A bike exploration exposing why stroads are so bad in North American cities

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Share your stroad horror stories! And please forgive the overexposed footage. I'm still working out the kinks on a new camera 😬

[@AntonWongVideo]

I think it's your software's default colour space clashing with that of your camera. Usually, overexposed images increase the luminance of the black parts of the image and increase noise. But that doesn't seem to be the case here. It just seems oversaturated. I've had the same issue before and had to adjust the color space I was viewing on my PC I sent you an Instagram DM

[@theKovenant1]

From your neighbour to the north in Edmonton, the most obvious comparison is Calgary Trail / Gateway Blvd. However for me personally, Fort Road north of the Yellowhead as it turns into Manning Drive is a pain in my life. I live roughly 1 Km from an LRT station and this bad stroad makes me incredibly nervous when I bike there.

[@pengcreations7413]

Anton Wong video is probably right. I have a feeling it has something to do with filming HLG. Happy to help you find a solution. You put so much effort in your videos it’s a pity a camera setting would get in the way.

[@adune23]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q5qpnJKVfNemqpo This is my reality for much of the winter. Archibald Stroad in Winnipeg has an incredible multiuse pathway that's atrociously maintained in the winter. As a result, I'm forced to either walk my bike through snow drifts, or cycle on the road.

[@Teapot-Dave]

Hi Tom. Don't worry about the overexposed footage. There is nothing you could have done to make the stroad look any better. 😉

[@austinhernandez2716]

In US suburbs, this is literally all that exists. 5 lane "stroads", with cars going up to 55mph, with no bike lanes, only sidewalks with cracks and holes, and barely any crosswalks

[@Shifter_Cycling]

So many here in Canada too, but they make no sense. Bad for drivers. Bad for cyclists. Bad for pedestrians. Bad for business.

[@austinhernandez2716]

@@Shifter_Cycling I agree, it's bad for literally everyone. It's designed for cars but ironically it's terrible for cars too

[@oniontoast8036]

In some states, you're lucky if there are ANY sidewalks!

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

@@oniontoast8036 OR the sidewalks will just randomly stop and resume on the other side of said 6+ lane stroad that you now have to cross

[@austinhernandez2716]

@@oniontoast8036 That's Georgia for you. Even some of the main roads in the city don't have sidewalks. That's how it was when I first went to a small college in Tifton, GA. The main road is a highway without sidewalks. You have to walk through the parking lots.

[@nimblybimbly4002]

7:53 That's a great example! "If car traffic is so good for business why are there so many vacancies along this stroad?!?"

[@Shifter_Cycling]

The ultimate irony, perhaps!

[@gerritvalkering1068]

I'm sure some apologist economist will point to a declining economy and the inherent vulnerability of outlying areas, completely ignoring that these places were vacant during times of economic prosperity too. What boggles my mind is that, surely, some of the people designing the stroads have been on vacation to Europe or Asia. And they probably came home and talked about the bazaar, and those little shopping alleys, and how they didn't need a car because they could walk everything. Then they go back to work and design another stroad. Obviously, the marvelous experience that enriches hundreds, thousands, ten thousands of cities and towns would never work in the US.

[@Teapot-Dave]

@@gerritvalkering1068 Or the UK. We've got some truly awful road/stroad monstrosities here too. We've had a hundred years or so of motorised traffic chaos and carnage on the roads, but they never seem to learn from it.

[@swedneck]

@@gerritvalkering1068 also like, maybe if we're in a time of decline we could do something to fix that? But nope just let things keep falling apart around the cars i guess

[@jloveys]

Yes I was happy to hear this false equivalency haha

[@iacopo538]

I moved to Calgary two months ago from Groningen, in the Netherlands, and I was a bit shocked when I borrowed my roommate's bike and was almost killed twice. I've cycled in some pretty rough places, in the commuter belt near London, in Berlin's suburbs, around Xi'an and even for a little bit on the M25 motorway, but I have to say that I have never felt less safe than cycling in rush hour along 17th South. It's so soul-crushing to see this amazing, vibrant street full of interesting bars and restaurants rendered pretty much inaccessible, even to pedestrians. Cars jump red lights all the time, the pavements are for some reason never de-iced properly, you can't cross unless at a light which you wait at for minutes at a time.

[@grahambonner508]

If you cycled on the M25 you're lucky you weren't arrested.

[@AlbertaTrackside]

If you enjoy pleasure cycling (vs. just for getting places), then you should absolutely check out the Bow River Pathway between the Peace bridge and Edworthy park once the weather warms up.

[@johanwittens7712]

@@AlbertaTrackside He's dutch. They cycle to get from A to B, not for pleasure. A trail like that is pretty, but also mostly pointless if it doesn't move people. What's the point of an isolated trail if you almost get killed cycling to get there every time, or if people get there by strapping their bike to their car and then only cycle there at location for recreation? Cycling should be an integral, safe, viable alternative to get around the city. Recreational trails are pointless if they cant be used to commute too.

[@Cobalt985]

I live near there, and it's quite interesting that you make this comparison because I've been genuinely considering moving to the Netherlands to escape exactly what you're talking about...

[@grahvis]

@@johanwittens7712 . I strongly suspect those who criticise cycling infrastructure while claiming they are also cyclists, only cycle on recreational trails and don't use a bike as a form of transport. A bit like those who claim they can't be racist because they have a black friend.

[@KonradAust]

Saw this video thumbnail and immediately thought "Oh this is probably going to be about Macleod trail." Lo and behold it was.

[@themeatshow]

I went to U of C with a guy who commuted in from Airdrie and one day he was telling a story about driving in Calgary. He didn't know road names so he said "I was on uhh, you know, the big dirty one" and three other people in the room in unison immediately said "Macleod Trail".

[@blubaughmr]

I like the Not Just Bikes stroad videos, and I enjoyed the City Nerd stroad videos, but this is the best stroad video! You've really captured what noisy, awful places they are. Also, a great job exposing the 'cars are good for business' fiction. The businesses on stroads are mostly places that survive by offering discount prices. Then there's the empty buildings where even that wasn't enough.

