Twenty years of traffic law enforcement experience has (mis)shaped what I find entertaining, so every Thursday I find myself reading the beefs in the Nanaimo News Bulletin's Beefs and Bouquets feature. There is almost always at least one beef about the way someone has used or misused the road over the past week.
In the early evening of May 26, 2018 a person in a motorized wheelchair tried to cross the railroad tracks at Broadway Street in Chilliwack. During the crossing the rear caster wheels of the wheelchair dropped down into the flangeway (slot alongside the inside of the rail that allows the wheel flanges to pass the pavement), trapping the chair.
I have a question about nitrous oxide. Is it legal to have a nitrous oxide system hooked up to a vehicle? If the bottle is detached from the system is it legal? Does the appropriate DOT WHMIS oxidizer symbol convey any legality to transport?
Line marking crews have begun the annual task of refreshing markings on highways across British Columbia to help provide a safer drive for motorists. More than 30,000 kilometres of lines are marked every year throughout the province to guide drivers.
A recent survey by ResearchCo has found that 7 out of 10 British Columbians approve of using intersection cameras to conduct speed enforcement as well as ticketing red light runners. The survey also found that just over half of us also support the use of point to point speed cameras while over 3 in 5 support either fixed or mobile speed cameras.
Our current system of trying to change driver behaviour largely consists of traffic tickets, vehicle impoundment and driver's licence suspensions. They all rely on traffic policing to find and deal with those who don't follow the rules. How efficient is that?
Our government has announced that ride hailing companies will be allowed to apply for licensing from the Passenger Transportation Board on September 3, 2019. If you are interested in becoming a driver for one of these services it would be wise to begin your planning now as you will require a class 4 driver's licence, criminal record check, driving record check, a current vehicle inspection and extra insurance from ICBC.
The rain is pounding down outside this morning as I sit looking out my living room window with tablet and coffee in hand. I think I'm fortunate to be retired because I am no longer on the highway investigating collisions in this weather. Of course, Murphy was listening...
Khalid Almardy was stopped by police in the early morning hours of October 21, 2017 in Victoria as he was a novice driver who was not displaying a new driver sign on his vehicle and was carrying too many passengers. Cst. Christians of the Capital Region Integrated Road Safety Unit detected the odour of liquor on Mr. Almardy's breath. Drivers in the Graduated Licensing Program must have zero blood alcohol when driving.
This is a short trip down memory lane with a retired traffic cop: me. I've just recently completed a round trip from Vancouver Island to the West Kootenays and back and had plenty of time to think along the way. There were ghosts along Highway 3 from the Manning Park works yard to Rock Creek, one of my old patrol areas.