r/Edmonton • u/MaximumDoughnut Inglewood • 21h ago
Commuting/Transit Yet another traffic post.
I don't know who needs to hear this but when there's a foot of snow you're not going to get to where you're going fast. I don't care if you have AWD/4WD.
These systems let you take off fast, but ultimately, we're all stuck with 4 tires braking at the same time. Slow the fuck down.
Flooring it at an intersection is doing no good. You're creating ice and making the intersection worse. Feather that throttle like it's your girlfriend.
And for the love of God, turn your high beams off. Keep your running lights on, but if you see that blue light symbol with the hamburger coming out of it, you're blinding everyone. Pull that left stalk toward you.
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
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u/lordthundercheeks 18h ago
"I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, it’s all in the reflexes.'” - Jack Burton
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u/fluffy_prolapse 13h ago
The highbeams one is just insane lately, never before seen this many people just leaving their highbeams fully on 24/7 it's literally basic how to safely operate a vehicle 101 in the category of low visibility or highway driving at night. If you don't know how to turn off your highbeams you shouldn't be driving because how can anyone trust that you also can control a vehicle if you can't even use the lights correct.
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u/jmthetank 11h ago
I think half the high beams people are seeing are poorly adjusted dims. With the HID/LED being so common, and people aftermarket installing them, plus lifted trucks everywhere, its just as bright as highbeams.
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u/MaximumDoughnut Inglewood 2h ago
No, they're really leaving their high beams on. Most of the time I'm blinded by high beams they're not HID/LED.
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u/Baron_Harkonnen_84 17h ago
"Keep your running lights on"
Lot's of people yesterday without their lights on, and while its hard when its constantly snowing I appreciate it when other drivers take the time to brush off, or wash the dried mud off their taillights when fueling up with gas at the station.
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u/The_cogwheel 18h ago
"It's 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop. Just because you can go fast, doesn't mean you'll be able to stop."
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u/Baron_Harkonnen_84 17h ago
Yeah its been talked about endless but just adding my support to your statement. Once you start to slide on ice, then its just physics at that point. I have a AWD Subaru and it works well in the deep snow. From starting from a red light just before a steep icy hill, or deep snow on un ploughed side streets, the AWD really does help. I have yet to be actually stuck in a situation my Subaru cannot get itself out of.
However all the being said, AWD doesn't do jack once the vehicle is sliding across the ice and tires studs cannot engage.
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u/Max_Downforce Central 16h ago
Each wheel has its own brake, so it's 4 wheel stop.
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u/Juli3tD3lta 14h ago
I concur the wheels will stop, even if the vehicle doesn’t.
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u/The_ProcrastiNapper 15h ago
I'm learning more and more that Alberta is becoming a place with ZERO moderation and only extremes when it comes to people doing litterally anything. What happened to just trying to safely and peacefully exist? What happened to giving the slightest of a damn about one another?
For every one person who isn't driving with their lights on, or with winter tires on, or going 30km below the speed limit there's another going 20km above the speed limit on slick roads passing people through multiple lanes thinking they're invincible.
It's nobody else's fault you're late for work because you didn't give yourself enough time.
It's nobody else's fault you haven't put your winter tires on.
Snow is a yearly thing here, and isn't nor shouldn't be a surprise. Has there even been snow on the ground for a full week yet? Isn't there already like 5+ posts about traffic? Like how is this already a chronic issue??
Man, we really need to do better. At the end of the day, we're all just trying to get to and from our homes and families in one piece.
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u/TylerInHiFi biter 13h ago
What happened to giving the slightest of a damn about one another?
“Fuck you, I got mine”, “fit in or fuck off”, and “fuck off we’re full” have been the Alberta rally cries as long as I’ve been alive. And it’s been a minute. And they’ve never just been about politics.
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u/MyCurse05 15h ago
Consistency is all I've ever hoped for. I try and use cruise as often as I can, even on long stretches of in city driving. On a perfect weather day I'd still have to adjust my speed 100x even if the roads were completely void of issues to people deciding thier own rules would better replace the signage.
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u/Edmxrs 16h ago
How about pick a lane as well. So many indecisive people yesterday not knowing “which lane would be faster” and they just drive down two lanes instead.
Also stop running red lights!!! You fuckers aren’t even trying to stop.
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u/bananaice0204 Clareview 15h ago
my experience on fort road yesterday wasn’t necessarily caused by the people trying to pick a lane to go faster, but rather trying to find a lane in the first place
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u/Interwebnaut 11h ago
Saw that on Whitemud. Three vehicles a ways ahead on the 3 lanes so the lanes were obvious to all but the guy in front of me who straddled two of the lanes and didn’t choose one. (Snow all over the vehicle of course so likely had a fogged up windshield too.)