[@grahvis]

It is a strange idea that a person driving at 50mph, is going to spot an interesting business and think, I'll just pullover and have a look at what they've got.

[@MrTwostring]

Don't forget that Strong Towns - the people who coined the term - has a YT channel. The videos are often very simple, but also very clear.

[@MrTwostring]

People think "cars are good for business" because there is almost no place left that's walkable. Cars really are good for business because we've left ourselves no alternatives.

[@indigowendigo8464]

Holy crap evidently I have a black belt in stroads. I've ridden in terrible US cities for years and my ride style is one big link up of parking lots, alleys, sidewalks, grass, vacant lots, and a greenway here and there if I'm lucky. I ride a hardtail MTB because it's the only thing that will survive

[@ReallyNoAlex]

Same although I’ve found a gravel bike is somewhat more tolerable

[@indigowendigo8464]

@@ReallyNoAlex a gravel bike will be my next bike

[@KermitOfWar]

@@indigowendigo8464 I had to buy some carbon wheels for my gravel bike, because my front wheel kept breaking spokes & going out of true every week because of the potholes & rough terrain.

[@indigowendigo8464]

@@KermitOfWar I can patch a tube in ten minutes these days. And that's counting the 5 minutes to let the glue set up lol. Yeah the roads are pretty bad

[@KermitOfWar]

@@indigowendigo8464 I never use glue on my patches, tho, rubber cement would count as an adhesive. Usually, just a sticky rubber seal with rubber cement is all that's required for an easy patch. Rubber cement dries quickly, but cures in like 24 hours, depending on temperature. What kind of glue do you use on your tubes, when patching?

[@WINZ0W]

We've been building our cities based around the movement of cars for decades and it's a nightmare.

[@timdowney6721]

Stupidity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting better results.

[@crytocc]

Arguably, not even that; in the Netherlands, for example, car movement is actually *more* efficient than in the US!

[@azathoththe3rd]

It's intentionally designed to force people to have to have a car. If your town or city is mostly stroads you have no other choice bit to have a car

[@intellectualrebel5340]

​@@azathoththe3rd or a motorcycle

[@charthepirate]

Bike shops on a route you can only really access via cars annoy me. It's like slapping a sign up that says "These things are toys, you need to take them somewhere else to use, oh btw you need a rack too" Fully realize in a lot of North America that's the only place you can locate them due to commercial zoning, but still friggin sucks.

[@jeffparker1617]

my local bike shop just relocated to a strip mall on a stroad, the city's bike path ends near it, but now to get to the bike shop you can be on the shoulder of an 80km/h stroad or weave through a bunch of parking lots :(

[@planepower8523]

Ironic that you mention this.... here in Edmonton, id say 2 bike shops are located in pedestrian friendly areas. Areas that see people walking and enjoying scenery without the noise of the city. Id imagine it has to do with economics. A friendly place for people to wander and shop will be more expensive vs a hostile stroad, where shoppers only come for specific needs and by car.

[@tthomas184]

These type of bike shops mostly sell high end road and mountain bikes to suburban customers who use them for recreation. Bike commuting? What's that?

[@christophermorin9036]

My city doesn't even HAVE a bike shop anymore. It closed down because no one was buying or using $600 bikes. The closest one to me is two towns over.

[@derekparsons3363]

All my local bike shops are accessible via my bike, but most of my roads aren't ideal riding.

[@amandajane8227]

I can understand why businesses fail on stroads. I get so anxious driving to those premises, having to slow down to locate them annoying drivers behind me and then the effort of getting back onto the stroad after doing business, So I avoid those places and aim to go to ones that are easy to access.

[@spiderpickle3255]

Same. I especially hate having to make a left turn out of a parking lot onto a stroad and have gone out of my way to a completely different location just to avoid one stroad for another that wasn't quite as bad.

[@JaydelCorro]

That stroad is trauma inducing. I went to Keith’s Deli one time using that route and it was hellish. There are plenty of great businesses I’d love to access if there was better infrastructure…

[@ex0stasis72]

I feel like I can literally feel my blood pressure rising when I bike on a busy road with no good and safe bicycle alternatives.

[@brian2510]

I usually bike on back roads to get me places where I need to go. It's much more safe!

[@Droxal]

@@brian2510 I wish that was an option. I have to cross a busy highway to get to work ... where the only option to cross is to use other busy roads with no sidewalks. It's honestly horrifying.

[@AlbertaTrackside]

Somehow, in my heart, I knew before even clicking on this video that it was gonna be about MacLeod trail. There used to be an excellent hobby shop along there, next to the 50th ave intersection, but they closed down a number of years ago due to a lack of business. The space they occupied is still boarded up several years later, and ever since they packed up, I've avoided that god-forsaken strip of asphalt like the plague. They closed down before I could drive on my own, but I can confidently say that if they were still there, I wouldn't go. MacLeod (and all other stroads like it) is just so terrible of an experience that it wouldn't be worth it to me. Now compare that experience to Banff, who is going to be closing their main street to car traffic again this summer. I know for me personally, it left a lasting impression in my mind walking around there freely, particularly how incredibly quiet it was without cars (the occasional bus still running down the street did not feel disruptive/out of place either). The main street closure is such a pleasant experience that it actively makes me want to go back again soon after I've gone back home to Calgary. Imagine someone saying they want to go back to MacLeod for the experience? I'd think they were insane. Maybe a future video idea of some kind there?

[@Teapot-Dave]

How did anyone ever thinks that stroads were a good idea to implement? They are just an assault to all of your senses at the same time. Well done Tom for surviving to the end!

[@Tokahfang]

FWIW, I don't think most stroads start off with the intention to be that way. They are often either roads that get built up alongside, or streets that get endlessly widened. At least the ones around me are that way. Ours mostly exist in what use to be the "in between" of the small areas of civilization that existed here, before it became a big metro area.

