DriveSmartBC

According to the Association of School Transportation Services of British Columbia, travel by school bus is statistically the safest method of ground transportation in Canada and by a substantial margin. We all expect and demand nothing less when our children and grandchildren are riding those buses to and from schools and school related events. Surely all drivers should understand this and not hesitate to stop when the red lights on a stopped bus are flashing.

Are the drivers going through your neighbourhood going too fast? Do you want to do something about it? Your first reaction might be to approach authorities to install a stop sign or speed bumps. This may or may not be the appropriate way to deal with the situation.

The case of Siegrist v Wiens takes place on Highway 1 near Canoe. 17 year old Kenton Wiens was driving a farm tractor pulling a hay wagon loaded with large round bales southbound. Helen Siegrist was following behind in a Nissan Sentra. When oncoming traffic cleared, Mrs. Siegrist attempted to pass Mr. Wiens.

We place a high value on our children and signify that with school and playground zones. Traffic is required to slow to the lowest speed limit that we normally post and drivers are expected to pay more attention than usual. Students must get to and from school safely.

PlugShare is a database that currently offers information on over 200,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in Canada and the US. It even lists the personal home charging stations of EV drivers who will share their them with others. Until charging stations become as ubiquitous as service stations selling fossil fuels, being a member of plugshare can help you avoid becoming stuck with no charge when you travel in unfamiliar areas.

While the Walk Audit Tool Kit is a publication of the AARP, it's not just for seniors. It teaches how to assess and report on the safety and walkability of a street, intersection or neighbourhood, hoping to inspire any needed changes. Anyone who walks can use information from the kit to do an audit.

School crossing guards take on a big responsibility when they are helping our children cross busy highways and intersections on their way to and from school each day. Traffic is in a hurry, the children don't always pay the attention that they should and sometimes the road conditions are poor or visibility is not good. It is not a job to be taken lightly!

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.

I watched a particularly foolish driver the other afternoon who decided to cross over two lanes of traffic in order to prepare for a left turn about a kilometer ahead. This driver zoomed across all the lanes without pause, ending up in the left hand lane about three vehicle lengths ahead of a heavy truck.

Curb space. This can be a very valuable commodity in urban areas due to the increasing competition among different road users for that space. During COVID it was even valuable for unrelated uses such as outdoor dining for restaurants. How should this be managed by officials, planners and engineers in the future?