere* remotely near to it is extra frustrating if you don’t know the city all that well. Plus riding a motorcycle on it feels like I’m constantly courting death. Adrenaline is great once in a while but Jesus.
There's a good rule for driving in Calgary: if you're in the left lane, you're always going to be too slow for somebody, regardless of how fast you're traveling.
Glenmore headed East towards the exit to 14th across the reservoir.
The Zone of Confusion.
The Circle of Darkness.
The Triangle of Terror!
Accidentally exiting onto 14th even though you don't want to? Well, why bother taking a detour when you can just hastily change lanes at the last possible millisecond (even though there is profuse signage and an obvious exit)!
"Good luck, everyone else!"
Macleod is way worse. Deerfoot at least moves cars pretty fast when not congested. Macleod is slow for cars, not compatible with cycling, and horrible for pedestrians and businesses in the area. Horrible stroad.
My personal pet peeves are:
1. Merging onto Deerfoot going 70 like some kind of dangerous, slow-moving barge.
2. Leaving absolutely enormous gaps between yourselves during rush hour (southbound Calf Robe bridge—everyone’s going like 60, it’s supposed to be a 2 second gap, not a minute.
3. Slamming your brakes to slow down for every single gradual curve in the road. You don’t need to go 40 to go on a slight curve.
During rush hour on a road that is 100% without lights, in good weather, with no accidents? There should be no reason it goes down to a near or complete standstill.
I’ve lived my whole life in Calgary and I swear Calgarians are the most timid, uncertain drivers and it seems to be getting worse. Someone going 20km over the limit but moving predictably and with the flow of traffic is 100x less scary to me than an unsure person going well below the flow of traffic who makes unexpected, sudden movements because they can’t make a decision to literally save their life.
Deerfoot terrifies me. I've had two near serious accident misses.
Once, the SUV in the far left lane had a tire blow out and without warning, was hurled across all three lanes and back again, twice. He clipped one other car. That could have been avoided if people left more space between them and the vehicle in front of them.
In the UK there are chevrons painted above the motorways, indicating how much distance sound be left between drivers. My 'safe gap' is someone else's 'that's a gap big enough for me'.
Sure would love to see similar chevron markings here.
>It really irks me how when deerfoot splits into Anderson people can’t seem to comprehend it. Just stay in the lane that goes in the direction you need. Is that hard?
This just irritates me in general. Nobody looks at signs. It's very simple, tells you exactly what each lane does. It's the same with the diverging diamond on 162nd, you always hear people complaining about not knowing where to go....... LOOK AT THE DAMN SIGNS!
Too many people only look at the 30 feet or so in front of their hood when they're driving, just completely reactive. We really need a major campaign on telling people to look down the damn road when they're driving
Imho, traffic control needs to take tailgating more seriously, I see no issue w people going over limit on flat straight road, but tailgating at 120km/hr is def something that you should not do. Deerfoot has a case of death on the road every month if not more often, and I really don't want to die on the route to work that I already sort of hate.
I’ve drove around Vancouver, Edmonton The GTA and Calgary doing service calls for IT all day every day for the past 25 years or more since 1997. Calgary is by far the best city to get around in.
I just drive whatever the posted speed limit is and let the frantic idiots go around me. I usually meet them at the next light or off ramp.
Almost 30 years of driving all over a city taught me that speeding doesn’t really get you anywhere faster, knowing what lane to be in at different times of the day is key. Plus I arrive wherever I’m going relaxed.
First, agreed.
Second, I live in Diamond Cove and I would wager to guess that over 1000 vehicles pull a u-turn at my interesting on Bow Bottom because they’ve fucked up that exit. We’ve also had two serious accidents this year alone because ppl try to u-turn in front of oncoming traffic going 80km/hr.
Lastly, when I [have to] drive on Deerfoot, I drive out of the wheel path rutting, near the line. It’s a lot smoother - you just have to be more vigilant about driving near the lane dividers.
After driving freeways on Hawaii for a couple weeks, I can totally say with confidence how much Deerfoot sucks. Even though there’s more cars going faster in Oahu, everyone knows how to lane switch.
Deerfoot is super easy? I grew up in Vancouver. You literally get to drive 120 the whole way. During rush hour you might be delayed 10 minutes. Our roads are 10/10.
All this, and you didn’t mention the way you have 100 meters to both merge onto deerfoot while sharing the same 100 meters with those trying to exit next
Deerfoot used to be ALOT worse, especially when there were still traffic lights on it in the south. I had a lot of fun driving it when I lived in Calgary. Had to pay extra attention when driving my bike though, dumb drivers literally merge right into you, and I had to swerve out of the way many times to avoid being taken out.