[@Teapot-Dave]

@@Tokahfang You maybe right with some of the older versions, but they are still an abomination to behold. We tend to blindly copy the US here in the UK "ooh the Americans have done this so we will look cool if we do it too", so as a result we have got some truly awful stroads going to new "out of town" shopping messes.

[@tduva]

​@@Tokahfang That reminds me of playing Cities: Skylines or SimCity. Starting with small streets and a few buildings, maybe even planning for separate roads so that the through traffic is kept out of the neighbourhood. But after growing those small streets suddenly become congested with traffic and became major roads while still being right next to businesses and houses. And due to limited space the areas next to the separated through roads became occupied with buildings as well. So both the streets and the roads became stroads. I doubt these games simulate all the problems of a stroad, but pollution and congestion due to a lot of intersections certainly doesn't help there either. Now, I'm probably just bad at these games, but it's weird how actual city planners in real life appear to be making similar mistakes.

[@johnathin0061892]

Most developed organically, they were not designed that way. They usually started off as highways outside of cities/towns, then businesses opened up along them (often to serve the travelers)... the traffic increases, they widen the road, more business, then other adjacent development and the city expands out, more traffic and so it goes.

[@reneharde3459]

My guess is that post-WWII auto industry lobbying and sales pressure pushed stroad development at the expense of alternative transportation - GM was found guilty in the 60's of subverting the nascent Rochester subway system, and given a slap on the wrist, if that...

[@NunontheRun]

Like others, I immediately thought of MacLeod trail when I saw the title, it's a terrible space for cars, bikes and pedestrians alike. I used to drive a taxi in Calgary, now I a bicycle courier in London England. It's not the most bike friendly town, but it's getting slowly better. At least cycling here is recognised as a form of transport, rather than just a leisure activity like in YYC.

[@Morgan423Z]

I'm glad this issue is starting to get more coverage and attention. Strong Towns is great, and I appreciate KZbinrs like you, NJB, and others who are helping to draw focus to the problems as well. Down with the stroad!

[@rabaco51]

Thanks!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thank you so much, Rami, for the support. It really means a lot to me!

[@zoradelaney9412]

You're brave. I would NEVER, EVER attempt such a thing on any stroad in my city (Chicago, USA).

[@nairbos]

This video is triggering my anxiety of 3 years of driving in Calgary. I had to go to Chinook Mall 3-4 days a week for my job and it was... absolutely miserable. My employer forced me to have (and paid for) a car so even if it was easy to get there, there was simply no alternative.

[@GlobetrekkerYYC]

New subscriber here. As soon as you said "worst stroad in Calgary" I knew immediately you were talking about MacLeod Tr. I live less than a kilometer West from one of the most business dense sections (between Glenmore and Southland) of MacLeod yet I still take my car when I frequent businesses on MacLeod. I'm not willing to run that gauntlet as a pedestrian or on my bike. I wish that wasn't the case.

[@adune23]

Converting to tubeless was a game changer. No more pinch flats, and unless debris completely tears open the tire, you're protected.

[@madcyclist58]

What a totally depressing environment for everyone except those whose only object is to speed through it as quickly as possible. On second thoughts it's probably depressing for them also.

[@MattLowne]

Great video! As a fellow KZbinr who has also made mistakes with overexposure and new cameras - check your camera's ISO, it's probably too high. Currently reading your book, Frostbike, actually! It's really great, just reached the epilogue so nearly finished it 😁

[@MrTwostring]

I wondered if he did that on purpose to make things look even more dreadful. I think it's a great effect. :-)

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

@@MrTwostring To me it makes the footage look like an Xbox 360 game, I kinda really like it. It’s like RE5 or some of the battlefield/COD a games with that brown-ish yellow colour tinge and blown out primitive lightning.

[@Mary-zj5qw]

I once had to abandon my bicycle and climb and chain link fence to escape being dragged by a semi in a stroad area that suddenly got extremely narrow and was under construction. Stroads are often dangerous and create food deserts, especially for people without cars.

[@elliotkelly8354]

I believe real change will happen because of videos like this. Keep it up!....my eyes too have been opened to see the stroads everywhere. Whether driving cycling or walking, I hope for better design that makes all three truly enjoyable and generates revenue for our community.

[@a2dsouza]

16 Avenue North is another unfortunate example of a stroad for much of its length. What's particularly sad about that one is that it's part of the Trans-Canada highway, so for many people passing through, it's the main impression of Calgary they'll get.

[@thegrowl2210]

Based on what I’ve seen of the US, I thought you were quite lucky to get a pavement. Also you’re very brave with where you leave your bike alone!

[@atawoo2]

I don't think Canada has as many brazen bike thieves as we do in the US.

[@hellfreezer3037]

@@atawoo2 its rly bad in both Toronto and Vancouver

[@notl33t]

So many empty businesses! On the one hand, we could blame it on the pandemic, but honestly, businesses on stroads really struggled before the pandemic. I want to like pedestrian overpasses, but I would love, love, love, even more, just getting rid of stroads entirely.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

This video was really good, I loved the music choice and you really highlighted the crap-ness of being alongside a stroad, I thought walking down the 2-ish lane 35mph avenue near my house was bad but compared to a stroad it’s quite luxurious, at least we have trees and it’s only 3 lanes at the most with one for buses. Also, this is weird but this video really felt like an Xbox 360 game or something, the lightning was a bit blown out and yellow-tinged and it really felt like a 7th gen game.

[@Siberius-]

That was a fantastic video. Very nicely done. Love that you address some urban planning on your channel.

[@docvideo93]

"If car traffic is so important, why are there so many [building vacancies] along this stroad?" What a quote!! I can think of so many businesses in my native state of Texas that are vacant because of a stroad.

[@johnathin0061892]

The fact we are now in another Great Depression has a lot to do with it.

