37th Street overpass

Today's Super Sunday "Expotition" (see Winnie the Pooh) was to come home from church via the new interchange at Glenmore and 37th St. I recommend it to everyone. It is a wonder of human ingenuity . . as in I wonder what the Hell they were thinking, and ingenuity as in perverted imagination.

First, the overpass itself is some distance to the east of 37th. It is bracketed on either end by a traffic circle. The bridge forms the middle of a curve. If this makes no sense to anyone, it is not the fault of my communication skills but rather the fault of the designers for having built such an abomination.

Why not make a normal overpass and cloverleaf interchange, I wondered. Well, I suppose that it is because the Tsu t'ina would not let the City build on any sacred land. I noted in passing (very slowly) that the southernmost traffic circle has an exit for Grey Eagle Casino, so we Calgarians did not respond in kind, at least.

The upshot, however, is the worst interchange in a city of botched traffic control crossings. I guess it is consistent, however. There still is no interchange that resembles any other. It makes for excitement, if not for efficiency. Also, it will surely prevent drivers from speeding, but it may cause some extra demand for already overworked autobody shops. Single lane traffic circles are fine as calming devices on residential roads, but smooth flow requires two lanes.

My neighbor's son is a traffic engineer in Calgary, and he seems like a sensible enough man. I am sure he did not attend Cracker Jack University, but it certainly appears that the majority of Calgary's traffic designers got their diplomas out of a popcorn box.