Crowchild Tr FYI

[bspot]

Originally posted by hampstor


IMHO we're well passed the point of build up to fix the problem.

I don't agree there. I don't think it needs to be instant, but if you do things that encourage growth near the core and Calgary ends up hitting 2 million people with only 50% more footprint, then things are working.

Knocking down 1000sq ft houses and putting up 2 1700sq ft units on one lot, over, and over, doubles your density at least (lots of people wouldn't stuff 2 kids in some of those really small old houses).

You personally don't have to live in one of those, but the more people that do, the better it is for you too.

Going back to the 2 million people but same footprint example, that is a lot of business tax, income tax, property tax etc to cover a ton of transportation improvements on less area per $ then now.

If you have $ to throw at the problems, you can bury Crowchild and have a 12 lane bike super highway at street level

[ercchry]

Originally posted by bspot

You pay wayyyy less. Trust me, I used to live in Rocky Ridge. I laughed every time they built a new overpass for me on Crowchild while I paid about half the property taxes of any of my friends in similarly sized places close to downtown.

what the eff? its based off VALUE, and inner-city old areas have NOT been updated. when we were searching almost every inner-city place was ~60% less than what it was listed for

[bspot]

Originally posted by ercchry


what the eff? its based off VALUE, and inner-city old areas have NOT been updated. when we were searching almost every inner-city place was ~60% less than what it was listed for

You get boned as soon as you move in. The city looks at all photos posted on MLS and then notes any renovations. My taxes went up ~$800 a year after I moved in.

And yes, it's based off value, but that is a stupid model. You can live in a 700sq ft condo downtown, and pay more property tax than a 1700 sq ft place 20 km from downtown. Who places more infrastructure load on the city?

[ercchry]

the amount of people not selling and paying the 60% less is much higher than those who have bought recently

[bspot]

Originally posted by ercchry
the amount of people not selling and paying the 60% less is much higher than those who have bought recently

I completely agree with you, it's a retarded system, in many ways.

[speedog]

Originally posted by suntan
Also, taxes on second properties should be higher, or at least have a land transfer tax attached to them.

So then anyone who owns more than one property just creates a numbered Alberta corporation and has that corporation own the property - buy another property, create another numbered corp to own it. Any one with half a brain would be doing this if taxes were set higher on a second property and most people who own extra properties are probably doing so already under a numbered corp.

[Go4Long]

I really think the city just needs to learn how to design proper interchanges. This idea of doing half the job and then putting lights at the top of it is ridiculous, it just moves the traffic jam on to the exit ramps until they overflow.

I drove through this while I was in Dallas a few weeks ago, even in the morning rush there was no stopping. it's designed to handle 500'000 vehicles a day, granted, way to extreme for our traffic volumes, but still cool to see what can be done.

[jwslam]

Originally posted by Go4Long
I really think the city just needs to learn how to design proper interchanges. This idea of doing half the job and then putting lights at the top of it is ridiculous, it just moves the traffic jam on to the exit ramps until they overflow.

The way the lights are timed in this city is also horrendous.

[Redlyne_mr2]

Originally posted by Team_Mclaren
"Our" mayor will tweet about it, then open more bike lanes. Its the way to go in an ever growing city.

and Dru Farrel will get more money to plant flowers and put up fancy lights along memorial near her house. Waiting for the day that memorial is cobble stone.

[Nissanaddict]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2


and Dru Farrel will get more money to plant flowers and put up fancy lights along memorial near her house. Waiting for the day that memorial is cobble stone.

The city really needs to take the opposite of every suggestion that she ever makes.

[speedog]

So Crowchild from 17th Avenue SW to 24th Avenue NW...

• Add and rework lanes on Crowchild between 17th Avenue SW and Memorial.
• Rework connections between Bow Trail and Crowchild.
• Rework connections between Memorial and Crowchild.
• Eliminate all connections between Kensington Road and Crowchild - shove Crowchild over top. Probably will require changes at 14th Street and Memorial.
• Eliminate all connections between 5th Avenue NW and Crowchild - shove Crowchild over top or just dead end 5th Avenue on both sides. Dead ending 5th Avenue would make communities on either side a bit more desirable due to decreased traffic short cutting.
• Rework connections between 16th Avenue NW and Crowchild. This may have to involve University Drive/16th Avenue interchange as well as bulldozing homes in Briar Hill, but bulldozing some homes is nothing new in Calgary - been done before for Crowchild both north and south of the Bow River
• Eliminate all connections between 24th Avenue and Crowchild trail - shove Crowchild over top.
• Rework road connections around McMahon so as to have all traffic flow from either WB 16th Avenue and/or University Drive and/or 24th Avenue.
• Rework connections between Motel Village and Crowchild. This could mean access to Motel Village comes from 16th Avenue and/or 24th Avenue or possibly a connector on Crowchild at approximately 20th Avenue that could also service McMahon.