[@filescopying]

For me it's Broadway in Boise, ID! There is the disappearing bike lane, Z crossing, and fast moving cars. Recently a drunk driver crashed into a restaurant. I cross that stroad but avoid cycling along it.

[@PizzaTrike]

I found your channel somewhat recently and have really been enjoying your videos. Great stuff!

[@loup9003]

Wow, it's already spring for you guys. Here in Quebec, it's still very much winter lol. Really good video!

[@Shifter_Cycling]

It was just a dry spell. It has since snowed several times!

[@SeanNicholsEh]

Not really. But because Calgary has chinooks that come through all winter, they tend to melt/blow away all the snow fairly often. About 3 weeks ago (early February) we had pretty much no snow around at all.

[@elij426]

You should get involved in our city council! I would love to see someone bring up issues with our transportation

[@MrTwostring]

Maybe we should all get involved with our own city councils. :-)

[@road_rider]

When you talked about Shackleton, I thought you were going to make a joke that the bike shop in the background was like his stuck ship. But instead of it being a ship stuck in ice with no way to move, it was a bike shop stuck in the middle of a network of stroads making all of the bikes there essentially stuck in their own version of pack ice - unable to be actually used to move on. It just seems crazy - you buy something for transportation, leave the store and cannot even ride it home.

[@bradhafichuk]

Imagine a world where McLeod Trail has dedicated pedestrian pathways, cycle tracks, BRT/Tramway and just a few lanes of 40km/hr vehicle traffic. Toss in advanced crossing signalling, roadside trees/shade structures/parks/rest areas and cross link them with the LRT and Elbow River pathway for some extra levelling up.. The LRT/McLeod Trail/Elbow River corridor has so much potential and its sadly one of the most decayed, neglected and unsafe parts of our city. Maybe one day a city planner will see your videos and be able to convince their elected bosses to fund such a revitalization.

[@Cobalt985]

There are so many damn cities that are just waiting to be great, but unspeakably terrible urban planning makes them just as awful as every other car centric city.

[@Josukegaming]

This is absolutely your best video I've seen yet! So much charming personality and jokes shine through while also taking statistics to prove your point further

[@KellyS_77]

06:54 In the background you can see a pedestrian walking in the middle of the stroad. Yikes!! I've never really ridden on anything other than a stroad. That seems totally normal to me, except you're on the sidewalk. Round these parts you'd get a ticket for riding on the sidewalk.

[@paulmagnuson1021]

Another great clip from a great channel. The only surprise here is the bike shop. Their parking lot for cars with racks is a lot smaller than I would have thought (at least according to Google streetview) :-/

[@WheelersAtLarge]

Nice one Tom, glad you made it back alive 👍 Thankful to not suffer "stroads" where we are... Good content

[@Chinekeh]

I got the priority bike because of you, and the pannier.

[@danielbum912]

Being able (and having the tools with you) to fix a flat by yourself is awesome. Feels so empowering to take off afterwards. But who am I telling that? 🙂

[@KaiTenSatsuma]

The one time, the *_one. time_* I took the stroad off of my preferred bike path because of a downed tree because of a relatively recent hurricane 5 miles away from my car I managed to hit some discarded staples that got *both* of my tires. U.S. Street/Roads are impossible to ride on without a full set of backup tubes or repair kits. At this point I'd rather just *not* and am sticking to walking paths and bike routes and forget about cycling around town unless I'm on some hardcore tires. I was lucky enough that a sympathetic driver gave me a ride to the parking lot instead of having to hoof it all the way.

[@dalendru]

Such a great video. I too have always hated this ugly and awful road. I avoid it when driving and also when riding - would never consider walking on it. I tried crossing the road as a pedestrian once and almost got killed by a car that didn’t stop. Noisy, ugly and terrible. Keep up the great work on these videos!

[@radwanderer6165]

Many many true words spoken here! And in towns where the officials try to change towards to less pollution and noise and to more human conditions, many people say "If I'm no longer welcome with my car, I will buy in another town / online and this town will die!" Not realising that "More roads for more cars" cause more traffic (jam) and will lead to even more (broader) roads is a dead end -the end of human towns 😞

[@grillface101]

It was traumatic just watching you stand on that narrow strip of footpath while the cars zoomed past just not two metres away from you at high speed. Yikes.

[@AntonWongVideo]

Hey Tom, great video! About you image quality issues, you might need to adjust the colour space you're editing in. It doesn't seem compatable with your camera's colour space. I can DM you on IG to help you fix that

[@divineinpurple9058]

When I think of places in Calgary that are shopping / entertainment destinations, I think of streets (Kensington, 17Ave., 8 Ave.). When I think of places I have to go for necessities, I think of stroads - where you go with a list so you can get out of there faster.

[@eugenetswong]

Thank you for sharing. I spent 2 or 3 summers in Calgary, and never enjoyed the transportation. I relied on transit. What a nightmare! It hasn't changed in over 25 years. I encourage you to visit Surrey, BC. We're trying to dig ourselves out of our stroad hell. There are a lot of great options.

[@BlairdBlaird]

2:15 that's not really true of one ways in general, in europe single-lane one-way are pretty common either when there's no room for more (older cities) or to make city centers innimical to cars, by making them more annoying to traverse. The rest of the street can be reclaimed for other activities, and drivers are disincentivised from entering the maze of twisty one-ways which is the city center. Two common patterns around one ways is the "collector" (a bunch of one ways collecting into a road and shoving cars out of the city) and the "alternator" where "cross" streets are one way alternating between directions (so you can only turn every other block).

[@a2dsouza]

Re the elevated walkway at Chinook Centre: I definitely look at it as a great gesture not to impede the flow of car traffic. If it was really intended primarily to help pedestrians, they'd have kept the pedestrian crossing level and dipped the street under it. Decisions like these really do reveal whose needs are considered to be more important.

[@scotthalland]

A big issue I've found with it is that it's entirely there to serve the mall. When the mall is closed, the pedway is closed. You also can't take your bike across (I haven't tried, but it ends in a food court, so I can't imagine they'd like that. Maybe I'll try, and see what happens).

