Intersections

Lately I have noticed a number of drivers who have entered the intersection on the green traffic light intending to make a left turn and then backed up instead of turning once the light has changed to red. This sometimes happens with through traffic in an intersection as well. In either case, backing out of the intersection is unsafe and may be illegal.

Jennifer Harvey was riding her bicycle southbound on Ontario street entering the roundabout at Athlete's Way in Vancouver.  As she entered, she noted a car ahead of her that was stopped but had the backup lights on. Ms. Harvey did not decide to stop until the car began to back up, but by then it was too late, the car collided with her.

This video is shared from the Protected Intersections for Bicyclists website. The author, Nick Falbo, explains that the concepts presented in the video are exploratory and experimental, but judging from the material provided on the site it might be more accurate if the words "in North America" were added. This appears to follow the standard Dutch design in a North American setting.

I found an interesting post on Twitter this morning by @renomate talking about the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and the Island Highway in Colwood. He said "Standing at the intersection, waiting for the little "walk" symbol to appear so we can cross... my (8 year old) daughter says to me, "Dad, what do you do if you want to cross there"? (pointing perpendicular to where we are crossing) "you have to cross 3 times, and there's not even a scramble"

Question: The City of Kelowna has a roundabout at the corner of Burtch Road and Guisachan Road that has been designed to merge the cycle lane into the sidewalk as it approached the intersection. I regularly walk in the area and am always hearing "On your left" or "On your right" from cyclists that expect me to get out of their way.

I have a question that I hope you will answer for me. If an intersection safety camera ticket is sent to the vehicle's owner, do they get penalty points on their license? I found a web post that says you only get penalty points if you were caught by a cop. Is that true?

Here's a simple, almost no cost change in pedestrian walk signal timing that can reduce vehicle / pedestrian collisions by as much as 60%. Instead of illuminating the white pedestrian light at the same time as the green light for traffic, the pedestrian gets a few seconds head start. This puts them out into the intersection before drivers start to move, making them more visible.

Konho Kim was driving his car on 108 Avenue approaching the 4 way stop at the intersection of 164 Street in Surrey. He stopped and observed a car driven by Megan Levonne approching from his left. Expecting Ms. Levonne to stop, Mr. Kim proceeded to make a right turn. The two vehicles collided in the intersection. This case determines liability for the collision and explores a driver's duty of care in the circumstances.

The description of this video showing how traffic lights work in Holland explains that they are designed and timed to move the most traffic of all kinds, not the most motor vehicles.

Have you ever watched a driver waiting in vain for the traffic light to turn green because they failed to stop properly at an intersection? In most parts of BC signals respond to inductive loops buried in the pavement to sense the presence of your vehicle. An understanding of how they work can prevent you from being stuck.