As a large and thriving community, traffic safety and parking sensibly continue to be two major issues faced in our community. But is there cause for concern? Some of our community members think so.
We have two examples from right here in Tuscany to share with you.
The first is a video sent into us by one of our members. An elderly lady pushing a stroller is crossing the street and the vehicle doesn’t even slow down, forcing her to run across the road else be hit. The Community Association has received a number of complaints regarding traffic safety incidents in the past and we encourage you to report violations to the Calgary Police Service.
The second issue concerns illegal parking. These photos taken at a local cul-de-sac show vehicles angle parked and parallel parked adjacent to the central island landscaping – illegal in both cases. Should a fire truck or ambulance need to assist on this street, they would not be able to access a number of homes.
Do you think Tuscany has traffic issues? Take our poll and feel free to leave a comment with any solutions you might suggest (please note that all comments are moderated).
Maybe people should show the autos on the roads some respect, stop and look, don’t play on the streets, play in the parks and your backyard/driveway, doesn’t matter who is in the right when a 2 tonne car or truck hits a person/kid then lives will be changed. I have had several people in TUscany just walk out in front of me (like the video) and kids biking down the middle of the road!! I teach my kids to stop-look-listen, make eye contact and cross safely, even then I worry, but when a driver knows you are crossing it’s much safer.
Why can’t kids ride a bike down the road? Under the law, bicycles are allowed on the roads and it says nothing about kids being prohibited.
Rather than blaming everyone else for traffic problems, what we really need is some mutual respect on the streets. Cars don’t have ‘extra’ rights to the road, but Mrs. Morrison’s message suggests she feels that that roads are for cars only (and bikers and pedestrians should stay the heck off). I don’t agree with that. Roads are for people, and a little mutual respect for each other would solve most of our traffic problems, especially since they seem to start with the selfish attitudes of people who want the roadways to themselves.
Parents should refer to the Alberta Class 5 Drivers Handbook and city by-laws regarding, your rights as a pedestrian, bicyclists and children play areas. The residential street is not a play ground zone, it’s part of the Highway Traffic System, please use the playgrounds zones that are provided and take the time to accompany them. We have so many Playground areas it’s unbelievable that they are largely untouched, to those parents that use them all credit to you. I also see parents riding their bicycles on crosswalks and sidewalks with their children, for those of you who are unsure of your rights reagarding riding on side/cross walks refer to the city by-laws you might be a little surprised.
Although we’re not near any central island landscaping, we have cars parked around corners, in front of fire hydrants, and across driveways. Add to that cars that don’t get moved for months on end. Strange that for a part of the community where every house has a double garage and a double driveway there is need for so much on-street parking.
I watched the video and have three comments: The lady crossing the street was running before she crossed (and not at a designated crosswalk), there was no obvious hesitation on her part which did not give the driver much time to slow down and the nose of the car did tilt indicating that the driver did attempt to slow down, but why stop since the lady was already on the other side of the road? And finally – what was the driver of the other car doing taking a video which is clearly in breach of our recent distracted driving law.
I see lots of people crossing the busiest sections of Tuscany in front of Sobeys and NOT at designated crossings. I will not hit these people, however, I will not give them any indication that I am letting them cross. It is a two way street people – when I walk I respect my walking rights and the law. When I drive I do the same thing. Let me see the videos of people walking on a legal crosswalk and cars not stopping which happens to me all the time. If I has been that lady in that situation, darn right I would be running, because that car has the right of way – not me!
No Lisa — pedestrians ALWAYS have the right-of-way in an intersection, even T-intersections like in the video. Perhaps you should consult the Driver’s Handbook too, eh?
And I looked at that video closely myself. That lady (with a BABY STROLLER NO LESS!) stepped off the curb when the white SUV was at the previous intersection. She started running shortly after leaving the curb in the unmarked crosswalk when the SUV wasn’t slowing down. I challenge anyone to spot a ‘dip’ in the nose of the car indicating it braked hard. Really! Do people really have no problem with that??
