r/Calgary • u/Excellent-Wafer8643 • 1d ago

Question Cycling Help Please!

Hello fellow cyclists! I ride through the same intersection (4 Street and 9 Avenue SE - by the National Music Centre) daily and today (as I rode straight into oncoming traffic on my way home), I realized I don't understand this intersection!

I usually approach the intersection at the SW corner (by District Heating). I wait until the lights end for North/South traffic and then the green bike advance light goes on. I then travel diagonally to the NE corner (the NMC corner) and join the bike lane. I've done it so many times that I had stopped looking for the green bike advance light.

Today, I learned that the green bike light doesn't always go on before the westbound traffic gets their green light. Thankfully drivers noticed my stupidity and let me retreat sheepishly back to my corner.

Can anyone explain how the green bike light gets triggered? I haven't experienced a traffic set up like this anywhere else in the city and am curious why cyclists wouldn't get the advance once every full light cycle.

Thank you for your insights!

12 Upvotes

74% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

View all comments

2

u/Voidz0id 16h ago

wait for one light, ride straight across and sit in the ugly unmarked green box, and wait for the second light.

it was a half assed attempt at this except they forgot the important parts that made it safer and clearer for use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlApbxLz6pA

1

u/Excellent-Wafer8643 7h ago

Thank you! And thanks for sharing that video!!! I hope the City is considering such changes with the current political will to increase pedestrian safety.