Intersections

One evening while patrolling in an unmarked police car I approached a cross street that was controlled by stop signs. I could see a car approaching from my right going fast enough that I was concerned that the driver did not intend to stop.

The police must follow the provisions of the Emergency Vehicle Driving Regulation when they intend to employ the exemption from the rules of the road set out in the Motor Vehicle Act. In this case, Constable Jacobson was driving his police vehicle on Highway 97 at Daimler Drive in West Kelowna approaching a red light. Hoping to save a few minutes arriving at a complaint he activated the police vehicles's emergency lights and siren about 4 - 5 vehicle lengths’ back from the beginning of the left turn lane on Highway 97 going south.

This case arises from a collision at the intersection of West 7th Avenue and Pine Street in Vancouver, B.C. A motorcycle driven by Rizwan Ali had stopped at the stop sign on 7th anticipating a left turn onto Pine. Shirley Fineblit was following behind Mr. Ali and decided to pass by him on the left because he had been driving his motorcycle slowly and she thought he was turning right. Mr. Ali turned left and collided with Ms. Fineblit as she passed by.

Question: I pulled up to a crosswalk and a stop sign where there was a pedestrian crossing. I came to a stop and let the pedestrians in it cross. after when there were no more pedestrians in sight I moved forward to see the traffic to ensure it was safe for me to go through the intersection (2-way stop).

This video is provided by the City of Guelph, Ontario and shows drivers how to drive at an intersection where a bike box is present.

Something that I am seeing more frequently when leaving the Superstore here in Courtenay, and I wonder if you  are seeing it down your way. The link below shows the grey car in a left turning lane and when that driver receives the advanced left-turning signal, then turns onto Ryan Road heading toward the Island Hwy bypass. The lane to his right as you can see goes straight onto Sandwick Rd.

I drove to a 4 way stop intersection that had only single lanes in all four directions BUT also had a yield sign on my right hand. I stopped and then proceeded to turn right. My passenger said I had no need to come to a full stop and could proceed to turn right so long as I yielded to oncoming traffic or traffic from the left.

It doesn't take much to amuse a retired traffic cop. I was parked waiting for my wife and had about 15 minutes to watch traffic at a T intersection marked with a stop line, crosswalk and stop sign. Traffic on the city side street was steady as it was dusk and near the end of another business day. During the time I watched, not one driver came to a proper stop.

Question: What I would like to know who and how to petition to get better speed signage or to have an intersection evaluated for safety. Please respond to my query as I would like to campaign to make a change at an intersection near my home before the 'near misses' that happen there regularly become more serious.

Love them or hate them, roundabouts and traffic circles are a fact of life for BC drivers. They slow traffic at intersections without stopping it, providing good throughput and increased safety. They are also environmentally friendly as idle time at intersections can be reduced or eliminated depending on traffic volume. All that is left for us to do, if my e-mail is any indication, is to learn to use them properly.