Lisa, based on your comments maybe you should turn in your DL as you know nothing about driving. M. Thompson is correct, about Pedestrians have the right away at intersections. You are probally are part of the problem in our community when it comes to driving, speeding and I would bet you are on your cell phone while driving. As for the Video, you are seeing it as YOU want to see it to make your point. You can tell this is taken from the passengars side of the car by someone else not the driver. No wonder the survey is showing over 50% that driving habits in our community need to be looked with people like yourselves driving in it.
I ride a bike and travel by car in this city, I also rode a motorcycle, when operating these forms of travel, I adhere to the traffic regulation as much as I can.
Bicycle riders once on the road are to abide by the same rules as motorists if your children are using the highway system parents should advise them of the fact no matter how old. I see adults riding the bikes up the side walk of Tuscany Way and then cutting back onto the road when they feel like it, also riding through Stops and 4-Ways, with no regards for others, these people are on course for a collision with a car.
Intersection or not if a pedestrian is already crossing the road, you’d be best advised to yield the right-of-way to them. Cheers
I ride a bike in Tuscany and ride both sidewalks and streets. I ride on the sidewalk if no pedestrians are on it in the area and on the street if the sidewalk has foot traffic…
When you look at the results of the Poll about traffic problems, after reading these comments it’s no wander. Comments here are actaully saying that the lady crossing the street was in the wrong…Every day the posted speed limit in this community if 50km, however most people do not follow it. It should also be noted that Tuscany Way “IS NOT’ Repeat, “IS NOT” a two lane freeway. Myself and my neighbours have almost been hit by cars either entering or backing out of our drive ways. I have also followed cars down Tuscany Way climbing to 60 km and cars are pulling away. I like the idea of video’s. I for one will now be forwarding plate number’s and video’s of cars doing well over and I me well over the 50k limit and there are lots of them as well as using Tuscany Way as a two lane freeway. I wish the Police would do more radar enforcement. They could meet there monthy Quota in Tuscany alone in one day.
let’s track down the driver of that white car, tar and feather them and make them stand outside of sobeys with a sign to publicly humiliate them.
the only failure here, is the pedestrians ability to approach the corner, stop, look and make a judgement on whether the car is going to slow down or not, and then proceed.
what i saw here was a pedestrain entering an intersection without really looking to see what was coming. to me it looked like the car was within speed limit. i encourage the driver of the white car to deny any accusations from this group of vigilante debutantes who have nothing better to do than to (illiegally) take camera phone footage while they’re driving (distracted) around tuscany.
get a life.
Attitudes like this are why the majority of Tuscany residents are giving our traffic the lowest possible rating in the poll above. Where does the attitude of anger and self-entitlement come from? Cars don’t own the road and pedestrians certainly have the right to cross the street. I am disturbed that people can even think to blame the pedestrian in this video. There was plenty of time to stop, or at least slow right down, but this driver could be bothered to do neither, even when it was a baby being pushed across the street. Worse yet, folks here are actually defending this type of unlawful and dangerous activity? I am embarrassed to be part of a community where people think like this.
And good for the person who took this video — and as someone already pointed out, it is clearly not a car driver who shot this video. I can’t believe you people who are blaming first the pedestrian then the person who recorded the video for this driver’s unforgivable behavior!
Simple – the pedestrian was in the right. The pedestrian also did the right thing by following self-preservation rules for her and her baby or she would have been mowed down and been a different kind of statistic.