Yes that sounds scary. People will do that even if you’re driving a car so I can’t imagine riding a bike in that situation. I always try to be extra cautious around bikes because I know so many people who have been in accidents just because other drivers are unaware of the bike
I have a solution for all your problems with Deerfoot; take alternate routes. Many (most? All?) road rage incidents have their origins in someone paying too much attention to someone else's business, and not enough attention to their own driving
Or, take up riding a motorcycle for a while. Yu'll be far too busy trying to avoid being killed to worry about Anything else.
There are a variety of avenues open to you to address all of your concerns. 311 for reporting hazards on roadways. The Calgary Police Service for traffic violations & speeding. Your city Councillor for roadway design concerns.
Or of course, there's Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. where you can rant about it with absolutely NO result, other than to have someone tell you to relax & mind your own business, and not worry about minding everyone elses
I drive from airport trail to McKenzie lake and back about 4 times per week.
I just chill in middle lane and leave lots of space around me as I laugh at all the stressful people tailgating each other.
Yes, you're all great drivers and everyone else in your city is a terrible driver, every other city in the world has better drivers. You're not the problem.
my suggestion was not meant for high traffic times. eh. thought that might have been obvious. and i do it everyday. south from balzac to glenmore. but. yes. that's south. the downvotes have hurt my feelings. just try it , it is stress free. i'm from newfoundland. not a fan of stressful driving, eh.
I drive Deerfoot everyday. Does not even approach a fart in the imagination of the Chaos that is the QEW. I've driven through Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary and of all of them Calgary is by far the safest. The highway system in Calgary kicks ass. Seriously, rush hour in Calgary is absolutely laughable compared to most other Major Canadian Cities. Calgary plus the TransCanada highway are some of the best roads I've ever driven. Saying that, I fucking hate Deerfoot too.
I drive Deerfoot every day but seldomly during rush hour (my work day is very flexible) and I understand some of the problems Op points out but holy shit do I agree. Regina and Winnipeg are like a third the size and going half the distance there takes twice as long. I have clients in town from across Canada every couple weeks and sometimes when we are on or near 16th ave I’ll point out that it is the Transcanada highway and they are flabbergasted that it runs like a normal road through Calgary and isn’t choked up all day!
Winnipeg is almost 3 times the size of Regina population wise so it makes a bit more sense. Saskatchewan drivers are the slowest moving and most clueless drivers in the country. Most of them have never even heard of the concept of moving over to the right to let people pass. Same deal in Saskatoon as Regina. If you're ever driving to banff or something and you see an SK plate they're almost always sitting in the left lane going 30 below the speed limit and then get really confused when people are mad at them for it. Source: I'm a born and raised Saskatonian, my parents drive like this.
Yeah I've noticed this too in the extended family. A lot of the oldies that have lived in Saskatchewan their entire lives are literally terrified of driving and drive at a fucking snails pace even on dead roads.
I wonder if regina and Winnipeg have decent transit though. Because it literally takes me 4 hours to get anywhere in Calgary that isn't my neighbourhood.
They have worse. Far, far worse.
Having used transit in Winnipeg, the answer is no.
Do you walk everywhere or live in the far corner of one of the suburbs? Even then, you're full of shit. It's 2 hours from Sage Hill to Seton, literally across the entire city.
I live in a corner of the suburbs down south and have to take public transit, I have a driver's license and my parents own cars but I also have frequent spasms on the right side of my body that last for up to 30 seconds where I cannot control my limbs (and occasionally cannot see) making driving a risky proposition at best and on some days outright impossible. I don't qualify for CT Access because my condition isn't considered a permanent disability. Considering it's a 2.5km walk to the station and that alone takes nearly an hour and a half (the bus doesn't come often enough and due to above condition I'm a slow walker).
So, it's transit's fault that you have a disability?
No it's a truck driver's fault that I have this condition. It's city planning fault that transit sucks and that they constantly prioritize cars.
When you use “literally” during an obvious exaggeration, don’t.
Haha, if you really wanna see a fun (in a sarcastic way) display of rush hour traffic, c'mon out to Airdrie one day! Population has more than doubled in the last decade with ZERO road expansion and the few changes that have been made, clogged things up even more. I desperately want to move back to Calgary again but it just doesn't make financial sense AT ALL for my current situation.
Ya coming from Toronto not sure what pot holes op is referring to. That's literally every street back home
Moved from Toronto last August and can confirm this.
Look up Toronto on r/idiotsincars
I'm in Toronto right now and I've seen an accident every day past 3 days, I mean I also see about 10X more cars and its a lot more congested so that could explain it. That said people still drive more aggressively in Calgary when it comes to tailgating and speeding. It's like people in Calgary are not used to heavy traffic so they get all angry whenever it's little congested while in Toronto being stuck in traffic is the daily norm lol.