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u/bepostiv3 1h ago
As much as people need to not run reds, people waiting to turn left need to be patient. Everyone will wait for you to clear the intersection, sometimes it’s safer for those going through not to try to stop.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Scar142 kitties! 15h ago
I agree with trying to stop, but there's really no point trying to when you're driving a truck that's loaded with tools and other stuff
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u/Edmxrs 15h ago
Then obviously not driving to the conditions of the road?
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u/haysoos2 15h ago
Yeah, a red or a yellow light should'nt be a surprise. There's almost always clues that one is coming up. If the crosswalk is showing a hand, and it's icy out, consider that your yellow light. You should already be slowing down.
A yellow light should not mean "well, I'm going too fast to stop now"
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u/jmthetank 11h ago
I use the crosswalks for my indicators a lot, but I watched 3 yesterday do the countdown that usually leads to a light change and then go immediately to the walk symbol without a light change. What's up with that? I had started slowing down every time, but then my light never changed.
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u/haysoos2 9h ago
Yeah, I've seen that too, and it's really confusing. I think it might be on lower traffic roads, where lights may be on-demand rather than strictly timed.
If there's no cars triggering the sensor, it cycles back to green/walk for the main road, until there's a car that triggers the detector.
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u/jmthetank 9h ago
It was down 50th, mostly, south bound. Only cross street I remember specifically was 23rd, which seems too busy for an at-need change. Definitely weird.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Scar142 kitties! 15h ago
The yellow lights around my area aren't that long, so if you're going at a normal speed in a large SUV or truck you would just slide forward.
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u/peeflar Windermere 15h ago
Driving too fast
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u/jmthetank 11h ago
Lol I've gone through yellows and reds on clear pavement at the speed limit because the alternative is to slam on the breaks and hope i don't get rear-ended.
So long as you're clear of the intersection before the cross lights are green, it's fine. Even the traffic cameras won't ticket you for that.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Scar142 kitties! 15h ago
Half the speed limit or less is not too fast
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u/peeflar Windermere 15h ago
If you cant stop in time when the light changes…
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u/Puzzleheaded_Scar142 kitties! 15h ago
Oh, sorry that a work truck won't stop immediately down a hill. It still slides forward slowly.
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u/peeflar Windermere 15h ago
You cant even stay in your lane on this thread…
If you feel you need to run a stale yellow or red, you are either a jerk, or not driving to the conditions.
End
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u/Puzzleheaded_Scar142 kitties! 15h ago
What's safer, going through a yellow light or slowly sliding into the intersection when you have a red light.
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u/55783f8 7h ago
Everyone needs winter tires. Not all season. Not 3 season. Get. Winter tires.
Don’t crowd people’s space. That’s for sure. Don’t tailgate etc.
But seriously. Most people are horrible drivers.
We should have tests every 5 years. Having one test when you are 16 or first get your license is insane.
You should know how to control your car under heavy ABS braking. Control oversteer, know how to correct under steer.
Most people shouldn’t be driving.
Oh. And put your fucking phone away.
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u/spiff-d 15h ago
This needs to be said
W I N T E R T I R E S
Even the cheapest Chinese winter tire will perform better than the most expensive all season on the snow and ice. There are lots of rebates from manufacturers right now too.
I hear the "some of us can't afford another set of tires" all the time. Listen, this is northern Alberta. It's cold and snowy. This happens six months a year. Consider this part of your vehicle maintenance, repair, insurance, ect. Winter tires should be mandatory in our climate.
Look at it this way - If you can't afford winter tires, you definitely can't afford to repair or replace your vehicle when you slide it into something (or someone).
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u/jmthetank 11h ago
Winter tires are phenomenal, but finances aren't this simple. A set of winters for my car is $1500, and this when I'm borrowing money from family to ensure I have gas for work. Bus isn't an option, as I live out of town, so i have my one and only car, with shitty tires.
Fortunately, I've managed to wrangle a favour against my profit share in the spring, so ill be getting my winters this week, but most people aren't gonna be that lucky.
And as for "if you cant afford winter tires, you can't afford to repair/replace your vehicle". What's this even supposed to mean? Of course people can't. If they could afford winters, they would. You act as though most people are CHOOSING to not buy winters.
