What the heck is Wrong with People ? ? ?

[gsc]

I agree 100% with ultraviolet on this as we spent lots of the day out side shoveling and breaking up ice. I can't count how many cars fly down our street as well not to mention slide to a stop or bounce off curbs. To many idiot drivers out there and to many think it's a right and not a privilege.

[gsc]

i am fine with winter driving, yes this is about slowing down and paying attention, but this is also about the city of kelowna and the snow plows not doing there jobs imo

I'm sure you're fine with winter driving T however , when the CoK comes to you with an invoice that reflects your "demands" of snow removal being as prompt as you think it should be , I'll bet a dollar against a pinch of *bleep* poop you argue about that too...

I just got in from a smoke and I have to shovel my walk again ...

To keep my walk to your standards ....I'd be on OT for another 5 hours .

Give them a break , it's winter and this was predicted . Stay home M'kay ?

I literally just watched a plow go past my place while out for a smoke as well. No sand coming from it and had his plow up. If they are gonna drive around and waist tax payers dollars on fuel they might as well do something useful and sand.

[MAPearce]

I literally just watched a plow go past my place while out for a smoke as well. No sand coming from it and had his plow up. If they are gonna drive around and waist tax payers dollars on fuel they might as well do something useful and sand.

Sure , they might as well do that .. But with this much snow coming down at the moment , those trucks wouldn't get more than 5 km from the yard before they had to go get more ..

How far away are you from the city works yard and when was the last time they sanded your street ?

[tsayta]

i wish they had these for cars...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxOh8Qav5tY

[vegas1500]

Hmm, 2 pages and the regular Alberta driver bashers haven’t blamed them yet..........see, crappy drivers exist in every province!

[gsc]

I literally just watched a plow go past my place while out for a smoke as well. No sand coming from it and had his plow up. If they are gonna drive around and waist tax payers dollars on fuel they might as well do something useful and sand.

Sure , they might as well do that .. But with this much snow coming down at the moment , those trucks wouldn't get more than 5 km from the yard before they had to go get more ..

How far away are you from the city works yard and when was the last time they sanded your street ?

In front of my place once this year and at the skating rink of a stop sign once as well. We spent some time today chipping up the ice there just so cars could stop.

[Even Steven]

Don't come down my street doing 60-70.

I'm not saying drive 60-70 everywhere, I'm saying drive according to conditions.

And I'm not driving 70 everywhere. I'm a responsible driver, I'll slow down if I'm sending a text message or if it's slippery.

[Queen K]

Don't come down my street doing 60-70.

I'm not saying drive 60-70 everywhere, I'm saying drive according to conditions.

And I'm not driving 70 everywhere. I'm a responsible driver, I'll slow down if I'm sending a text message or if it's slippery.

Ummmm, ya sure, thanks!

[lightspeed]

A local lawyer feels it is ALL driver error.

I think the lawyer's right.

This anecdote isn't from the Okanagan but Geography doesn't matter with the OPs' question.


Early in the morning last week i had to venture out about 40km East of Fox Creek then off the highway to the middle-of-nowhere to retrieve equipment ...and return it to Fox.

the 1st trip was in the dark - heavy snow fall - slick roads. = everyone was driving to conditions.
the 2nd trip was in daylight - snow had stopped - slick roads = multiple vehicles in the ditches

Only 40km to my turn-off and on my second return trip i counted 6 in ditch + 1 who passed a truck too fast, cut in front of the heavy-hauler too close, and carried right on off the road - just behind me a little ways)

Only factors that changed between trip 1 & 2 was
- the daylight
- the snow had stopped
I guess this caused many drivers to assume t'was "all good" even though the road was still clearly sh*t

...later that day i heard of a 17 vehicle pile-up on Hwy43 [1 fatality] - 20km East of Fox.


The road conditions didn't actually deteriorate or improve throughout that day - from what i had seen earlier, the daylight/no snowfall drivers just failed to drive to conditions or keep their proper distances.

Fox Vegas!

