Intersections

The case of Petes v Petersen illustrates the dangers of making a lane change at or near an intersection. The collision that gave rise to this occurred at the intersection of Marshall Road and Guilford Drive in Abbotsford. James Petersen was driving his Ford Fusion westbound on Marshall and Laszlo Petes was driving his Suzuki pickup southbound on Guilford, turning right onto Marshall.

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.

When the light changes to green, drivers who intend to turn right or left are often focused on finding a gap in vehicle traffic to take advantage of. Pedestrians in the crosswalk are often not seen and a collision is the result. Leading pedestrian intervals are a simple walk light timing change that can help prevent these incidents.

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.

Question: Here is a typical intersection in Vancouver at West Broadway and Birch in Kitsilano. Turning right is only allowed from the far right lane. However, West Broadway is packed with parked (legally, see the parking meter) cars, and if the parked car is too big and/or too close to the intersection, you don't have any room to change lanes.