First of all I do rate Tuscany Traffic as poor. Motorists seem to be clueless to yielding to pedestrians. I have seen so many close calls in my 13 years in this community it is unreal. So for that matter as parents we NEED to properly educate our children on street safety. I think what Mrs Morrison was trying to say was the streets due to poor driver safety may not be the safest place for our kids to play. Riding bikes might be safer on sidewalks and walking paths (that we have an abundance of in the community). As parents we know no matter how much we try, we cannot control the motorists but we can control our children’s education on street safety and how to play safe. Also like Mrs Morrison said we need to teach our children and even use this as adults, before you cross the street, don’t just assume that the vehical is going to stop. As evidence by the above video they may not. So we need to pause, and make eye contact with the driver “before” we cross the street. Otherwise there is no guarentee they are paying attention and “Seeing” you!!
I don’t think it is Just the responsibility of the driver nor the pedestrian alone. We all need watch out for one another. I think for the most part everyone in this community is respectful of one another. Speeding may be a small problem in this community but so is driving too slow. Yes, it may be better to be safe than sorry but if you are too scared to drive then get off the road. Frequently I see police doing their jobs in this community. Leave the enforcing of the law up to them. What kind of world would we be in if all us us pulled out our video camera’s and started posting our neighbours activities on the web? Not a very good one! Mr. Dewis’s comment about “You are probally are part of the problem in our community when it comes to driving, speeding and I would bet you are on your cell phone while driving.” WOW! Way to throw stones! I bet you are a perfect!
Hi Cindy, You are right. I am perfect when it comes to driving in our community. There are kids all over the place. What really bothers me is when following people into the community they will do 75/80 on Crowchild and Stoney and than enter the community and they are doing 75/80 or more….in a 50 zone where they live…..stupid and even though it is illegal to talk on the phone and this in not very scientific but in my observation over 75% of the people driving in Tuscany are either speeding, talking on there cell phones or both. People in this community need to wake up and be careful. It is not a matter of if but WHEN a major dealth of a child by a motorist in this community once the new school opens up as people use Tuscany Way like it is 100kph freeway. Sit on Tuscany Way sometime and you will see that the numbers I have mentioned are not far off
Driving too slow in a residential area is NOT a problem. Most everyone driving down my street does 60 plus, and they don’t slow down for the playground zone. Stopping for an unexpected pedestrian is easy when you’re doing the speed limit or a bit less. Call me crazy, but I’m all for reducing residential speed limits to 40.
Jim
Police have reported no problems in their traffic division officers in being bored while running speed traps in Tuscany. Every time they pull the trigger on their radar guns they catch another speeder. When cameras are employed for a week, they apparently catch the same people 5 days in a row.
And Cindy, I take umbrage on your comments about driving too slow. We are in a community and I have no problem being behind someone doing 46 in a 50 zone. They are in front and may well be seeing something that I do not. And the tailgating is ridiculous. If you ride my bumper, expect that I WILL be slowing down. I have no desire to hit a kid or adult because people think themselves too self-important to take an extra couple minutes to get where they are going and slow down a little.
Lots of comments and opinions here. The majority of the posters here just wanted to vent and failed to read that the posts are requested to be comments with solutions and not blind self righteous accusations stating how everyone is at fault except the author whom is perfect.
Here is my two cents and on topic:
I too was fed up and decided I would take constructive action instead of just whining. I contacted the TCA, CPS, and alderman hodges office regarding speeding on the playground zone on Tuscany vista road. Constable Roy Moe of the CPS informed me that sending officers out to setup a speed trap was too expensive and not of interest to the Calgary police. After follow up several more times and subsequent input from Other police pfficers
Officers with families on the street the CPS finally agreed to request a speed monitoring program be setup ( the type either the two rubber hoses that does traffic counts and measures speed). Data was collected within a few months and upon review I heard from alderman hodges office that they would setup a large mobile sign that displays a vehicles speed to raise awareness and see if it improves the situation. If it didn’t improve the situation items like physical traffic calming could be explored. After months of waiting I called back and was told that they put up a sign a few blocks away the first week of school and that they viewed the issue as closed.
They all agreed there was an issue from the data, but refuse to take action to help.
