These intersections are driving Calgarians crazy

Calgary's most troublesome intersections can be notorious for tricky turns and traffic congestion.

We asked for the crossings that cause the most headaches and you've answered with many examples

Rachel Ward CBC News Posted: Feb 26, 2018 6:01 PM EST | Last Updated: February 27, 2018

We asked for your most hated intersection in Calgary and you answered. Here are the top contenders. (Monty Kruger/CBC)

Calgary's most troublesome intersections can be notorious for tricky turns and traffic congestion,and some confusing intersections havepeople breaking the lawto get on their way.

The city ranks the worst intersections to find out which ones need traffic signals. We highlighted the top three last week.

These intersections are the worst ranked in Calgary. What's yours?

But there are other intersections that cause manyCalgariansheadaches.We askedfor your least favourite crossings, and you've answered.

People wrote in about struggling to see pedestrians while driving around the city, as well as struggling withoutturning lanes and lengthy green lights.

But here's a sampling of specific intersections that make the commute for theseCalgariansnot pleasant.

Macleod Trail at 25th Avenue

Many complaints came in about the intersection of MacLeod Trail and 25th Avenue S.W. at the Erlton/Stampede LRT station. (Google Maps)

By far the mostcomplained about this intersection where Macleod Trail crosses 25th Avenue. Multiple driversnoted the disruption of the LRTline cutting across traffic. Matched with shortgreen lights, drivers said there's only enough time for a couple cars or pedestrians cross the street.

"Worst intersection in the city IMO," wroteSineadCasey on Facebook.

St. George's Drive at 12th Street N.E.

There's no right turn from St. George's Drive N.E. to go north on 12th Street N.E. when you're driving southeast. (Google Maps)

When driving southeast on St. George's Drive in Bridgeland, you can't turn right onto 12th Street N.E., John Smith noted in a comment.

"Such a pain to have to go way around Deerfoot and Memorial to access the intersection from a different angle," Smith wrote.

"On the other hand, you CAN go the opposite direction southbound 12th Street onto east/northbound St. George's. What gives, Calgary?"

16th Avenue N.W. to14th Street N.W.

Some readers complained that the wait can be abnormally long for an advance green on 16th Avenue N.W. heading north onto 14th Street N.W. (Google Maps)

"Sitting through three cycles of lights after ~10 p.m. waiting to turn left off 16th AvenueN.W. onto 14th StreetN.W. is one of the more baffling elements of Calgary traffic control," Matt MacKenzie told CBC in a Facebook comment.

Vining Wolff also commented that turning south to get onto 14th Street can be "a scary one" when trying to merge with traffic.

Fairmount Drive and Southland Drive S.E.

Drivers can find it difficult to turn left from Fairmount Drive S.E. onto Southland Drive S.E. (Google Maps)

Multiple people said turning lanes and lights would help when you're going from Fairmount Drive to Southland Drive in the southeast.

"It's awful there and I refuse to turn till Ican see clearly and people behind you get 'annoyed'. I avoid it as much as possible," wrote Jennifer Victoria on Facebook.

10thStreet N.W. at KensingtonRoad

Traffic heading toward downtown along 10th Street N.W. can get really backed up at Kensington Road. (Google Maps)

Southbound traffic often backs up during rush hour along 10th Street N.W. at the intersection with Kensington Road.

One of the reasons it piles up is that the next intersection is close by, and crossesthe busy Memorial Drive.

8th Street and 10th Avenue S.W.

The intersection in front of the downtown MECcauses a host of problems, wroteLaura Grant on Facebook.

"People seem to ooze through intersections, forget the red light stop or pedestrians or cyclists," she said.

McKnightBoulevardto DeerfootTrail

Turning from McKnight to Deerfoot north can be 'the worst' during rush hour, one reader says. (Google Maps)

Travel around and on Deefoot Trail garnered many complaints. Specifically, Danielle Tilliewrote in about how difficult it is to turn from McKnight Blvd. N.E. and merge onto Deerfootnorthbound.

"During evening rush hour... the worst," Tillie said.

"That on-off merge causes all kinds of havoc," Vining Wolff added on Facebook.

13th Avenue and 10th Street N.W.

Residents struggle to turn onto 10 Street N.W. from 13 Avenue, sometimes relying on a pedestrian to hit the cross signal to stall traffic. (Google Maps)

Along the eastern edge of SAIT campus, drivers struggleto turn south from 13th Avenue N.W. onto 10th Street, John Heights wrote in a comment.

"Especially during rush hours, nearly impossible unless a pedestrian activates the crosswalk at the intersection," he said.

The area is made more difficult to navigate during the winter, he said, as the road has, at times, iced up to the point where the intersection is blocked off for being unsafe.

Calgary: The Road Ahead is CBC Calgary's special focus on our city as it passes through the crucible of the downturn: the challenges we face, and the possible solutions as we explore what kind of Calgary we want to create. Have an idea? Email us at calgarytheroadahead@cbc.ca.

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