as a pedestrian, dog-walker, and lifelong bike guy, these posters have intuited my longtime thoughts on this matter; and it was a joy to see that I’m not alone
to add: drivers are behind tinted glass, they never remember that there’s an odds-on chance that glass is reflecting. drivers may be waving me through but all I can see is a mirror.
basically, I don’t feel like playing guessing games with an object that weighs a ton and is not behaving predictably. Are you stopped because you’re letting me in, or because you’re looking at your phone?
If you have the right of way, please take it. it is trivial for me to adjust my course to your rear bumper and then we both get to go.
The most dangerous intersection near my work is for the entrance to a retail parking lot. It was clearly an afterthought - there is a raised sidewalk on the parking lot side - added once the retail shops reached a high enough traffic level.
Pedestrians have to push a button to get a crossing light to continue to use a sidewalk. And yes, the button is a real trigger. If you don’t get to it on time, you don’t get to use the sidewalk even when parallel traffic has a green light. Drivers turn into and out of the parking lot blindly without looking for pedestrians.
I frequently jaywalk across the busy road near my house, but only if I can make it across the street without interfering with traffic in either lane, as streetwalks and corners are a hundred feet away in either direction… I consider it my responsibility to cross carefully if I jaywalk. OTOH, yesterday I saw someone wandering across the same road in the middle of heavy traffic; he made it to the center strip, then wavered back and forth several times into the road before deciding on a side and finally crossing.
No-one has mentioned the practice of activating a pedestrian signal, while in a car, to proceed cross-ways to the main flow of vehicle traffic. It goes like this:
Pull up. Exhaust patience. Jump out of car. Run around to the corner. Press button. Run back. Go while the opposing traffic is stopped. If you are not the first car, ignore the stop sign so as many cars behind you can flow through. Oh, and look out for actual pedestrians!
(There are many variations on this. My favourite is jumping out and the opposing traffic stops as you are the maximum distance from your own car and have to quickly run back while others in your line start honking. Hilarity!)
BC also has pedestrian-activated flashing yellow lights. I don’t know why we have both systems. Perhaps there is some background rule about proximity to a school. A driver doesn’t have to stop at the yellow lights if there are no longer pedestrians crossing or waiting to cross. The skunks need a little critter activated light at the crosswalk I am thinking of.
Was going to point out here in Ontario a flashing green light is an advanced green for a left turn; the oncoming traffic opposite is either seeing a red or also has a flashing green for their left turn.
I’ve been to BC and Alberta but have never driving there, so didn’t notice the difference. Which leads me to ask: where’s the dividing line? I understand Ontario is one of the last jurisdictions with the advanced blinking green (as opposed to the much better green arrow left signal).
What’s the rule in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or Alberta?
“Our green ball flashes at 60 flashes per minute (a little on the slower side) whereas the Ontario flash rate was a higher (or faster) flash rate.”
– TranBC
I wonder what the legality of attaching objects to traffic poles is, and if one could make a constellation of drones for citywide control. Imagine SwitchBot + Feller Buncher for up down mobility:
It may have changed since I was driving there, but Alberta didn’t have flashing solid green. Left turn arrows flashed green, though I’m not sure why, other than to make sure you’re paying attention. Although now this thread has me wondering if that actually meant there’s a crosswalk where you’re turning through and I never actually knew that in 20 years of driving there.
This is something that was beaten into me really early when I was learning to drive. When you have the right of way, you you don’t cede it unless you have a really good reason. More often than not this attempt at courtesy will only make an already dangerous situation worse by introducing unnecessary confusion and chaos.
As a pedestrian I was once struck and nearly run over by an SUV egressing a parking lot like this. I was lucky I only had a couple minor sprains after that incident.
I’m reminded of the opening of Shaft where he’s casually walking through New York traffic like it’s nothing. (Truly a bad mothershutyourmouth.)
This is a very good video. Compared to the Netherlands, the rest of the world seems to be stuck in the dark ages regarding traffic. The concept of jaywalking (except on dedicated highways) is an abomination really. It is the essence of car-dominance, where everybody and everything is subjugated to allow for an unimpeded flow of cars everywhere.
the worst is the recent phenomenon of jerks at a 4way stop who use it as time to check their phones. their turn comes up and they don’t go. forcing everyone else to wait for them to come back to reality, or go out-of-turn and risk an accident. hands-down the most annoying traffic situation, and most frequent, too.
That’s currently true only for the island of Montreal. Off-island you can turn right on a red as long as there isn’t a sign at the intersection saying you can’t.
Also, a flashing green means traffic can proceed straight through the intersection or turn left.
??? Perhaps I wasn’t clear. Waiting at a side street perpendicular to the busy road. Sometimes it is the only way to proceed across or onto a busy road if there are no pedestrians around to set off the lights. If this is a system unique to some Canadian Provinces/Territories then this practice must be unique as well. Quite common here.
This is in Canada. Car-jacking isn’t much of a thing. You can send a passenger to push the button; that’s less manic too.
Edit to delete an infringement on the second quote. It reads verbatim now.
Let me tell you something about Canucks, Nephew. They’re a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their Tim Hortons are open. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put them on ice with a hockey stick and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people… will become as nasty and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon.
In a previous life, I designed Access Control systems where we used Ground Loop detectors for gates and various other uses. For testing purposes we would place a tool box on the sensor to trip it, but I’ve heard of people using magnets or even rotating the front wheel “just right” to get the best results with a bicycle. Watched this video and found out that the 1-2 o’clock position on the loop is optimal, and staying still helps too.