[@JustClaude13]

The flat problem is why I have 27.5x1.4 puncture resistant tires and 26.1-3/8 thorn resistant tubes. Since I started using two layers of armor I haven't had a flat.

[@smileychess]

In the camera settings, he saw an option for "exposure" and said: "Dunno what that is, but I want MORE of that!" jk great video

[@bbsara0146]

Even when there are bike lanes I still ride on the sidewalk. people yell at me but I tell them "im not gonna risk getting hit by a car, sorry bro LOL"

[@chrisvaliant4835]

Brilliant video.

[@emmettpickerel]

On a positive twist, I zoomed in on the apparently angry guy in a pickup at 2:30, and I'm pretty sure he's actually giving you the "metal" sign. 🤘

[@tonyvohl5615]

You stopped just short of where there are actually bike paths on BOTH sides of Macleod Trail, south of Southland Drive! I've used it to go to Canadian Tire, get a haircut, and ironically, to deliver my Dad's spare car keys to him on my bike. There are also plans to extend the paths a bit to the pedestrian bridge at Anderson Station ( page 27 of Anderson Station Redevelopment Plan: www.calgary.ca/content/dam/www/realestate/documents/anderson-station-tod/anderson-station-area-plan.pdf ), where there's a lot of bike paths that come together from Anderson Park and running along the north and south side of Southcentre Mall. There's also some raised crosswalks on the north side of Southcentre Mall that I use quite often. It sucks that there aren't bike paths all the way along Macleod Trail, but there is always strategic progress, even if it's slower than we want. For now, I just use the bike route just west of Macleod going from Fish Creek to the Elbow River instead of actually using Macleod (5 St, Haddon Rd, Sacramento Dr, Canterbury Dr).

[@raymondgoodman9148]

excellent, thank you. i'll get the book at a local book shop just down the stroad, wish me luck!

[@donovancamp1336]

Great video! Wow did you make the Ernest Shackleton reference right before the locating of the Endurance Ship!?! You are on beat!

[@thismissivemisfit]

We have these in Malaysia too, and I absolutely hate it. Depending on where you're from geographically, our weather and landscape could be considered a blessing or a curse for cycling infrastructure. Netherlands' climate and mostly flat roads work well for them because it isn't too hot or humid. Looking back during my parents' younger years, I don't believe our weather is really that big an issue as some people make it out to be, as almost everyone then got around everywhere by cycling. We should seriously bring that back, and start re-designing our cities for better biking and public transport infrastructure. Urban flooding has only gotten worse because of the car-centric cities and highways built left and right, which looking back 10 years ago, wasn't that bad compared to what it is now.

[@WantonSoup192]

Up highway 2 from you in St Albert, Mark Messier Trail is definitely the Stroad. They have sidewalks as a homage to the thought of walking/ biking but then they just end. But there is the scenery of mattress stores and liquor stores so you can stock up and have a drink in bed to calm your nerves after you are done biking along it.

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

A good One Way street can serve a purpose though. It allows some traffic in, usually so delivery trucks and the like can get through but is generally the worst way to get through the area, especially if it's single lane. Mean while pedestrians and bikes who usually don't have to pay attention to street directions can go either way, often making it a short cut for them at least in one direction.

[@ryanbirch]

Great video Tom!! A perspective I hadn't considered before.. even as a cycle commuter and occasional MacLeod Trail driver.

[@GB-ez6ge]

You are very brave, Shifter. I wouldn't dream of navigating a stroad without serious mountain bike tires.

[@sodrak6925]

I'm in a Montreal suburb and I can't count how many stroads there is here... Taschereau blvd (the biggest), Cousineau blvd, Wilfrid-Laurier blvd, Leduc blvd, Marie-Victorin blvd, Touraine road, Curé-Poirier blvd, Rome blvd... it's sad to see that Montreal is such a nice city to bike, but not its suburbs...

[@alexhernandez67]

Cool Video. As a European I would be put into Stroad hotels during business trips. You would try and get a meal and it was next to impossible to go anywhere without a car. Not even a taxi was close enough to take you anywhere and pavements were also unexistent. I thought it was quite curious that in USA I found myself walking in parking lots way more often than nice streets... It's a shame that some modern places in Europe are starting to look like that too

[@johanwittens7712]

2:10 Not at all. One ways are a great way to reduce the number of lanes on wider roads to one or two lanes, and to guide and cut traffic through the city into loops, eliminating through traffic from the city center. One way streets are one of the most usefull tools a city planner can use. My city is 70-80% one way streets, largely because many of them are simply not wide enough to accomodate two-way traffic unless you eliminate bike infra and reduce sidewalks to a minimum. In the netherlands too you will find one way roads and streets literally everywhere. If the option/choice is a two lane, two way street with no biking infra and barely any sidewalks, OR a one way street with biking in both directions and pleasant, wide sidewalks, the smart urban planner chooses the latter every time. And especially when one way streets are integrated into a comprehensive traffic plan, they become fantastic planning tools. The problem in N-america is that one ways are used and designed as multi-lane high speed thoroughfares instead of as a community, low speed, service street.

[@MrTwostring]

I would invite you to look up Strong Towns (who coined the term "stroad") on YT and see what they say about one-way streets. It convinced me. One-way traffic kills pedestrian life on a street.