Conclusions :
Alderman Hodges and his office staff do not follow through with any of their commitments.
CPS cares about money and not working to resolve acknowledged issues.
I wasted my own time trying to work within the system for change and an now apathetic.
People have and will continue to speed in this playground zone. The child struck by a vehicle in this zone last summer is the first of more incidents to come.
The light at Sobey’s is ridiculous especially travelling east/west. Put a traffic circle in to keep the traffic flowing. Also the light at Home Depot caters to the shoppers at the expense of the normal flow. We have enough traffic calming to frustrate the everyday driver. Calgary’s traffic planners must have finished bottom of their class!!!
The intersection close to Sobeys is used by many pedestrians hence the traffic lights. I often see many pedestrians having to wait at the traffic circle at Crowfoot LRT due to vehicles not stopping. On several occassions I have witnessed pedestrians almost being hit by a vehicle at that location as many drivers do not know how to use a traffic circle.
What we all need to realise is we are all motorists as well as pedestrians and I imagine most of us have shopped at the Home Depot at some point in time. I for one am not frustrated by any traffic calming.
Just a little patience is needed. The traffic lights are not on red for that long.
A stop sign or two is a very simple beginning to calm traffic on Tuscany Way. In stead of having Tuscany Way used as a speed strip, the traffic will have to slow down. This is done in Varsity Estates and it works very well. It has stopped many people from cutting through the neighbourhood just to get someplace else faster. The city did a traffic study here a couple of years ago and agreed that the majority of the drivers were speeders. I had a friend admit that she cuts through Tuscany because it is very fast!
We can learn from the older communities in the city: set the speed limit to 40km, then people will go 50km. Put in speed bumps, bulb outs and traffic circles. Put up signs on Tuscany Way that say SLOW down, children play here. these signs are on other Tuscany Streets.
Widen the sidewalks on Tuscany Way. They are congested and kids are afraid to ride on the street itself.
Put up more solar powered radar signs. I’ve noticed that people actually put on their brakes when the speed limit goes up in lights.
From a traffic collision expert here are the facts from the video:
The white Porcshe cross-over is travelling between 48-53 kph (speed limit is 50 kph). The pedestrian of unknown age (did you ID her) pushing a cart of some sort (please show me the baby before I refer to it as a baby-stroller), enters the intersection while the porcshe is at the previous T-intersection. You cannot tell whether the pedestrian looks for on-coming traffic or not. The pedestrian runs across the majority of the road, their reason for running is unknown. (Speculation: they may have seen the porcshe and decided to try to rush across anyway rather than wait…none of you know.) The Porcshe avoided the pedestrian, proof shown that the pedestrian crossed successfully is shown in the video.
In a court of law, if a pedestrian steps out in front of a moving vehicle in such timeframe that the driver of the vehicle cannot reasonably be expected to avoid the pedestrian, assuming the vehicle/driver is not speeding or otherwise violating the law; and the pedestrian is hit, THE PEDESTRIAN IS AT FAULT. In fact, when a collision is imminent between two vehicles, pedestrian and vehicle, two bicycles, etc. NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY!
I would caution that although the drivers handbook is a good learning tool it is not the law. The Alberta Government website has published driving laws for your reference, although you should consult a lawyer when interpreting the written law.
Another fact…the vehicle from which the video was shot is travelling between 55-60 kph…just an observation from an expert in the field.
Traffic Expert eh? I think anybody could anonymously claim that. Given what you have written, I am skeptical, especially since you say the car was travelling at at 48 km/h in the first part of your post then re-estimate it later at 55-60. Huh?
Regardless, drivers are required to ATTEMPT to stop for a pedestrian, even if the pedestrian should never have stepped off the curb. Period. In this situation there should have been plenty of time to stop if the car had been going the speed limit. But this driver obviously couldn’t be bothered to even slow down. You seriously have no problem with this? Some traffic expert.
