Documenting the Last Remaining Bus Traps in the City of Calgary (Episode 227)

[@Agri_Yob]

That small black device is a receiver for the Opticom preemption system, which allows emergency vehicles through if the gate is down.

[@DanOCan]

That makes perfect sense. ✓ Thanks!

[@johngodbout7341]

The other reason for the gate, when a car gets stuck, the bus can go around it, instead of having to wait for the car to get towed. That happened once, while I was on the bus.

[@DanOCan]

Great point, I never thought about that.

[@AvivaHadas]

That was more fascinating than I thought as you just talked about it in the beginning of the video. I liked the purpose built u-turn areas near the pits too.

[@DanOCan]

I wasn't sure it would make a good topic for a video, but as I got into the history of them it became more interesting to me too.

[@Capitanvolume]

There was also a bus trap at diamond cove. It has been replaced with a gate.

[@DanOCan]

I wish I had done this video a few years earlier when more of them were still around.

[@clarkesuperman]

We have a few left in Edmonton. The old guard of constituents are clutching them like pearls.

[@DanOCan]

Such an odd phenomena -- it's a road, why shouldn't people be allowed to use it?

[@endersmith162]

Think back to the politics... the social issues of the time.

[@gotacallfromvishal]

You mean the nazis that were allowed to settle in Canada after WW2. Canadian cities are so micro-managed it is no wonder Canada has a productivity and lack-of-housing and lack-of-investment problem. Government is the largest industry in Canada.

[@Capitanvolume]

I don't mind these but a gate makes more sense. Promoting driving is bad urban policy and allowing cars through creates congestion, noise and reduced quality of life for residents. The gates have an opticom system and automatically open for emergency vehicles equipped with the system.

[@gotacallfromvishal]

LOL you war-on-car types just don't get it! Bus traps mean M O R E D R I V I N G ! ! ! Pay attention to @5:25! To get to their own back yard because of the bus trap it would be THREE (3) miles!!! Think about all the emissions! All the fuel wasted!!! Now multiply that by people trying to get around a city. Such a waste of fuel, and think about all the possibilities to hit pedestrians over those three miles! Canadian cities are over-planned and it's why Canada is less prosperous and has much less housing per capita than the USA which does not micro-manage their cities!!!!

[@tinymittensdesign]

My street has a transit gate at the end, it's so annoying to have to go around to get to my street. I can't imagine how extra annoying it would be if I couldn't slip through the gate when it was open.

[@DanOCan]

I can't believe those people in North Haven who can't even get from their front yard to the back alley without detouring out to a major road.

[@gotacallfromvishal]

I love how the people who love these and hate short cutting and love high traffic are also the same ones that hate high emissions and unnecessarily creating more points where cars and pedestrians interact.

[@focusedfifille]

Were you kinda secretly hoping a car would get trapped while you were filming? 😅

[@DanOCan]

Yes!

[@YYCFilmer]

Love this mini documentary. I look forward to similar, and I personally think the "bus" traps are unneeded and more of a problem than anything. I don't get the purpose.

[@jimmywashere8753]

Good thing for my KZbin Premium trial I didn't have to watch any ad where you stated. 😂

[@DanOCan]

Nice. I had a Premium trial at one point and really liked it but found it was too much money to maintain.

[@jimmywashere8753]

@@DanOCan ya I definitely wouldn't pay $12cdn a month to have this but it definitely cuts down on time watching videos without seeing ads.

[@endersmith162]

Good thing for adblock plus... no ads, no cost.

[@rootbeer1053]

There’s a double wide “tourist” trap on the train line downtown too right at city hall station on the east side of the platform. It’s caught quite a few over the years! There’s a lane for emergency vehicles to get around, I’m sure it’s caught a few of them too! Great video with lots of history bits sprinkled in!

[@DanOCan]

Thank you. It's an interesting topic.

[@gotacallfromvishal]

Haha the first time I went to Calgary I made that mistake, saw it, but then I just drove in the lane around it to get out of there. What is the point of the ditch if you're going to have a wide open lane to go around it? To create jobs?

[@patrickoconnor661]

I’ve never heard of these before and I’m from Red Deer. I’m glad we didn’t install them here.

[@DanOCan]

They’re an odd phenomena.

[@kanetse1378]

I heard that 4WDs can get through bus traps. This was back in the day when SUVs and AWD vehicles were not as common. Is there any truth to this urban legend?

[@DanOCan]

I have heard the same, that full size trucks have a wheel stance large enough to cross them. Never tried and never saw anyone post proof so, for me, it remains an urban legend.

[@gotacallfromvishal]

@@DanOCan Can a 1 ton, 3 ton box truck do it? a 5 ton box truck def can.

[@MrMichaelbsmith6420]

Did you ever find out exactly what the purpose of these were put in some areas around the city? Ive asked transit drivers this question over many years and they dont know and ive lived here all my life.

[@DanOCan]

Their only purpose is to prevent drivers from using the route as a shortcut. That's why so many of them are located between communities. It's to force the cars off the more residential streets and onto the larger feeder roads.

[@drexrew]

Why is it such a huge problem if private vehicles go through these gates? How dare people drive from one community to the other? I hope people in crappy cars that got caught in the traps realized that it wasn't worth having their cars towed. Just remove your license plate and walk away. Calgary is also a winter city, it has snow the majority of the year. Do these traps work when they are filled with snow?

[@DanOCan]

I suspect the snow wouldn't be packed down so they would still trap cars, even in winter.

[@Johnny-vu7db]

@DanOCan I'm really curious as to the actual width? Did anything come up in your research, or, did you happen to measure? BTW I think a driver would have to be a real dumb-a** not to see the trap. I vividly recall the first time I ever approached one 30yrs ago. It was blatantly obvious something was amiss. I think its finally occurred to the city that a traffic cam will generate more revenue through fines? Nice work on the video!

[@DanOCan]

No, I didn't think to measure and I didn't see where they listed it anywhere.

[@DanOCan]

Oh, and thanks! :)

[@thesandsie13the2nd]

i htink Edmonton only had one bus trap. no idea if it's still there or not

[@DanOCan]

Interesting. Any idea where it was?

[@my3dviews]

@@DanOCan There are two of them. One at 134 Avenue and 43 Street. The other is at 132 Avenue and 34 Street

[@Nemesis_T_Type]

It's a scumbag idea. In other countries they'd have a gate and pay a security guard to open the gate for buses and for people who live in the area.

[@DanOCan]

They certainly would have to tow less cars out of them if that was the case.

[@jeandelenfant]

To quote monty python, get on with it

[@Ashoud_Anobetah]

Just goes to show how lame this city... as if the ctrain wasnt bad enough we have car traps😅

[@DanOCan]

Certainly we have some weird ideas.