[@johanwittens7712]

@@MrTwostring Thats complete bullshit and strong towns is wrong in that. They look at one ways from a solely american, N-american perspective and only look at multi-lane, one way traffic arteries. In my city, in the historical city center, 70-80% of streets are one way. And they're the liveliest streets after the pedestrianised ones. If you convert a 4 lane two-way street into a 4 lane one-way street, then yes, you've ruined the street and accomplished nothing. That is completely pointless. But the point of one ways is that they can carry way more traffic in one direction than a two way in both directions can. So if you convert a 4 lane two-way into a 2 lane one-way, you've significantly reduced the space and impact of cars without very much impacting the capacity for cars, freeing up space for other road users like bikes and pedestrians, giving pedestrians WAY more comfort. And if you reduce a 2 lane 2-way to a 1 lane one-way with traffic calming, you've reduced a busy city street to a calm neighbourhood street. THAT is the point AND power of one way streets. Not this 4 lane monostrosity shown in this video. In the netherlands, and my country Belgium, and many other european cities, one way streets are the standard now. And they are great for reducing traffic, guiding traffic, and creating calm neighbourhood streets. Just look at "not just bikes" channel and his videos of dutch city streets. Quite a lot of them are calm, pleasant, walkeable one way neighbourhood streets. Heck even our shopping streets are often one way. And they work great, are great for pedestrians AND bikes, and for the local neighbourhood since they reduce traffic significantly if part of a comprehensive traffic plan.

[@MrTwostring]

@@johanwittens7712 - Clearly you feel very strongly about that. I would encourage anybody reading along to watch some Strong Towns videos and decide for yourself whether they're wrong about this.

[@johanwittens7712]

@@MrTwostring I feel strongly about it because, as i already said, i have proof all around me EVERY DAY. Plus i did study a bit of urban planning here in EU back in the day in my architecture studies. Nearly every city here in europe has tons of one way streets. They're quiet, pleasant residential streets, pleasant shopping streets, and so on. And they're only second to the pedestrianised area when it comes to walkeability and pleasantness for pedestrians and cyclists. On top of that, they are often part of a city wide traffic plan that guides traffic and reduces traffic overall. In my city for example, we already had a comprehensive traffic plan that guided traffic, gave priority to biking and walking, and so on since the 1990s. And this was mainly achieved with one way streets (ONE LANE, traffic calmed one way streets). And then ALL through traffic through the city was eliminated 3 years ago by using one way streets that create loops, guiding cars on that loop into and then immediatly out of the center again. Going through the city center is now impossible for motorised traffic (except public transit and taxi's). And the city center is now even more quiet and low in traffic, and pleasant to walk and cycle than before. And my city is not the only one in Belgium, and in the Netherlands pretty much EVERY city uses this model of traffic planning, and EVERYWHERE this model is hugely succesfull. I don't need to see the strong towns video (even though i already have ages ago). I KNOW it is wrong because i see the proof around me every day. I love many of the research and arguments made by strong towns. They make very good points, even though many of them we've known in urban planning in Europe for over 40 years. But in this instance concerning one way streets, they are very, very wrong because they only see these streets through very skewed N-american eyes.

[@MrTwostring]

@@johanwittens7712 - I didn't want to get drawn into an argument. Beyond suggesting that people actually WATCH Strong Towns and engage with what they actually say (and not with me), I'll just say that I hear ALL THE TIME from people who say that they see things around them all the time and don't want it to change. They say things like "OF COURSE widening the road will make things better" and "I don't want them to repaint my road from 4 lanes to 3 - it will make things worse."

[@redesignforall6577]

Nice video! The one place I think one-way streets can work are for narrow, neighborhood streets, they can help to controll traffic, especially when you change the direction every so often. I just covered this in a video. Also, I think I recognize this stroad from another video.

[@alex2143]

One way streets for neighborhoods still sounds very car centric tbh. Better to have cul-de-sacs where cars can only enter and leave in one end, but bikes and pedestrians can filter through. That way bikes and pedestrians have a nice and quiet shortcut away from cars. Note to lawmakers that read this: no, that is not a substitute for decent bike infrastructure. Build protected bike lanes.

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

@@alex2143 My suburban UK town has a lot of that, all of the closes in the residential warrens where I live have footpaths that lead to other closes and onto back streets and via these it’s genuinely faster for me to walk to the shops than it is to drive.

[@FelipePait]

I like that you're riding a Priority bike!

[@GordoGambler]

But his broom handlebar sucks IMO. My 3 bikes are all IGH with steel swept riser bars. I easily do 100 mile highway rides with my 1973 CCM with a new SA XRD3. My tour heavyweight with a Rohloff14 is 120 lbs loaded. LOL.

[@FelipePait]

@@GordoGambler I'm happy you enjoy your rides and your bike!

[@matthewhughes3147]

Has North America not heard of the ring road? There is no reason that amount of traffic in needed intra city, only inter. Route traffic around cities not through

[@scotthalland]

Calgary does have a ring road (mostly completed), but it's literally 10km to 25 km from the city centre depending on what direction you go!

[@seniorsoyasauce]

I live in Montreal and i was planning a bike route. Google told be to ride down Décarie boulevard. Décarie is a 6 lane stroad that straddles either side of a 6 lane highway. Every time i’ve driven on the road i’ve almost been hit by another car. I cannot imagine riding a bike down that road

[@MichaelSalo]

Stroads are the high fructose corn syrup of transportation.

[@simonkraemer3725]

I think what could help would be to reduce the lanes to two per direction, close every driveway for this road and remove unimportant intersections and use the rest of the space to create two streets along this road. Businesses could florish along these streets, bike and foot traffic would have adequate space and dutch-style open tunnels could help crossing the road. In the urban city you could remove the one-way stroad with a two way/one lane per direction street and add on-street parking, bike paths and trees. I think that would be the European/dutch approach to it

[@RobadobaChannel]

i see the shifter video production team got a budget raise

[@joeaverager]

Excellent video. My state likes to designate certain state highways with shoulders as bicycle routes. I've tried them a few times and they are miserable. Cars and trucks rushing by 6 feet away at 70-75 mph (speed limit 65-70 mph) so you get the noise, the pollution, sometimes pelted by road debris, etc. Its a sick joke of bicycle infrastructure. Red state naturally.

[@sarahpercifield904]

Every state does this. California is especially guilty of this. I live in LA county.