[Tootsie]

To Rusty Crayon:

We're in OK Centre too. We also shake our heads at the snow clearing in this area. In November, not a flake on the ground ....like clockwork at 5:25 pm every night snow plow would come down our road. We'd hear him coming and kill ourselves laughing when he blasted by. *bleep*? Maybe practicing the route ?

Then - last week school was in. No plows. In Carrs Landing one school bus went off the road. Bad ice on road. Now this week - no school buses running. Last night plow came blasting past here 4 times.

The best snow clearing we've ever had down here was years ago when the guy that had the contract - his Dad lived down here. Man the street was clear. I miss those days!

[Queen K]

A school bus went off the road and it wasnt' a Castanet headline?

[Tootsie]

Nope Queenie - has happened a few times on Carrs Landing Rd !

[lesliepaul]

Sexsmith from 97 ALL THE WAY to Union was VERY BAD around 7 this evening. No sand visible on the whole stretch. Not sure if ANY salt is mixed with the sand but I will tell you that sand alone does not last long in the tire tracks or at intersections.........it gets pushed out of the way very quickly. The salt allows the sand to "dig in" thus staying in place longer.

[Queen K]

I know where there is an entire cul du sac where there is solid ice and nary a grain of sand on it. Right off KLO Road.
Huge condos surround it. Du Montrieal Crt (sp) is a disgrace.

[dle]

To the people who constantly blame road crews and not the drivers for all the accidents happening just ask yourself, how did the five cars before that accident car in the five cars after that accident car make it through without a problem.

First off, I don't think the roads are being sanded enough, or frequently enough. Intersections are quite often horrid, highways are hit and miss with the sand. I really think road maintenance conditions ARE contributing to some of the crashes and they need to pick up their game, hire more crews. They need to be pro-active not re-active.

However, I think A LOT of the crashes are being CAUSED by some people who have it in their heads for some reason that you SHOULD be able to drive a certain speed IF the roads were properly maintained. Logically, they know they shouldn't do the POSTED speed limit, let's say it's 80kmh, because that would be stupid right(?), and that's too fast for winter driving if the roads are iffy. But they think they ARE doing their due diligence by slowing down to say 50kmh just for example, because that's way less than 80kmh, and they think the roads are not that "iffy" so believe that if the roads were being maintained properly, then that 50kmh should suffice because they are equipped with excellent snow tires and, in some cases, a big honkin' truck/SUV, and think those things SHOULD make that 50kmh a satisfactory choice. So they trolley along at 50kmh and wind up on their roof and while they hang there from their seatbelt they cuss out road maintenance.

Best to just assume the roads are NOT being maintained properly and that they are probably going to be icy in spots and that is going to require EXTRA diligence on your part to get where you are going.

The road sign can say "MAX 80" or 'MAX 100" or whatever, cutting that in half might seem sufficient in your mind, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with the number....it's what the road conditions will support, which is usually a lot less than what you think it should be. Ignore the voice in your head that says you SHOULD be able to do the 50kmh and maybe listen to your vehicle as it catches a bit of ice and "slips a bit" now and then...YOU ARE GOING TOO FAST. Or try listening to your "nagging" significant other begging you to please slow the hell down! Even if she's not with you on this trip you should still be able to hear her voice in your head and remember all the 'splaining you will have to do if you wind up on the roof! Plus, if the road isn't maintained properly, that safe speed number is even going to be a whole lot less. It is what it is.

DON'T be the *bleep* driver that CAUSES the accident that hurts or kills someone else. PLEASE curb your arrogance and your beliefs that you must have been someone like Mario Andretti in another life and know exactly what you are doing and can handle the faster speed. At that point ALL you will be is the sad, sorry *bleep* who killed someone's mom, dad, son, daughter and has to live with that, along with them, for the rest of your sad, sorry life....

All that being said,it's not ALWAYS the driver, I believe there ARE times the road maintenance is the pits, there ARE times you will encounter black ice that even a slow slow speed can't quite solve. There ARE time you will encounter one of those drivers who thinks 50kmh is slow enough and he/she causes an accident. There ARE times YOU are doing everything you really should be doing and still wind up in a pickle. I just hope it's nothing serious.