Information related to pedestrians.
Question: My father wants to know about the rules for mobility scooters in B.C. The one that he is considering is completely covered so he can drive it in Comox and Courtenay all winter long.
Our driving centred culture and the recent decision to end the spring and fall time change have raised an important issue. It's going to be dark while children walk to school and the province and municipalities have failed to create safe pedestrian infrastructure to protect them. Forming a Walking School Bus group may be a quickly implemented short term answer until complete street upgrades are made.
Question: As a pedestrian in Vancouver I am feeling increasingly at risk says a visitor to this web site. Drivers want to maneuver behind pedestrians as soon as they can. What is the law about proceeding when the pedestrian is still on the street?
This case examines the duty of care that drivers and pedestrians have when the pedestrian is crossing the street outside of a crosswalk. Even when one has the right of way, there is still a requirement to keep a proper lookout and take reasonable precautions in response to apparent potential hazards.
A teen stepped off of the sidewalk as I approached, hopped onto his skateboard and began to weave slightly along the curb in front of my vehicle. He either trusted me with his life or had not given much thought to his own as he was far enough into the lane to be a hazard and had his back to overtaking traffic. I had to slow and crowd the centre lane to get by.
My question regards the right of way of pedestrians who are in the roadway illegally, i.e. they have disobeyed a control signal or have failed to yield to traffic as per section 180. The thought came to me after watching a YouTube clip from the United Kingdom, intended to illustrate proper horn use.
A woman pushing a child in a stroller and the driver of a van approach an intersection controlled by a traffic light with a pedestrian signal. Both signals are red. The driver is in the lane next to the two who arrives at the cross street and stops seconds before the driver arrives at the stop line.
Life must present quite a challenge when you are no longer able to walk very far under your own power. Mobility scooters are a blessing for those who can afford one. They have much greater range today than predecessors that were powered for however long your arms could push.
Few people leave their homes without paying some attention to how they are dressed. When we choose our clothing suit our personality are we thinking about how we will appear to other road users when we are pedestrians after dark? The right choice of clothing for your next walk at night could be critical!
This week's correspondence contained a request to explain what pedestrian signals mean. The gentleman who sent me the e-mail expressed the opinion that many people either did not know what pedestrian signals mean or choose to deliberately disobey them. Would I please explain so that they would know what to do.