[@JustaGuy_Gaming]

One of the biggest issues with collisions is cities are designed to keep drivers alive. They remove anything that might cause a drivers death if they lose control and go off road. Ignoring who or what they might hit, as long as the driver is okay. Not only does this reward the person most likely to be at fault for an accident, the less risky you make a road to drive on the faster people go. The more risk they take. Your not going to see many people going 70 mph, texting and drinking down a mountain road with a 200ft drop cliff and windy curves.

[@sparkmadd_IZM]

I walk to work on a 2 mile stretch of my local 'stroad' and sometimes i think i am a extinict speaks cause i don't see any other walker.

[@CJLloyd]

Tom: "I have a 4ft sidwalk next to five lanes of traffic." Me: OMG, you have sidewalk! Meanwhile I'm trying to dodge parked scooters and cars in the painted bike lane beside 4 lanes of traffic passing heavily used shops with no sidewalk in a supposedly modernised city in East Asia. ;) No, but seriously, these points are important, and where the resources exist to deal with these problems, they should be dealt with. Good vid. :)

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Thanks for the perspective. I guess you could say four lanes of cracked, forgotten sidewalk is better than nothing.

[@PhilipSalen]

In the Netherlands, I'm ok with no helmet, but not on a stroad even in a country as wonderful and polite as Canada, please be careful.

[@harvey66616]

To be fair to @Shifter (Tom), a helmet is unlikely to help much in most bike/motor vehicle collisions, especially along a stroad. Possibly in a low-speed one where the main hazard is just falling off the bike. But otherwise, most of the injuries are going to be related to blunt-force trauma to the rest of one's body, and even if the head is directly involved, bike helmets aren't designed to handle the wearer being struck by a motor vehicle traveling 60-80 kph or faster, such as one would find along a stroad. I personally wouldn't ever ride without my helmet. I've had enough "oopsie!" moments where I just plain fall off my bike, often due to no one's fault but my own, and the helmet has come in handy. But if a person is generally comfortable enough riding without a helmet in other environments, I'm not sure riding on or along a stroad is going to involve hazards significantly different where a helmet could still be useful.

[@PhilipSalen]

@@harvey66616 I so completely disagree with you about helmets. I hear motorcyclists make the same silly arguments about helmets as well; that is why we call them donorcycles. People fall off their bicycles all the time, sometimes because of potholes, sometimes because they are hot. Brain injury is the leading cause of traumatic death in the US. If someone falls off their bicycle, it's much better for their helmet to strike the macadam than their head.

[@harvey66616]

@@PhilipSalen I don't see how you can claim to "completely disagree" with me, and then go on to say basically the same things I already said. Very odd. My point isn't that there is no reason to wear a helmet. Indeed, I explicitly stated the opposite. My point is that your criticism of Tom for not wearing a helmet in an environment where the most significant hazards aren't going to be affected by a helmet is misplaced. Your criticism and your falsely claimed disagreement are especially ironic since by your own admission, you don't even wear a helmet all of the time, even when it could be most useful (i.e. falling off the bike for some reason other than a 2000 kg vehicle crashing into you at 80 kph, an event that is likely to kill you whether you're wearing a helmet or not).

[@PhilipSalen]

@@harvey66616 PS I always wear a helmet when riding my 🚲 and I ride every day

[@harvey66616]

@@PhilipSalen That's not what you wrote previously: _"In the Netherlands, I'm ok with no helmet"_. Nor does it explain the rest of your so-called "disagreement" that doesn't seem to disagree.

[@cara-de-otarik]

Damn KZbin didn't show this great video to me in the subs feed

[@davehollingworth5537]

Thanks, this was very interesting.

[@jimmyyanardito]

I hope that the department of roads and related agencies can reorganize a good line for cars, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians... ✌️ Example Jakarta city (Indonesia), which received the best number 1 prize of the world's 2021 world society, the construction of transportation roads, the subways, the monorail line, the line of cars and motorcycles, the pedestrian walkway, the walkway for the disabled, the walkway crossing, all lined up.

[@SmokeyVlogs]

very well explained thank you !

[@_bats_]

Great video! Stroads are a nightmare for cyclists (nowhere safe to ride), impossible for pedestrians as everything inevitably gets so stretched out to accommodate huge parking lots around every business, but as you said, they're awful for drivers as well. Getting into the businesses along the side can be such a hassle as entrances are poorly delineated, you sit there for ages waiting to get back out into traffic when you leave, and when the place you're trying to get is on the other side of the stroad and there's no traffic light it way as well be on Mars. Plus they're just so awfully ugly. Endless strip malls, fast food, car dealerships, beat up neglected empty sidewalks and vast stretches of concrete...truly a quasi-urban hellscape.

[@ecopennylife]

Do you carry a spare tube in the panniers? I have a zipped soft case for my road bike that fits 2 tubes and a small pump and slots into a drink bottle holder.

[@andythousand345]

As a cyclist I understand the struggle Tom.

[@street_ruffian]

I just rode a bit on a stroad, not a super big or terrible one like this though, and similar to the honking someone yelled at me while driving by. I'm so confused by people doing that like are you annoyed that I am there? Just trying to scare or mess with me? Regardless, yelling is pretty funny since I don't think they realize you can't understand them when driving by that quickly.

[@joeaverager]

I had a lady pull up beside me at a traffic light with the most concerned sound to her voice... "Don't you have a car?" Apparently it is unfathomable that someone likes riding a bike...

[@jamesshively]

My city is very lucky. We have 2 stroads (Only about 27,000 people + A university of 12,000) and they both have bike lanes and pedestrian/bike paths. The paths are even separated by a natural wall and a creek. They also have an underpass to cross the stroad

[@TheSpaceBrosShow]

You bump the exposure compensation dial to +2EV and then have to turn down the highlights in post or something?

[@blubaughmr]

It's a special video effect to convey to people in southern latitudes the feeling of when the winter gloom is transitioning to spring.

[@ChasingChinster]

Fantastic video, Tom! I couldn't help but chuckle at how relatable 6:40 was... stopped on a sidewalk alongside a stroad, about to fix your flat, and a honking, high speed vehicle.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

It's not fun being stuck there!