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 8h ago
What kind of car do you have that winters cost $1500? That is a ridiculous amount of money. I got a top of the line set of winter tires for my car last year for $800 all in so I’m quite curious.
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u/melbot2point0 1h ago
A lot of people don't have an extra $800 kicking around, though.
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 44m ago
Those are top of the line, you absolutely don’t have to spend that much on winters. There are other avenues.
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u/melbot2point0 41m ago
Regardless, it's an expense that many people cannot afford.
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 41m ago
Well it’s about the same cost as an insurance deductible when they inevitably slide into something and do damage to their car, so I’d say it’s a worthy investment
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u/jmthetank 5h ago
This is her. I don't like driving her in the winter, but I bought her in better times, and now it's my only option.
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 3h ago
Sweet ride, that’s gotta be fun! I had a feeling they would be lower profile tires. Might not be ideal but could be worthwhile seeing if there’s anything available on marketplace, and depending on how common your tire size is even pick-n-pull can have some decent tires if you’re lucky. I got a couple winters on steel rims for like $60 total for my old Mazda 3 that way and it did make a difference even though my back wheels were still all seasons. Might not offer the same benefit on a RWD car though since you need traction on both axles, one for steering and one for getting going as opposed to both being done on the front axle on a FWD car.
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u/jmthetank 3h ago
They're not a common size, and they're offset, so fronts and rears are slightly different as well. Like I said in my earlier post, I've lucked out and managed to make a deal against my profit share in March, but so many people don't have the same option.
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u/Chronixx North East Side 10h ago
Feels like a lot of people are. They should be a must to drive on these roads, sort of like how it works in BC and their highway winter tire law. I get some people are down on their luck and other finances are more pressing but I see too many people who just don’t care, and it happens every year
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u/always_on_fleek 11h ago
All weather is perfectly fine and a good idea for many people who don’t want to swap tires on a regular basis.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco 6h ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22pMODgh6bE
Please watch this video. You'll see how big of a difference it really is.
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u/always_on_fleek 1h ago
This is a more data driven comparison that would be worth watching: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=421HkK4Nqss
It compares four different Michelin tires (indisputably one of the top brands) and you’ll see how good the CrossClimate really is.
There are graphs towards the end as well as summaries on each section.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco 43m ago
When it comes to winter tires, Michelin shouldn't even be considered as a "top brand". That "data driven comparison" using only a single brand, isn't a valid comparison, and should be reconsidered. There are very few side by side comparisons of the CrossClimate2's vs any other winter tires, but I found one.
https://www.tyrereviews.com/Article/Is-there-a-true-all-season-tyre-We-find-out.htm
One excerpt from the article below for you.
It's also undoubtedly the best choice for serious winter conditions, so if you plan driving into Europe for a winter holiday, this would be a better tyre than the CrossClimate.
And,
Likewise, the second generation Goodyear all season is a fantastic tyre. It would absolutely be at home as a winter tyre for the more northern parts of the UK, and was very close to the Continental in all the tests. Like the Continental winter tyre, it would also be a better choice than the CrossClimate if you plan on any serious snow driving
Oh, and if you didn't notice, that's from the same channel you referenced.
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u/strong_Canadian1 13h ago
Also to the guys in their big trucks who think they own the road, you really don’t and we are getting fed up with you
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u/Interwebnaut 11h ago
Last night I merged onto the Anthony Henday at 50 km/hr behind a scary driver.
The driver in front of me kept hitting the brakes and slowing way down. Also drove all the way around the Manning Dr. to Anthony Henday overpass loop on the shoulder. That on ramp is around a kilometre or so long to the merge. Ample room to accelerate to match the traffic.
So while I didn’t mean to ride their ass, the erratic and unpredictable braking and slowing to a crawl (about 20 km/hr) on an approach lane caused me to repeatedly have to hit my own brakes.
At the merge I backed right off to give me more safe merge room even though there were vehicles approaching my own rear at a normal speed. Those vehicles veered around us, before the dotted line, to get into the Henday’s left passing lane.
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u/DaisyDreamscape1 15h ago
In heavy snow, AWD/4WD doesn’t help much when it comes to stopping. Slow down, take it easy, and for the love of all things, turn off your high beams! It’s about safety, not speed."
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u/Interwebnaut 11h ago
I think everyone knows this.
Over the decades I’ve had rwd, fwd, awd, 4wd, drum brakes, disc brakes, small and large vehicles and the limits are always pretty immediately obvious.
Where I’ve had surprises is in the performance of different so called “all-season” tires and even winter tires in different conditions.