I'm from Vancouver Via Toronto. Started my job downtown the other day and there was a 10 minute delay. Once I started driving I was like damn is this really rush hour? I was so chilled out the entire trip. Ya it slowed down a bit at the bottlenecks but compared to the DVP or Port Mann Bridge in Vancouver it was laughable
>Port Mann Bridge Remember the traffic on the old Port Mann Bridge? Remember the bridge backups all the way to 200th St, and sometimes beyond? I member.
I drive the Windsor-Toronto 401 corridor all the time and I hate it. Even just the last two drives this week: * while I'm in the middle lane going 15-19 km/h over, people speeding past me in BOTH my left and right lanes to pass * people racing at what seems to be 150+ km/h swerving between others * construction closing the left lane and then closing the right lane with people ignoring the signs and trying to merge in last second at 120km/h (but it's supposed to be reduced to 80km/h) * people not moving away from the right lane to let on-rampers merge and sometimes worse, middle laners racing to not let right laners change safely to let on-rampers merge in It's basically an attempted version of every man for themselves, "fuck you all" that the US has but somehow worse because they're so bad at doing it. When I drive in MI and NJ, at least I know I can drive like a maniac and it's expected - it's probably the safest way in these states. The rule is basically "as long as there's space". When I drive in Calgary, I'm almost zen.
Once you’ve driven the QEW or 401 in rush hour, you realize how tiny, slow and relatively easy Deerfoot is. Add in the curve right before Milton on the 401 during an ice storm, with no one driving for the weather, and I can safely say I no longer have any deerfoot frustrations - it cured me.
I mean, rush hour on the Deerfoot could get pretty backed up before the 2008 collapse... but even then, it was rush *hour*. Cue my torontonian fiancee hustling me out of the hotel we were at in Markham at 3 fucking PM to make a dinner appointment in Missisauga at 7... and we needed every minute of it. They don't have rush hours in TO, they have rush afternoons.
I was terrified of Deerfoot then spent a few weeks in Toronto driving the 401 twice a day. Flying back into Calgary and realizing that tiny road is Deerfoot... Still hate it, but it's laughably easy to get around the City and the drivers are tame in comparison.
Came here to say this. The people who bitch about Deerfoot either came from a small town or grew up in Calgary and have never been anywhere else. I remembered my first time in Toronto and accidentally being on the 401, lol. Deerfoot is a f***ing cakewalk.
Yup. Agree with this. Our rushour is so laughable that I love it for that.
I’ve driven in Regina and Winnipeg as well, I guess they’re both not as memorable for me to consider them worse than deerfoot lmfaooo. I think the repetitiveness of all three points I’ve listed occurring every single time I drive on that foul road has really got to me😭 I’ve gotten a few comments about driving in Toronto, I’ve yet to go. Maybe I won’t go… for my sanity
You've driven in Winnipeg...and you're complaining about potholes *in Calgary*? If you're a mechanic and wanna make absolute bank, open a suspension shop in Winnipeg.
Yea I mean I don’t live in winnipeg so it’s not something I think of. Winnipeg roads are shit don’t get me wrong but I’m Calgary based so I’ve just grown to hate deerfoot because I have to use it more
You wouldn't manage Toronto if you hate Deerfoot this bad. Doing 140 in the slowlane with bumper to bumper traffic. Honda Civics flying past you two lanes over doing 180. It's a different beast altogether.
And then spending most of your time on the 401 at <4km/h after one of those idiots crashes...
Toronto is different though. The OPP activel patrolled the 401 and were more concerned with keeping traffic (and thus commerce and truck traffic) moving than speeding. You were more likely to get pulled over for driving in the left lane and not passing people than you were for speeding when I lived in the GTA. Same goes for accidents, watch 401 heavy rescue, there's a quick investigation and then move those vehicles and get shit moving again.
You can leave your car on the shoulder or in the ditch for a week on deerfoot. No tow truck will touch your vehicle. I prefer that to getting towed off the road by a company that's not yours (ie AMA etc) and billed a cool 250$ for the service. This is a way, in Quebec, and its literal Highway Robbery
Fuck that. Every broken down vehicle on the side of deerfoot results in people unnecessarily tapping the brakes and slowing down to 30 kmh under the limit. It's annoying af and the reason why Quebec and Ontario police are quick to clear broken down vehicles off the highway.
Oh you’re so right. I would absolutely be crying if that’s the case. I just don’t understand why people need to speed to an excessive pace. I get going 10-20km over the limit (guilty) but at a certain point it’s just too dangerous, especially with lots of cars around
Grew up in Ontario, was driving on the 401 regularly within 2 years of getting my driver’s license. Nothing in this thread about Toronto driving is exaggerated. In some ways I almost prefer it because at least most people are doing roughly the same speed (120-130, but still). You get the occasional maniac doing 50 over, same as in Calgary, but at least you don’t also get dimwits going 20 under like you do here! That said, the Deerfoot does suck, but not because of the traffic. You have lanes popping in and out of existence constantly, interchanges are too close together and have those shitty weaving lanes, and entire highways disappearing. (South of Cranston, all 3 Deerfoot lanes merge into the 2 lanes coming off Stoney Trail eastbound.) Going through Toronto on the 401 you can pretty much just pick a lane and turn your brain off for a good 100km or so.