The main problem with many of Calgary's freeway type of roads is too many intersections too close together - Deerfoot should have never had connections at 32nd Avenue NE or 64th Avenue NE. The Beddington Trail and 16th Avenue sections should've been built better - the whole Memorial/1th Avenue SE mess, that just makes me shudder, too much crap in too small of a space. Stuff like in the video that Go4Long posted - not really fair to compare to Calgary as we are but a pimple compared to the metro-Dallas area but the province did do things up better at Stoney north and Deerfoot and probably at the south end as well. Deerfoot I suspect won't ever be fixed in my lifetime - maybe Glenmore and Deerfoot might get addressed and maybe 16th Avenue too, but I'm not going to bet on it.

[Go4Long]

The video is more a reference to the fact that even in a MAJOR intersection (500'000 cars a day) there are ways to do it without using a bunch of traffic lights. In our smaller scale it should be simple engineering by comparison.

oh...also...before whoever it is in the roads department that has a fuckin hardon for traffic circles gets any fuckin genious ideas, people in Calgary can't get merging right, let's not make any more traffic circles for now. (see glenmore and 37th St for reference of what NOT to do)

[jwslam]

Originally posted by Go4Long
glenmore and 37th St

I've only been down there twice during non-peak hours and it drives me nuts...

I heard the one down 22x by paintball is horrible during rush hour.

[AG_Styles]

Originally posted by Redlyne_mr2


and Dru Farrel will get more money to plant flowers and put up fancy lights along memorial near her house. Waiting for the day that memorial is cobble stone.

didn't those special LED lights by the river cost a million or so each and the company contracted was related to Nenshi?

[rage2]

The good news, there's a plan.

The bad news, $750m-$1b, lost homes, 10 years, and Druh wants transit first.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Crowchi...253/story.html

I guess in the grand scheme of things, with 2 new bridges and 10 ramps, it's a decent price tag compared to the $300m tunnel to nowhere haha.

Link to plans:
http://www.calgary.ca/Transportation...ect=/crowchild

[btimbit]

I like the plan, but holy hell that's a lot of money. Needs to be done though.

[black13]

Fuck it! Worth every penny for all the suffering that section causes.

Didn't expect an overnight plan but damn 10 years. Still better than nothing and at least they have the right idea and no crazy carpool lane ideas.

[lilmira]

Sounds like a traffic nightmare during construction. We'll see, may be the world will end before that happens.

[Evo prec]

Bulldozing homes in Briar hill would cost a pretty penny wouldnt it ? especially considering all of them clsoe to crowchild on the ridge are worth 2-4 million plus ?

[rage2]

Originally posted by black13
Fuck it! Worth every penny for all the suffering that section causes.

Didn't expect an overnight plan but damn 10 years. Still better than nothing and at least they have the right idea and no crazy carpool lane ideas.

There's car pool and HOV lanes being planned from the looks of it. And maybe even a no-exit lane to get people through the corridor (towards Hospital + U of C) quickly.

Originally posted by lilmira
Sounds like a traffic nightmare during construction. We'll see, may be the world will end before that happens.

If they can finish a project such as West LRT in such short amounts of time, they can do all 3 phases within 3 years. Problem is funding, it'll be tough to get all the funding at once.

They've added a lot of bicycle lanes, and pedestrian walkways (on Crowchild lol) to make it more attractive. They know it'll be hard to get funding on a huge freeway project, but wrapping these useless eco solutions would make it more attractive.

Originally posted by Evo prec
Bulldozing homes in Briar hill would cost a pretty penny wouldnt it ? especially considering all of them clsoe to crowchild on the ridge are worth 2-4 million plus ?

Yea, I dunno how that's going to work. The article talks about a friend of the community association that bought a 1.4m house that will be in the way. I'm guessing a huge chunk of the cost goes towards buying up homes, kinda like the West LRT project did.

I know that West Hillhurst residents are pretty upset at all the traffic cutting through the community, especially on 19th street where it was never meant to be a feeder for NW communities during rush hour. But they can't fix the problem unless they fix Crowchild. It sounds like the community is for such a huge project affecting some residents, but making it better for everyone else.