7141 replies to this topic

[Holden West]

How about bringing back the vehicle testing station? While your ride is being checked out the driver gets his reflexes, eyes and knowledge tested.

I have a fuzzy childhood memory of going with grandpa to get his car tested. Where was the old facility?

[VicHockeyFan]

How about bringing back the vehicle testing station? While your ride is being checked out the driver gets his reflexes, eyes and knowledge tested.

I have a fuzzy childhood memory of going with grandpa to get his car tested. Where was the old facility?

McKenzie and Borden, it is now the site of BC Mail (government courier) station, right by Tim Horton's.

A lot of children of elderly drivers dread having to try to convince their parent(s) to give up driving, it really does take away a persons sense of self-sufficiency. That's why doctors should be able to annonymously contact licensing authorities etc., but maybe they can't because of confidentiality rules? I dunno, I'm just guessing.

[victorian fan]

Unless the car keys are taken away from elderly drivers, they will drive.

[Coreyburger]

For many seniors, including my own grandmother, not driving is not an option. We have built cities that people need to drive around in and this is the consequence.

[aastra]

For many seniors who live in town it would actually be cheaper and much easier to not own a car and take the taxi instead.

[LJ]

Just go out after 9pm- they're all in bed.

[martini]

^

[Mike K.]

For many seniors, including my own grandmother, not driving is not an option. We have built cities that people need to drive around in and this is the consequence.

My grandmother never drove a day in her life and she relied on transit to get around.

Very few seniors need to drive. For the vast majority of seniors driving is seen as a right and not as a necessity.

[sebberry]

Something is going on on Pandora this morning near Belmont. Road is closed.

[sebberry]

Something is going on on Pandora this morning near Belmont. Road is closed.

Must have been a crash there, they had sand down on the oil spill.


Anyway, looks like the nice weather has brought out the aggression in many drivers. Lots of "close calls" on the roads and highway today.

It was so nice to see a cluster of cops issuing speeding tickets at the end of the highway by wal-mart today

[sebberry]

ONE DEAD, ONE IN HOSPITAL AFTER ACCIDENT ON MALAHAT
Feb 20, 2010

ONE PERSON IS DEAD AND ONE PERSON HAS BEEN TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS INJURIES---THIS AFTER WHAT BC AMBULANCE SAYS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A HEAD ON COLLISION BETWEEN A CAR AND A MOTORCYCLE ON THE MALAHAT

BC AMBULANCE DISTRICT SUPERVISOR RICK ATKINSON SPOKE TO CFAX FROM THE SCENE ON THE HIGHWAY BETWEEN SPECTACLE LAKE AND SPLIT ROCK----HE SAYS THE CALL CAME IN AT 12:22

"we responded three vehicles to a report of a motor vehicle accident, involving an automobile and a motorcycle, and as you can imagine on this section of highway we treated that as a very serious matter. On scene there was one dead, and one patient which we are treating for trauma 9 protocol, and she is now being transported to VGH"

ATKINSON SAYS RIGHT NOW IT APPEARS LANES ARE BLOCKED TRAVELLING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS

- ANDREA BOYES

[Coreyburger]

My grandmother never drove a day in her life and she relied on transit to get around.

Very few seniors need to drive. For the vast majority of seniors driving is seen as a right and not as a necessity.

No, actually. Many seniors live in places where if they don't drive, getting out becomes nearly impossible. They can't walk anywhere, even if there were sidewalks to those mythical places, and transit is nearly useless.

[sebberry]

Perhaps the taxi isn't the best way around?

SAANICH POLICE ARREST IMPAIRED TAXI DRIVER
Feb 21, 2010

SAANICH POLICE ARRESTED A TAXI DRIVER SATURDAY AFTER RECEIVING A CALL ABOUT SOMEONE DRIVING ALL OVER THE ROAD.

ACTING STAFF SGT. SCOTT TREBLE SAYS ANOTHER MOTORIST CALLED THEM FROM THE WILKONSON AND INTERURBAN AREA IN SAANICH AT AROUND 6PM.

"and the specific kind of driving evidence that was reported to us was that the taxi kept crossing over the centre line and was breaking hard for no apparent reason a few times and at one point the caller told us the taxi nearly went into the ditch."

TREBLE SAYS AFTER GETTING IN TOUCH WITH THE TAXI COMPANY THEY WERE ABLE TO LOCATE THE DRIVER AS HE PULLED INTO A GAS STATION NEAR ROYAL OAK SHOPPING CENTRE.

THE DRIVER PROVIDED BREATH SAMPLES OF UP TO THREE TIMES THE LEGAL LIMIT.

"the taxi was towed and the driver is being charged with both impaired driving and driving over zero eight."

POLICE ARRESTED A 43 YEAR OLD RESIDENT OF SAANICH WHO HAS BEEN RELEASED AND IS EXPECTED TO APPEAR IN COURT IN A FEW WEEKS.

[sebberry]

Looks like the Malahat crash yesterday was a hit and run, both on the motorcycle are now dead. CFAX said on the radio this morning that the driver that ran was caught on BC Ferries' cameras.

Makes you wonder if Buziak's killer was caught on those cameras.

[VicHockeyFan]

No, actually. Many seniors live in places where if they don't drive, getting out becomes nearly impossible.

There are taxis too.

But many seniors are too spend-thrift to take a taxi, their generation might consider that a luxury. They would rather pay $150/mo. for insurance and maintenance for a car they only use 10 times a month, than pay a taxi $15 for each of those 10 round trip they make a month.

[VicHockeyFan]

I'm not picking up any Twits or FaceBook activity on the victims in the motorcycle crash on the Malahat. I'm gonna guess they were not Victorians, I'm sure I would have been able to find something if they were local.

[R0ark]

According to this forum they may be the parents of a Victoria girl at least:

http://www.islandrid...p?t=8531&page=2

[aastra]

...many seniors are too spend-thrift to take a taxi, their generation might consider that a luxury.

Morley said, "Sell the car. With the money you save from insurance and gas and repairs you could afford to take taxis. You could take taxis anywhere."

"How would we get to the supermarket?" said Helen. As if it couldn't be done.

"Taxi," said Dave.

"But how," said Roy triumphantly, "would we get home?"

To a man who used to run a mile every day to save a five-cent streetcar fare, the idea of taking two taxis in one day was unthinkable.

excerpt from "Stories from the Vinyl Cafe" by Stuart McLean

[Holden West]

If there was a big increase in daytime taxi use, more taxis would be needed which would help with the terrible shortage of cabs Friday and Saturday nights.

[VicHockeyFan]

If there was a big increase in daytime taxi use, more taxis would be needed which would help with the terrible shortage of cabs Friday and Saturday nights.

I'm not convinced every licensed taxi is on the road on Friday and Saturday nights. At least not after midnight. I think a lot of drivers don't mind foregoing the few bucks they earn from 1-3am, for the safety and sanity of home.