Intersections

A driver from Rutland e-mailed with a concern regarding the intersection of Nickel Road and Highway 33. Highway 33 is five lanes wide with a two way left turn lane in the middle and Nickel Road is a two lane residential street. She regularly stops and waits to turn left off of Highway 33 onto Nickel Road and is horrified when through traffic on the highway stops to allow her to make the turn.

The case of White v Sidhu involves a collision at the intersection of 184th Street and 40th Avenue in Surrey. William White was driving his Dodge Ram northbound on 184th intending to turn left onto 40th. Amarjit Sidhu was driving her Honda Accord eastbound on 184th.

Part of Parachute Canada's Vision Zero Collection is an explanation of centerline hardening strategies that are intended to make intersections safer for pedestrians by reducing the turning radius for motor vehicles. The use of physical objects such as bollards, delineators or rubber curbs encourage drivers to make left turns at slower speeds.

A reader writes to me describing an intersection where collisions occur regularly, some resulting in fatalities. He has observed that the opposing left turn lanes in one direction don't line up directly across from each other but are offset by a few feet. The result is that through traffic in one direction is more obscured by standing vehicles than it is in the other. To complicate matters, one direction has a protected left turn signal and the other direction does not.

The case of Vora v Adams resulted from a collision at the intersection of 96 Avenue at 168 street in Surrey. The crash occurred in darkness, high winds and rain. The questions to be resolved at trial were concerning the headlights on the Vora vehicle and whether the traffic lights were functioning or not.

The case of Rudrum v Crossley arises from a collision at the intersection of Havey Avenue and Cooper Road in Kelowna. Catharine Rudrum was driving westbound on Harvey Avenue intending to turn left to southbound on Cooper Road. Jonathan Crossley was driving eastbound on Harvey Avenue and moved from the leftmost lane to the center lane as he approached Cooper Road. When the semi truck ahead of him began to slow, he moved right again, entering the HOV lane in order to pass the semi.

Using proper caution at railway crossings is something that all drivers must remember because the train will not stop for you. It is easy to forget to look if you use a crossing regularly but don’t often encounter a train. About 20 crossing collisions occur each year in British Columbia according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The case of DeHeer v Mamdooh involves a collision that took place at the intersection of Pinetree Way and Anson Avenue in Coquitlam. Anthony DeHeer was driving on Anson Avenue and turned right onto Pinetree Way, traveling in the direction of the Lougheed Highway. Pejman Mamdooh was driving southbound on Pinetree Way, also traveling in the direction of the Lougheed Highway. The two collided.

Intersections are dangerous places. Yielding right of way is probably the main concern, but the path you travel through one is just as important. Some drivers are so sloppy with their technique that they activate the traffic signals by driving over the detection loops in the oncoming lane when they exit the intersection!

QUESTION: I live on a street where there is a T intersection. I'm wondering if it is OK to park in the top T portion of the intersection.

To complicate further - there is a curb let down (or curb ramp) on one leg of the T intersection. What is the distance required from the curb let down before a car can park? Is it 1.5 m (distance from driveway) or is it 6 m (distance from intersection)?