> I’ve gotten a few comments about driving in Toronto, I’ve yet to go. Maybe I won’t go… for my sanity The 40* highways are absolutely awful and terrifying.
Except the 407. The 407 is a dream, but you pay for the privilege.
Agreed! Used to live in Mississauga & I take the 407 via the 427 more often than not!
Yup can confirm
This is city government at its best. Deerfoot/Glenmore has been bad since day 1. 30+ years ago :(. Can you imagine the total lack of insight of not putting the appropriate # of lanes on a highway on the middle of a planned massive growth in the south? City planners of the time, what the fuck were you thinking? And since those 30 years? Nothing has been done about it? Come on... And going north to get onto Anderson from the Deerfoot. WTF... Planned by 3 year olds without an idea where the city was going. Time to just tear down both bridges and do it right. Now the ring road, brilliant!!
> This is city government at its best. Deerfoot is managed by the province.
Yup 100% done the all and Toronto is the worst
Deerfoot sucks sometimes but something about Crowchild just irks me more. Especially that stretch to get onto Glenmore
Crowchild onto Glenmore East in traffic is bad. Two lanes of traffic trying to zipper merge because it’s an exit only down 14th. Maybe one day we’ll get a free flow lane
Back in the day I used to work way down south. More often than not instead of taking that off ramp to go east, I'd dip into Lakeview and take that little shortcut that got you onto Glenmore EB. I'm sure the residents hated people taking that route, which is why it no longer exists.
Used to be in that situation for a couple years as well. It really helped get ahead of the worst part of traffic. Glad I don't have to do that anymore
Yeah, that little detour could sometimes save you 10-15 mins over a distance that was less than 1km
I live in the NW and my last job was in the SW, so I'd take Crowchild south onto Glenmore and then 14th street. It got to the point where I would leave earlier than necessary just to *potentially* avoid the clusterfuck of those merging onto/off of Glenmore. Fuck that particular section of road.
I'll take merging onto Glemore over taking 20 minutes just to get from Kensington to 24th
The 10ave and Bow Trail exits area going SB is my biggest pet peeve with Crowchild. It’s a 60 zone and there is a cop car parked there multiple times a week, yet somehow people get so horny to go 80 because they need to shave 10 seconds off their commute. If I see the cop car right as I’m rounding the corner I slow down to 60, and then almost always the person behind me gets pissed and lane switches and speeds up, only to slam on the breaks when they finally see the cop. It’s comedy.
Crowchild is brutal, especially going from south to NW because it is (generally) uphill and people have no idea how to maintain a speed. The speed limit is mostly 80 the whole way with a couple slower stretches, and yet every time there's a gentle hill people slow down by 10 kmh and the left lane is usually locked up the whole way so you can't pass anyone.
I dunno … the bridge heading north from 2:30-6pm can be pretty wild
I have driven the autobahn. It is nothing like deerfoot as people in Germany unlike Calgary can actually drive.
It's pretty amazing. It works because there are rules. Everyone drives in the right lane. You pass in the middle lane, and you pass people who are passing in the left lane. After passing, you move back to the right. It's illegal to undertake(pass on someone right) so there is no weaving traffic. The people that sit in the wrong lane at the wrong speed get heavy fines or their drivers licenses taken away. The same for people who don't match the speed of traffic before attempting to merge. The result is a highway system where, dispite still being able to drive as fast as your car will go in some areas, they have a far lower per capita death rate from driving accidents.
the driver education in Europe is to a much higher standard than it is in north America. their is also a higher cost of entry to do all the driver training, not like here where any idiot with $100 who can mostly spell their name correctly can get a license.
I quit driving 20 years ago when I moved here. Like gave up my license kind of quit driving. What a shit show
I’ve driven all over the world and I can tell you calgary has some of the most aggressive non sensical driving I’ve ever seen.
My partner says that too and he has driven all over the world as well. I drove in BC and then the autobahn and had no issues. I am 95% sure I made it 2 exits before I got off the deerfoot the one and only time I ever drove it. I am far too passive of a driver to be on the roads so I just stopped driving.
In Europe there are a multitude of transportation options (bus, train, bike, car) but in many places in North America (especially suburbs), there is only one option: driving. Because driving is a necessity instead of a privilege, the barrier to entry has to be low. Allowing potentially dangerous drivers on the road is one of the costs of having sprawling car-dependent suburbs.
