Bad Manners at the Stop Sign

Stop SignMirror, signal left, brake and stop before the marked stop line. Look left, look right and the pickup that was following behind stops ahead of me on my right, half on and half off the roadway, to make a right turn. Of course, I can't see cross traffic to my right properly, so he gets to go before I do.

RESEARCH - Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon Effectiveness

Pedestrian CrossingThe University of Vermont Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty has published a report on the efficacy of rectangular rapid flashing pedestrian crossing beacons (RRFB) for the Vermont Agency of Transportation. The report reviews previous literature on the effectiveness of the beacons and then applied their own observational research to evaluate the effectiveness of RRFBs in small towns and rural areas.

RESEARCH - E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes

E-Survey of Road Users Attitudes LogoAccording to the website, the E-Survey of Road Users' Attitudes (ESRA) is a joint initiative of road safety institutes, research centres, public services, and private sponsors from all over the world. The aim is to collect and analyse comparable data on road safety performance and road safety culture. The ESRA data are used as a basis for a large set of road safety indicators. These provide scientific evidence for policy making at national and international levels.

READING - Traffic Calming and Emergency Vehicles

image of a BC ambulanceOne of the drawbacks of traffic calming measures can be the effect that they have on the response time of emergency vehicles, particularly fire apparatus because of their size. This does not have to be the case as well-conceived traffic calming techniques and traditional neighbourhood street design can accommodate the needs of emergency responders while creating safe and livable neighbourhoods.

Why Aren't the Police Enforcing Traffic Laws?

image of officer writing a traffic ticketIt seems that traffic policing involves only three things where I live: speeding, seat belts and alcohol. From my point of view there is effectively no policing of other bad driving habits. Consequently we now have a majority of drivers not using signals to change lanes. A large percentage seems to have no idea that a left turn should end up in the left lane and right lane on a right turn. To make matters worse, police are also guilty of some of the same bad practices.