…first, how is “TuscRes” any less anonymous than “trafficexpert”…anyway I can understand you don’t want to be identified after completely missing the point…
The white Porsche is doing 48-53 kph (nice neglection of the upper end of the tolerance)…sorry I couldn’t get my radar gun to clock the video…?!? There is always a margin of error in a purley visual/timed assessment…
The vehicle from which the video was shot (i.e. not the white Porsche) is traveling faster than the white Porsche and is most certainly speeding (i.e. breaking the law)…
Please provide your legal reference for “drivers are required to ATTEMPT to stop for a pedestrian, even if the pedestrian should never have stepped off the curb”. I’ve never read any law that states this…however your logic would state that if I “attempt” to stop and still plow through a pedestrian then everything is okay…because, well, I tried…
I the case of the video there’s a lot of people crying over milk that is still in the glass…it was a successful road crossing, hardly a near miss…aren’t there more important issues to be bickering about…
Signs should be posted at entrance to community reminding drivers that pedestrians have right-of-way. Many people assume this is the case only in marked crossings.
Pedestrians should make sure driver has time to stop before proceeding. Show intent before you step off….it is not always easy to tell. Make sure the driver sees you.
The streets approaching the main intersection appear to be two lanes in each direction. Why not paint lines showing at what point the street becomes one lane?
Increase speed on the very long entries into/exits out of Tuscany. Why are they the same speed as residential Tuscany streets? I think that encourages overall speeding before people even enter Tuscany residential streets.
School bus stops and cars at stop — this is a major issue. Some buses stop in inappropriate spots….mere metres away from a more appropriate spot. For example, the school buses and parents that stop right where the median ends and the street narrows just before Tuscany Way becomes Tuscany Ravine Road. Why???? And drivers, parents and students at these stops need reminding of the rules.
School zones — my experience in Tuscany is that the people picking/dropping students is the biggest issue, and that police enforcement of rules related to that is needed more than speeding enforcement. I bet if you asked the bus drivers, they would agree with this.
Mothers of young kids including those:
– running with strollers — stop and show intent before crossing
– walking with toddlers — the crosswalk is not a “learn to walk” zone or a “look at butterflies” zone. Take their hand or carry them, and keep moving!
Small children should not be playing in the street. Period. Don’t complain about drivers or others if you are letting your toddlers play in the street. We have plenty of parks and bike paths.
I don’t think things are that bad in Tuscany. Everybody wants a safe community that we can drive/bike/walk safely in. The zealots, and I am going to call them that, who see speeding drivers as the sole problem are polarizing this discussion. And, polarization will not solve anything.
No, let’s not put the blame on the pedestrians here. Drivers are the dangerous ones because they are operating the lethal equipment (multi-ton steel vehicles). Thus they have the responsibility to be the most attentive and respectful users on the roadway.
I am shocked at the sense of entitlement by many people defending speeders and impatient drivers here. The rules of the road do NOT entitle people to fast, unobstructed travel in a car. Just a safe travel. You folks who think otherwise are overdue for some driver training.
For example, Wayne, a toddler is fully entitled to walk across a crosswalk with full right of way over you in your car. Control your patience and wait until you have your turn to go. That applies in the school zone, too. Impatient drivers, perhaps just like you, are the cause of most accidents in school zones. Personally, I have never heard of anyone being killed or injured by kids walking slowly across a crosswalk. Do you even listen to yourself?? Wow.
TuscRes, I think your attitude reflects what I was writing about. Instead of snide remarks about the authors of comments, maybe you should get off your high horse and open your mind. Try to understand other people’s viewpoints. Don’t infer what is not there. For example, I did not say toddlers do not have the right to walk across a crosswalk. My point was that it is not the place for prolonged periods or extended stays. I think some courtesy by drivers, pedestrians, etc. make for a better community. But, who needs courtesy, when you are so right?