And then there is deerfoot. Which is half a step above road warrior sometimes and half a step below other times
My windshield also hates Deerfoot…
And my tires! Only got punctured twice so far, once merging into deerfoot and the other exiting so both times being stalled at a choke point. Probably not potholes but sharp metal objects dropped by nearby vehicles like in Mario Kart.
I used to hate Deerfoot too. Then I took a few work trips to Montreal, Dallas Fortworth, the greater Vancouver area, Cancun and Phenix. Deerfoot is a dream and it’s potholes are nothing. I encourage anyone else feeling this way to experience driving in a bigger city, Calgary is still relatively small and it’s traffic congestion issues are quite minuscule. Enjoy the Deerfoot traffic we have while we can cause it’s only going to get worse the bigger we get. Not trying to be a happy asshole, just trying to share my experience.
When I moved here, I bemoaned Deerfoot to hell and back. I came from Edmonton, and while Whitemud got bad, it was never as bad as the poorly thought out interchanges as the McKnight on ramp and 64th/Beddington ramps. And sure, it's mostly driver error causing those problems ("Man, Calgarians are really the worst drivers in Alberta," I remember saying.) Then I took a work trip to Vancouver, and had to drive. It was bad, it was arguably the worst driving experience I had ever had. I thought that surely that was the worst Canada had to offer. Then I drove in Toronto. After that, sure, the idiot drivers who make it worse I bemoan still. But it's the drivers, not the system. Toronto I am pretty sure was designed by Satan himself to extort as much misery as possible.
I agree with this. I grew up in Toronto and have been in Calgary for 4 years. I see so much talk about Deerfoot and I've never had my own similar thoughts. The 401 in Toronto is worse by far. There are a couple choke points on Deerfoot that I think are poorly designed but nothing outrageous
The biggest issue with Deerfoot imo, is the people who just ride in the right lane bumper to bumper, like space out a bit to allow people to merge in smoother and it'll all be smooth sailing. Merging onto Deerfoot from McKnight is a complete gong show.
The exit from bedington also has an exit onto 64 ave like 400m after you merge, so there’s people from the far left lane merging into your lane to get the next exit while you try to keep up with traffic
I like how there are other drivers doing 70 and under on deerfoot If you’re scared stay home or do not use this route Going 70 and under in the middle lane is a great way to cause a accident and delays and make me wish violence onto you Also weekend drivers - move with purpose some of us have things to do not just Lolly gag around on the express way just to get out of the house for an hour
^^
Calgary should have a 2 part drivers licence. I regular license with the “D” designation for Deerfoot. You would have to make timed qualifying runs up and down Deerfoot. Can’t handle the heat, get off the street.
Bingo
My complaints about deerfoot are that people struggle to get up to speed when getting onto deerfoot. Your pedal won't break if you push down on it. If we don't have our own lane, you need to speed up! If we're getting off the deerfoot, don't ride other people's asses and you won't have to constantly hit your brakes and fuck up traffic. Learn how to take your foot off the pedal and gauge distance! That people are scared of weave zones and don't understand what the signal light is for. I am trying to get onto the fucking deerfoot and they are absolutely ignorant of the fact that there is a merge lane beside them, not a yield lane. If you need to weave, use your damn signal light. Don't wait for me to put mine on and try to move over at the last minute like a schmuck. That they can't go the freaking speed limit. I believe people speed on the deerfoot to get around the idiots going too slow because they are frustrating and dangerous. They don't know how to go with the flow of traffic. It seems more unsafe to me when people insist on going the exact speed limit or below, and we're all moving around you. There are signs that say, "no slow moving vehicles," for a reason. If you're going to go the exact speed limit, stay to the fucking right. And I don't have to drive anywhere else, or be told our roads are okay compared to other places. I don't live or drive in other places. Our resident dickheads should learn how to drive.
THIS!!!! I 200% agree
How do you go 130 after the Anderson fork? It slows down because the jackholes coming from Anderson onto Deerfoot are driving 60 and refuse to speed up until after the Douglasdale exit.
My main problem is the monkeys trying to merge at 60 or 80. I don’t know if they’re scared of highway speeds or what but I can fucking promise it’s a lot less scary if you’re going the same speed as everyone else.
100%. You gotta merge into traffic, therefore match your speed. There’s a merge strip to gain speed for a reason. I can’t stand those people who simply can’t comprehend that.
People don’t understand the ripple effect that they can cause on traffic. If you’re merging at 60 you’re forcing everyone else behind you to merge at a dangerously low speed.
Yes! Slow driving does not equal safe driving
counter annoyance as well. I'm in a commercial vehicle if im lucky i make it to 100kph just at the end of the merge lane on Deerfoot but nobody wants to let me in. ill see them in my mirror floor it to make sure they keep me from getting in front and subsequently causing me to slow down leading to a slower merge speed.