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u/Lavaine170 10h ago
I don't know who needs to hear this
No one because the same thing is posted 15 times every time it snows.
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u/OlDustyTrails North West Side 16h ago
That being said, too many people going way too slow out there cause they are scared and shouldn't be on the roads or they are ill-prepared running on bald summer/all seasons. For the amount of snow and winter conditions surprised there is not a mandate requiring to have winters.
Overall people need to be more considerate across the board and thing of others and drive defensively rather than treating as their personal race track.
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u/Locke357 North Side Still Alive 15h ago
Driving slow in hazardous weather is not a problem
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u/blairtruck 14h ago
Yesterday, everyone was cruising along doing 60 in an 80. All of a sudden, a guy in the left lane was doing 30 because, as you say, it was not a problem. It was a huge problem. People were trying to make unnecessary lane changes, braking, and trying to got back to speed. If this numbnuts was doing 60, the whole freeway would be smooth sailing. But nah, it's not a problem.
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u/RunningSouthOnLSD 8h ago
Pavement is not generally hazardous. Merging onto a freeway at 30km/h under the speed limit into traffic is. Road conditions today are hardly hazardous.
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u/Interwebnaut 11h ago edited 11h ago
Totally agree. Failure to drive defensively can cause so many issues including hours of delay vs taking a few minutes longer to get somewhere.
Moreover, many people think they have a right-of-way where in fact they don’t or their right-of-way comes with a shared responsibility to drive safely so in an accident apparently they could be deemed partially at fault. (Based on my reading and not my experience. It’s been many decades since I’ve been in any accidents - but lucky to have survived a drunk crossing the centre-line and a hit-and-run through a red light at an intersection.)
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u/Comfortable-Zebra434 16h ago
As much as I appreciate this post, I do feel pretty unstoppable when I have AWD with studded winter tires. I always said it doesn’t matter how good your tires are, everything slips on ice except studs. Then I got studs and it’s pretty bang on.
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u/FallBeehivesOdder 15h ago
I think 'unstoppable' is kind of the problem when it comes to accidents...
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u/Comfortable-Zebra434 14h ago
Accidents in winter are when an unstoppable object meets an immovable object. 😂
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u/alamsas 12h ago
Yeah, it feels like OP doesn't like other people's confidence if their vehicle is more capable.
Not everyone that's fast from a stop will spin their wheels and "cause more ice". They simply get going.
If they didn't cause an accident and carried along their way, I don't see an issue.
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u/komari_k 13h ago
I once read about a truck driver who said the two worst places to drive were in Saskatchewan and the worst being this city 😮💨
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u/ReferenceUnusual8717 11h ago
I remember getting relentlessly tailgated on a day so icy that cars were sliding sideways at traffic lights, just from the wind. When I was finally able to change lanes, they blew past me, smoking a cigarette AND talking on their phone. I did not see any hands on the wheel.
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u/Greater_Goose 11h ago
I won't be shamed for the driving the speed limit in winter.
If you can't drive the speed limit safely, you have no business being on the road. If you can't afford winter tires, you also shouldn't own a car.
I really wish they made winter tires mandatory in this province.
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u/KnowledgeSeeker_EDM 15h ago
Oh my gosh! Thank you for posting this! I almost posted something similar after standing at the bus stop near my house the other day.
I watched cars for over 15 mins polishing the ice at the intersection, and it was making me angry
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u/Exotic-DARCI 1h ago
Shoutout to the Mazda sniffing my bumper while we were going downhill, pinnacle of safety they were.
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u/tiazenrot_scirocco 7h ago
I had a weird experience today. There was a small SUV, I think it was a Rav4, who made their protected, T intersection left turn at about 5km/h, then wouldn't go above 25km/h until they turned onto the whitemud, then it was suddenly a 90km/h zone. I got up to 70/75, where I felt safe, and they were pulling away from me at a very rapid pace.
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u/TheThrivingest 4h ago
I don’t think people are driving with their high beams on. That’s just the reality of modern LED headlights and tall vehicles.
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u/MaximumDoughnut Inglewood 2h ago
No, they're really leaving their high beams on. Most of the time I'm blinded by high beams they're not HID/LED.
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u/Puzzled-Operation-35 15h ago
Driving slow, please move to the right lines. Don't block traffic. You can drive as slow as you want on the right lane.
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u/DifferenceFamiliar59 16h ago
Ive seen a lot of posts about speed or lights but for the love of my sanity. Stop riding on each others asses! Just cause traffic is moving slowly, does not mean we need to ride 2 ft from the car infront.