The pedestrian footbridge over Stoney Trail will soon be completed and access to that footbridge will be via Tuscany Way. This means there will be two pedestrian crossings when driving out of ‘non-residential areas’ . The second will be at the traffic lights which allows access to Scenic Acres.
Drivers need to obey the speed limit as they are there for a reason. Obeying the speed limit allows you more time to react to the unexpected.
This is not about someone else, this COULD AFFECT YOU or a member of YOUR FAMILY! Slow down, pay attention and keep your distance. That’s it.
Nah – I’m not the problem. You just need to re-read your own post. It is nothing more than a long rant about all the pedestrians that slow you down in your car. Can’t believe you pick on mothers with toddlers at crosswalks. Yeesh — show some empathy and re-learn the responsibilities when you get behind the wheel. Men like you really don’t get it — you ARE the very problem you complain about! Please show some respect.
TuscRes, you fail to notice that I am identifying speeding as an issue. However I am focusing on other elements that will make Tuscany a better community for walking, biking and driving. I just cannot understand the attitude of those like you that are always so right in your opinions. You can put in all of the traffic calming methods you want, but that is not going to solve the matter adequately. A previous poster mentioned Varsity’s stop signs as a great idea, but I have yet to see a cyclist stop at those traffic calming stop signs. My point is, you need to look at all participants in the community — drivers, bikers and pedestrians. And, thanks for the anti-male comment as well….that just validated my earlier observations. I can see why you did not support my call for more courtesy by all involved…it is clearly not your strong suit.
CIty Bylaw states, that unless marked otherwise all residential streets in Calgary are SIngle lane, regardless of how wide they are. Call the City and they will tell you that Tuscany Way is a single lane road….not two lanes like people sometime use it for. Tuscany is our community and safty should all be part of what we all want. Doing more than 50 in here is only going to hurt someone. Take the extra 2 minutes to get home or leaving and don’t be in such a hurry. Heaven forbid if you happen to be the one that cause an accident……let’s all make this a safer community
I have great concern regarding the intersection of Tuscany Way and Tuscany Springs Hill. Once the middle school opens there will be many children who need to cross these roads to get to school. The sidewalk ends and there is no clear area to cross. Yes, there is a path, but the snow is not cleared from it during the winter. In addition, there are bus stops on either side of Tuscany Way, so people need to cross these streets in order to use these stops. It is only a matter of time before someone gets hit by a car here. A solution would be for the city to continue the sidewalk on the east side of Tuscany Way and place a marked sidewalk across Tuscany Springs Hill.
I agree with Carole – and having experience with junior high students at other schools, painted crosswalks have no meaning to them and they tend to jaywalk as they please without bothering to look before they step…
Some more serious thought needs to be put in at this intersection and people need to turn their brains on while behind the wheel, slow down, and respect others on the road. Stop barrelling through the Sobeys parking lot too. Speed limit in a parking lot is 10 km/h, not 30.
In reading the above comments, it seems that most agree there is an issue with speeding and driver awareness in Tuscany and something needs to be done.
I for one, was horrified at two recent events of speeding, the first on the 16th Dec and the second on the 17th. The first was a silver coloured saloon car driving with no lights on when it was dark at around 6:30pm, it sped past Sobeys along Tuscany Way and then turned right on to Tuscany Drive. This vehicle must have been travelling approx. 80kph. Had a pedestrian been crossing at that intersection, the driver would not have had enough time to stop. I witnessed this whilst out for an evening walk.
The second was a dark coloured SUV which sped past me whilst driving along Tuscany Blvd close to the intersection of Tuscany Way, this vehicle braked hard to turn right onto Tuscany Way, when I reached this intersection to drive in to Sobeys, I noticed it sped up and then braked hard again to turn left into the Mosaic Condo complex. I am thankful that there was no pedestrian using the crosswalk at that time.The posted speed limit is 50kph. Whether you agree with it or not, it is there for a reason!
Drive safely, do not become a statistic!