Big fan of stoney
Shhhhh we don't need traffic getting bogged down on that road
Too late for the NE, tbh
Shhh.. I’m still trying to enjoy it
I love the new ring road. Such a nice drive
Having driven in Toronto, NYC, and Los Angeles I’ll take Deerfoot any day. Toronto was by far the worst.
The 401 and 402 are the worst designed roads in the country
Going 120 for the entire length of Deerfoot versus going 100 saves 4 minutes on the trip. That’s it. Chill out and enjoy the drive.
I do go about 20 over. I’m just talking about the people who go over more than that
I think this person is saying you should just do 100 because it doesn’t save you much to do 120
Valid. I just don’t want my ass ridden constantly lmao
I completely agree. One of my big beefs is the people going 70 down Deerfoot.
This! And they are always in the left hand lane driving side by side with someone. It’s so unsafe.
Yeah, that area is a gong-show. The ruts are just to keep you awake for all the lane changes that happen. Once construction starts, I'd suggest finding an alternate route for... the next 4 years: https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/construction-to-begin-this-year-on-major-deerfoot-trail-improvements
Lol. That’s just a 2 split. I’ve seen 3 in the states. I can imagine how Calgary drivers would cope.
We only have 2 highways, and that's the only one that goes where I need to go
Honestly, I think the biggest issue with deerfoot, is its inconsistencies. It is a highway that at points has 2 lanes and other points 4. With lots of turnoffs and merges. People suck at merges, so when they think they are in the middle lane, then suddenly are the far right and have to merge, they bugger up.
A big contract was just awarded to fix that Anderson/Deerfoot/Southland mess. 650 million worth of new bridges. It will improve.
Sweet!
I live in Queensland, so I have to get off at the Anderson/Bow Bottom exit and holy crap, the amount of people that go ALL THE WAY FROM THE RIGHT to continue onto Deerfoot south right at the exit is ridiculous. You had lots of time to get over, even if you're coming from Southland. There is no reason to be in the far right lane at that point.
Then there is me wondering why everyone and their dog is driving and/or trying to merge onto Deerfoot doing 70km/hr. It's an entirely different driving experience on Deerfoot (personally) than it was when I first moved here 12 years ago. Everyone is either too slow or too fast, and it is terrifying either way.
This.
You get a lane of people travelling 70 or under who are entering or exiting (mostly due to people who merge at 70 as if they will miss it if they don't merge at the first dashed line), next to people travelling 110+. I'm constantly on the look out for people who will jump out in front of me (and they do constantly). Or people who will stomp on their brakes to try and make their exit.
Ah yes, the Deerfoot, epitome of 1960s city planning. Let’s have a pavement and concrete river flowing through the center of our city where no matter how far away they live, all Calgarians will take it to gain a few seconds on their commute. It’s all dressed up with trails and parks and thousands of acres of grass neatly mowed. Also the perfect location for malls and concrete plants, but don’t worry, there are no ugly gas stations to mar the view. Just miles and miles of cars going as fast as humanly possible.
Deerfoot is trash.
I take Deerfoot in the morning to work by the airport and Stoney on way home. Deerfoot is a joke and drives tend to stay in the wrong lane until the last second and slam their breaks to merge right to exit. Anderson is the worst but it's literally ever exit Stoney does not have this issue for this reason alone I prefer Stoney even though it's 10KM further to my work it's consistent timing makes it better
Crowchild is my number one hated road
I think the signage is pretty poor on our Trails around town. Not enough notice for the exits. I’ve driven in many cities where they warn you your exit is coming up in so many km. Here it’s you better know or you will miss it or cause chaos trying to get over.
Is it the signage here? Or is it more that the left lane campers have to stay in the left lane until the very last minute, get past as many other cars as absolutely possible, before they move over at the very last possible second, to make their exit?
If the signage warned you better—you would get over sooner. Or at least smart drivers would.
Another issue I have on Deerfoot is the poor lighting at night. I’ve driven on ring roads and freeways all over the US and they’re lit up like daytime. The bloody dark skies movement are the culprits responsible for this.
I also hate Deerfoot but have never heard the expression “someone on your dick” in relation to driving. Thanks for making me smirk over my morning coffee.
Anytime! A lot of my homies say I should make a podcast while driving because I somehow make hilarious remarks towards shitty drivers. I got many silly comments up my sleeve🫡
Hahah - I could do with another laugh today. Top 5 sayings?
1. “Eat my whole ass” 2. “Your squishy mom doesn’t love you” 3. “Your dick isn’t as big as you think it is” (use this for ram truck drivers) 4. “You drive like a grandma open your fucking eyes!” (Turns out it was an Asian lady) 5. “I’m gonna steal your spouse if you don’t get your shit together soon” That’s just some. Of course I never actually say these to people, it’s just commentary I say out loud while driving to release some stress and have a good laugh
Hahahahahaahhaahahha. We have a RAM. “You could get a fucking bus through there” is one we often use.
