Pedestrians

A recent study by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI) concluded that the average city spent about 1 percent of its infrastructure budget on sidewalks, even though walking accounted for 11 percent of residents’ trips every day and pedestrian fatalities constituted 17 percent of all traffic deaths. Walking (including wheelchair, scooter and handcart use) is the universal travel mode. Improving walking conditions can provide many benefits

The University of British Columbia's Research on Active Transportation Lab has released information on their study about the Perceived Safety and Comfort of Pedestrian Interactions with Self-driving Vehicles (SDVs). The study was conducted to inform strategies for the responsible introduction of SDVs in a way that does not degrade the walking experience.

This case involves a collision between a driver and a pedestrian at the intersection of East 3rd Avenue and Cotton Drive in Vancouver. Lily Huang was walking westbound on the north side of East 3rd Avenue crossing Cotton Drive and Dwight Wamboldt was driving eastbound on East 3rd Avenue intending to turn left onto Cotton Drive.

This case involves a crosswalk on 160th Street about 130 metres south of 96th Avenue in Surrey. Two young teenagers entered the marked crosswalk and were struck by a passing motorist. The issue to be decided was whether the teens should have waited for the car to pass instead of entering the crosswalk.

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.

Question: A pedestrian was on the sidewalk mid block and an approaching driver stopped to allow the pedestrian to jay walk. The car in the adjacent lane behind this driver stopped abruptly and almost caused a collision because the car following that vehicle was not expecting the stop. Should the second car have stopped or just kept going?

Here is a public safety video from the province of Quebec that has the aim of convincing pedestrians to cross in crosswalks rather than jaywalking. Here in B.C. jaywalking or crossing the road at a place other than a crosswalk is generally not illegal and may not be as unsafe as some people think. It is only prohibited in municipalities where a bylaw against the practice has been enacted.

QUESTION: @JohnsonStBRDG asked on Twitter about crossing the intersection of Cook Street and Oxford Street in Victoria. He wants to cross Cook directly on the south side of Oxford instead of walking the U shaped path indicated by the marked crosswalks that is assisted by the traffic lights. Is it legal to do this?

The case of Vora v Adams takes place in the Nakusp area. Douglas Fryer was walking on the right side of 10th Avenue NW because that was the side of the road that street lighting was on. There was no sidewalk, the road was strewn with debris from a previous storm and the shoulders were covered by snowbanks.