[@Knautschfriese]

Seeing this Videos makes me happy to live in rural northern Germany. Wide Bicycle Lanes offset of the street, and you can travel across the land without get into contact with a car.

[@planepower8523]

Another great video - thanks! Sadly there is no easy way to correct these design flaws. Our western Canada cities were designed/ changed to accommodate personal motor vehicles, and to try and change / modify it is always met with strict opposition as no other alternatives are possible without major costs. Its a fantastic juxtaposition: everyone loves the Kensington area, but everyone hates driving there, yet it is necessary to own an motor vehicle.

[@Shifter_Cycling]

Exactly this.

[@be5952]

_[Yikes---this got wayy longer than I wanted. I hope my points might be pondered regardless.]_ _"... there is no easy way to correct these design flaws."_ Aaannd there we go. And I can't really see any way out of it even if we had unlimited money and motivation. If we have spread out cities _(yes, there would have been ways to 'compact' them if we'd started with that concept _*_and_*_ if we had wanted that in the first place, given compact European cities have their own _*_big_*_ design problems that no one on these videos ever talks about)_ what are we to now do in order to: 1) *Have access to suburbs?* It's all fine and dandy to say _'walkable'_ and _'pedestrian and cyclist friendly,'_ [

[@MrTwostring]

> no easy way to correct these design flaws I agree. I'd feel better about the situation if I had any sense we could convince people that they are flaws. I've been actively concerned about this back when the only way to have a personal web page was on CompuServe (25 years ago) and nothing has changed. It's taken decades to get into this mess and it will take decades to get out of it... that is, if we could start building smarter.

[@tduva]

@@be5952 From what I understand a big issue with stroads is that they are both hostile to pedestrians and cyclists and also bad at moving cars/dangerous, due to a lot of intersections, driveways and business that create points of conflict, which slow traffic down and causes accidents. To have fewer points of conflict the road should not have direct access to businesses or private properties, those should only be accessible by streets that are connected to the road occasionally. So instead of turning off a stroad directly into a business (of which there are plenty along the stroad), you turn off a road into a lower-speed "neighborhood" of streets that have access to the businesses. There could still be the same stores and other businesses, but without a stroad. Obviously getting rid of stroads does not solve all the related issues of car dependancy/sprawl, but it would at least improve some. NotJustBikes has a good video on stroads as well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hYPdf42Lmrp7d68 And cars are definitely useful. What I get from these kind of videos (from various channels), is that the hostility towards cars they sometimes express (whether explicitly or implicitly) is due to when everything is built around cars, so everyone has to drive for everything, there is no choice, whether you like or hate driving. And trying to do anything else means moving around in an environment that feels hostile towards pedestrians and cyclists. So most people drive, and all the problems with cars (noise and air pollution, congestion, accidents) are exacerbated. I don't get the impression that any of these video creators seriously want to get rid of cars completely (maybe on specific streets), just that other ways of getting around should be getting the same attention. The Netherlands is often brought up as an example for great bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and cars are still everywhere. There are both parking garages for cars and parking garages for bicycles in Amsterdam. Drivers in the Netherlands have been shown as the worlds happiest drivers before ( inbox-static.waze.com/driverindex.pdf ). And it makes sense, if there are a lot of alternatives to driving then there is less traffic and only the people that need to or want to are driving, instead of everyone being miserable in a traffic jam.

[@megfeitosa9838]

this man is risking his life for content!!

[@pengcreations7413]

Great video man but lately your footage is oddly overexposed. Can I please offer to help figure out what’s wrong? I have a feeling it’s some setting you’re using. I really like your videos and would like to see your channel grow.

[@tubro541]

At 7:45 I will attempt to answer your questions. Rumour has it that 85% of the real estate around McLeod Trail is owned by a small handful of colluding businessman speculators and developers, who have driven up the costs and rents to vastly unsustainable levels. It is extremely expensive to buy or rent anywhere along McLeod Trail. With higher commercial real estate values, should come much higher property taxes, High enough to either correct those extremely high commercial real estate values, or fix that cancerous tumor that is called Macleod Trail. Another reason for that mess along MacLeod Trail is the great distance between the 39th avenue and Chinook LRT stations, and the great distance between the Chinook & Heritage LRT stations. McLeod Trail is not only Calgary's largest Stroad, between Heritage drive & LRT and 17 Av/Stampede LRT, Macleod Tr. Is also the spine or the center of Calgary's largest urban desert, with no major food supermarkets within kilometers east or west of Maclead Trail. In that section of strode, you only have two small grocery stores which included a small but very expensive Community Natural Foods store near Chinook, and a very hard to get to, small Unimarket Mexican food store around 50 Av. & The LRT more than a kilometer from any LRT station. Any idea on how to fix that section of strode without costing the city taxpayer too much money, as the commercial real estate speculators that own all that land should be bearing the costs as they profit the most.

[@zgrad25]

How many kilometers do you ride each week? Great Video!

[@tubro541]

At 6:54 that overpass to Chinook Center was built with IIRC I believe $15 million in City taxpayer subsidies to Chinook Center Mall, who instead should be paying a lot more in taxes for all the car trips that they generate. It was also built to remove the free Calgary Transit shuttle bus service from Chinook station to the South entrance of Chinook Mall. The shuttle bus service was much more friendly towards the disabled and elderly, then the lousy new overpass is. The overpass was also built, to get rid of the crosswalk at that traffic light, to reduce the signal time for that intersection and allow more car traffic to flow more efficiently on the McLeod Trail Stroad. It took the large number of pardesians way too long to cross the more than 100 ft of the Macleod Tr. Stroad, that's the signal timings stopped MacCleod Trail traffic for too long. McLeod Trail has got to be by far the largest cancerous tumor that is infecting the City of Calgary. Any ideas on how it can be remediated or fixed?

[@pennyroyal3813]

"One way?! But officer I'm only going one way."

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

great video