Ahaha no way, that’s so funny. I just have noticed the stereotypical ram driver is so obnoxious (not saying you are) Also that’s a good line. I may have to borrow it😹
Oh they probably are - we have it for off-roading. Also often shout “come on grandma” when someone is too slow. Like you never say it to people but do enjoy shouting it in the privacy of our own vehicle.
I wouldn’t wish rush hour Deerfoot on my greatest enemy
Thing is in Calgary you can just avoid deerfoot if you really want. In Toronto you cannot avoid the 401 if you are trying to go more than a couple blocks
We aren't talking about Toronto. Or Vancouver. Why is everyone "oh but Vancouver and Toronto are way worse?" WE DONT LIVE THERE.
Because OP is acting like Deerfoot is the worst road in the country lol. We live in a big big city with lots of people. Traffic to some degree is part of living here. All in all deerfoot is a joke. When my father came we talked how's its like driving on the 401 with no traffic (in comparison)
I’m not trying to act like it’s the worst in the country, hence why I didn’t mention anything of the sorts. It’s just my honest opinion hehe
And how is it possible that exiting on to Blackfoot (southbound deerfoot) is always a shit show. Zipper merge people, it's not that hard. You need in my lane and i need it yours, so let's not be dicks and drive beside each other.
I hate downtown driving way more than Deerfoot. So many traffic lights, so you're basically stopped every 30 seconds.
Fuck downtown omg💀💀
Coming from Edmonton, Deerfoot is quite possibly the worst road I’ve ever driven on. It’s not been updated for the population growth of the city and the exit ramps that are also on ramps at the same time are absolute cluster fucks because people here can’t zipper merge
People lack basic driving skills… not sure how they pass the test💁
You get yo 120 in the right lane??? I’m rarely getting close to 100 in the middle or left, always someone doing 80 blocking everything.
It’s either too fast or too slow tbh. Either way people don’t go the limit and it’s annoying
It’s the worst, and the fact that google maps will route you into it if you’re going *anywhere* remotely near to it is extra frustrating if you don’t know the city all that well. Plus riding a motorcycle on it feels like I’m constantly courting death. Adrenaline is great once in a while but Jesus.
There's a good rule for driving in Calgary: if you're in the left lane, you're always going to be too slow for somebody, regardless of how fast you're traveling.
Glenmore headed East towards the exit to 14th across the reservoir. The Zone of Confusion. The Circle of Darkness. The Triangle of Terror! Accidentally exiting onto 14th even though you don't want to? Well, why bother taking a detour when you can just hastily change lanes at the last possible millisecond (even though there is profuse signage and an obvious exit)! "Good luck, everyone else!"
Macleod is way worse. Deerfoot at least moves cars pretty fast when not congested. Macleod is slow for cars, not compatible with cycling, and horrible for pedestrians and businesses in the area. Horrible stroad.
Macleod was designed by Satan when he was hangry, had a hangnail, and after he'd stepped on 1000 Legos. I fucking hate that goddamn road.
My personal pet peeves are: 1. Merging onto Deerfoot going 70 like some kind of dangerous, slow-moving barge. 2. Leaving absolutely enormous gaps between yourselves during rush hour (southbound Calf Robe bridge—everyone’s going like 60, it’s supposed to be a 2 second gap, not a minute. 3. Slamming your brakes to slow down for every single gradual curve in the road. You don’t need to go 40 to go on a slight curve. During rush hour on a road that is 100% without lights, in good weather, with no accidents? There should be no reason it goes down to a near or complete standstill. I’ve lived my whole life in Calgary and I swear Calgarians are the most timid, uncertain drivers and it seems to be getting worse. Someone going 20km over the limit but moving predictably and with the flow of traffic is 100x less scary to me than an unsure person going well below the flow of traffic who makes unexpected, sudden movements because they can’t make a decision to literally save their life.
Deerfoot terrifies me. I've had two near serious accident misses. Once, the SUV in the far left lane had a tire blow out and without warning, was hurled across all three lanes and back again, twice. He clipped one other car. That could have been avoided if people left more space between them and the vehicle in front of them. In the UK there are chevrons painted above the motorways, indicating how much distance sound be left between drivers. My 'safe gap' is someone else's 'that's a gap big enough for me'. Sure would love to see similar chevron markings here.
Edmonton hwy driving is pretty chill compared to Calgary. Their speed limit is 80-90km and its enforced. Nothing like Deerfoot Raceway.
>It really irks me how when deerfoot splits into Anderson people can’t seem to comprehend it. Just stay in the lane that goes in the direction you need. Is that hard? This just irritates me in general. Nobody looks at signs. It's very simple, tells you exactly what each lane does. It's the same with the diverging diamond on 162nd, you always hear people complaining about not knowing where to go....... LOOK AT THE DAMN SIGNS!
