Well, it happened. One of those big, nasty snowstorms that we pretend never happen here - and that happen at least once every winter. You know the storms I'm talking about... The kind that aren't just really snowy (awesome!) but also offer gale-force winds (super awesome!) and plummeting temperature changes of twenty to thirty degrees. Uhm, overnight. (most awesome ever!)
Sadly, city council is fairly on top of the main roads, so I can not direct my displeasure in their direction. Instead, I'm calling out my fellow drivers and those irritating creatures we all see every now and then... the pedestrians.
First, fellow drivers, a few things to note. 4x4 is a magnificent invention, and I imagine it would have been amazing to have 4x4 on Friday and even early Saturday on the main roads. The snow then was powder and it was a decent depth, so yes, I understand the allure.
Something to keep in mind, though... 4x4 doesn't make you invincible, and it actually doesn't make you any better than the smaller, un4x4ed vehicles on the main roads today. Why? Because right now it's not so much a matter of getting over - or through - piles upon piles of powdery nasty snow. Right now, the issue is the ice on the roads. Ice requires traction, which requires good tires. Being able to climb a mountain in your gigundo diesel half-ton is awesome. But if you hit a patch of icy road, guess what?
Not gonna matter how many wheels you're driving with if all four of them are skidding around.
But the interesting thing is that you'll likely be going a heck of a lot faster than someone without 4x4, and thus you're more likely to crush a smaller vehicle like a bug and create a more spectacular crash. Good on ya. Dream big. Just remember that your vehicle is also big, and that a four-by doesn't guarantee you're able to handle winter roads in Calgary. You may be better equipped, but you still need to respect the nastiness.
Also, minivans and work vans, it would be greatly appreciated if you would LOOK before turning onto a new road. Okay, this goes for all drivers, but I dealt with this with minivans and work vans this weekend. On the side roads, which will not be cleared of this snowfall before Christmas, stopping on a dime is not bloody likely. So when I'm heading down my road and a big ole Servpro van goes to gun it around the corner onto the road in front of me, I'm not going to be impressed. Nor am I going to be able to stop in time to let it go ahead of me.
And on the roads that have been cleared, and are now icy, a minivan that pulls the same stunt is going to make me prematurely grey. Okay? Okay. You don't drive like that when the roads are stellar and it's nice out - why would you think it's okay when there's no traction?
Darling pedestrians - I am impressed that you're still walking (uhm, anywhere) in this weather. I really am. But I am somewhat less impressed by your need to dart out in front of vehicles, ten feet from a LIGHTED crosswalk, in order to catch your bus. I can't stop on a dime to miss a Servpro vehicle, what on earth makes you think that I can stop on a dime to miss you? You know that crunching, stuttering sound? That's me trying to stop. I can't even nicely, calmly pump the brakes because you have not left enough room between you and me for me to ease to a stop.
And if the vehicle following too closely behind me is unable to stop, it's still going to end badly for you.
So here's a thought... make use of the lights. Make sure the vehicles are aware you're there before you step out onto the road. Turn the dang iPod down so you can hear the squealing tires and honking horns as drivers are attempting to avoid you. LOOK UP, you know, at the traffic, rather than at your feet. Understand that even a body traveling at ten clicks an hour will smush you, if that body has forward momentum - implied by the "x clicks per hour" - and a mass greater than yours - like, I dunno, a Jeep.
Drivers don't want to hit pedestrians. Pedestrians, I believe, don't want to be hit. So I'll do what I can to ensure that I don't smush you - if you could make the effort as well, it'd be greatly appreciated.
Also, whomever the gorgeous black cat who frequents our patio belongs to... Please let your cat inside. It's too effing cold for it to be outside, and if we can catch it at some point when there's a cat carrier around, your cat will be going to the SPCA. It is far too pretty to wind up a popsicle on our patio. There's only so much we can do for it with a cardboard box and padding.
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