Pedestrians

Information related to pedestrians.

Being a Safe Pedestrian at Night

image of pedestrian walking at nightMy life is usually mostly rural in character, but I've been visiting Surrey this week as both a driver and a pedestrian. Given the spate of vehicle / pedestrian collisions in the news lately it has been interesting to consider how they happen in light of my unusual surroundings. I think that a large component of the problem is haste with drivers and lack of attention by pedestrians.

Q&A - Jaywalking or Using an Unmarked Crosswalk?

Pedestrian CrossingI hope you can clarify for me if I illegally jaywalked today or was just using an "unmarked crosswalk." The grand entrance to our townhouse complex is directly across the street from the entrance to another grand townhouse complex. The two entrances form a kind of right-angle intersection with the 2-lane road they bisect (82nd avenue and 160th Street, Surrey approx. place).

Green Light: Look Before You Go

image of a green lightA green light doesn't always mean go unless you've had a good look to make sure that there are no hazards present before you proceed. Jennifer Biggers learned this when the vehicle she was driving collided with Carol Murdoch, who was crossing quickly in a marked crosswalk against a red light at the intersection of Blanshard Street and Saanich Road in Victoria.

Q&A - Mixed Pedestrian Controls at Intersections

Pedestrian CrossingI'm wondering what the law in BC is for pedestrians on the axis of an intersection that has no pedestrian control lights. An example in Vancouver would be Main Street at 10th Avenue. There are vehicle control lights on the North-South axis and pedestrian control lights on the East-West axis, but not on the North-South axis.

CASE LAW - Wong-Lai v Ong

BC Courts Coat of ArmsMrs. Wong-Lai and her husband were crossing Prior Street between Gore and Dunlevy in Vancouver to return to their car. They were struck by a car driven by Mr. Ong. The older couple were not able to cross the street quickly, had chosen to cross where there was not a crosswalk on a wide, busy street at night in a heavy rain.

VIDEO - Which Side of the Car do You Exit on?

VideoThis Dutch Hyundai Velostar advertising video (subtitled in English) could really make you think about which side of the vehicle you exit on. In this case, the Hyundai concept is that you cannot exit on the driver's side because there is no rear passenger door there, forcing passengers to exit on the safe side.