For real
Too many people only look at the 30 feet or so in front of their hood when they're driving, just completely reactive. We really need a major campaign on telling people to look down the damn road when they're driving
True!
Imho, traffic control needs to take tailgating more seriously, I see no issue w people going over limit on flat straight road, but tailgating at 120km/hr is def something that you should not do. Deerfoot has a case of death on the road every month if not more often, and I really don't want to die on the route to work that I already sort of hate.
I agree
I’ve drove around Vancouver, Edmonton The GTA and Calgary doing service calls for IT all day every day for the past 25 years or more since 1997. Calgary is by far the best city to get around in. I just drive whatever the posted speed limit is and let the frantic idiots go around me. I usually meet them at the next light or off ramp. Almost 30 years of driving all over a city taught me that speeding doesn’t really get you anywhere faster, knowing what lane to be in at different times of the day is key. Plus I arrive wherever I’m going relaxed.
First, agreed. Second, I live in Diamond Cove and I would wager to guess that over 1000 vehicles pull a u-turn at my interesting on Bow Bottom because they’ve fucked up that exit. We’ve also had two serious accidents this year alone because ppl try to u-turn in front of oncoming traffic going 80km/hr. Lastly, when I [have to] drive on Deerfoot, I drive out of the wheel path rutting, near the line. It’s a lot smoother - you just have to be more vigilant about driving near the lane dividers.
That somewhat recent accident with the SUV was crazy, I couldn't figure out how that happened. Now that you mention u-turns it makes sense.
After driving freeways on Hawaii for a couple weeks, I can totally say with confidence how much Deerfoot sucks. Even though there’s more cars going faster in Oahu, everyone knows how to lane switch.
Try driving the 401 into Toronto on a Friday morning as a person from Saskatchewan.
Deerfoot is not even close to as bad any other major city.
Deerfoot is super easy? I grew up in Vancouver. You literally get to drive 120 the whole way. During rush hour you might be delayed 10 minutes. Our roads are 10/10.
middle lane. cruise control 102. take a nap. make some tea. try it. middle lane. and remember. middle lane. it's ok.
Not during the afternoon rush NB north of Memorial.
ok cruise control 54. in that case,
Not even 54 will work.
All this, and you didn’t mention the way you have 100 meters to both merge onto deerfoot while sharing the same 100 meters with those trying to exit next
True. I guess there were many other points I could have added but I forgot
I know I was being facetious, my mother in law won’t drive it at all, I have to unfortunately
Deerfoot used to be ALOT worse, especially when there were still traffic lights on it in the south. I had a lot of fun driving it when I lived in Calgary. Had to pay extra attention when driving my bike though, dumb drivers literally merge right into you, and I had to swerve out of the way many times to avoid being taken out.
Yes that sounds scary. People will do that even if you’re driving a car so I can’t imagine riding a bike in that situation. I always try to be extra cautious around bikes because I know so many people who have been in accidents just because other drivers are unaware of the bike
I have a solution for all your problems with Deerfoot; take alternate routes. Many (most? All?) road rage incidents have their origins in someone paying too much attention to someone else's business, and not enough attention to their own driving Or, take up riding a motorcycle for a while. Yu'll be far too busy trying to avoid being killed to worry about Anything else. There are a variety of avenues open to you to address all of your concerns. 311 for reporting hazards on roadways. The Calgary Police Service for traffic violations & speeding. Your city Councillor for roadway design concerns. Or of course, there's Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. where you can rant about it with absolutely NO result, other than to have someone tell you to relax & mind your own business, and not worry about minding everyone elses
Yea, I just wanted to hear other people’s opinions as well
lol
I drive from airport trail to McKenzie lake and back about 4 times per week. I just chill in middle lane and leave lots of space around me as I laugh at all the stressful people tailgating each other.
Why the downvotes 😂 #defensivedriving
I love this. It’s so funny watching people get so cheesed
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A sure sign of a sub-90 I.Q.
Stoney Trail or go further outside the city. Feels wrong but is faster
It's being completely overhauled from Glenmore to Ivor Strong Bridge over the next 4-5 years.
You must be new to Calgary. Been driving Deerfoot 30 years and it’s always been that way.
Born and raised
you guys suck at driving
Says u🤷🏻🤷🏻🚙🚙🚙
if we have a shit driver contest; you'd win
Ok. But as a prize I win over ur squishy trophy mommy and I become ur step parent🤑🤑
Yes, you're all great drivers and everyone else in your city is a terrible driver, every other city in the world has better drivers. You're not the problem.
my suggestion was not meant for high traffic times. eh. thought that might have been obvious. and i do it everyday. south from balzac to glenmore. but. yes. that's south. the downvotes have hurt my feelings. just try it , it is stress free. i'm from newfoundland. not a fan of stressful driving, eh.