11779 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

Even if that’s not an intersection?

[JimV]

But there’s no light at Cormorant.

Maybe it was Pemberton or N. Park.  Pretty close to the arena.

[lanforod]

Even if that’s not an intersection?

It is an intersection though.

[Mike K.]

Both sides are effectively dead ends/feeders onto Blanshard. No traffic ‘intersects’ there, not even vehicles turning across oncoming traffic to enter either side of Cormorant, ie southbound Blanshard traffic cannot turn eastbound onto Cormorant, and vice-versa.

Down on Douglas and on Quadra you can, though.

[JimV]

OK, since you guys are so interested in the exact location of this fateful encounter I drove down there to refresh my memory.  It was at the light at Blanshard and Caledonia, just before the arena.  She was in the crosswalk, walking across Blanshard.  I was stopped at the red light while in a northbound lane on Blanshard.  Happy now?

[Victoria Watcher]

Can you recreate it with a YouTube video?

Use Lego if you want:

https://youtu.be/9b9N5iYB84c

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 23 July 2022 - 09:28 AM.

[sebberry]

Both sides are effectively dead ends/feeders onto Blanshard. No traffic ‘intersects’ there, not even vehicles turning across oncoming traffic to enter either side of Cormorant, ie southbound Blanshard traffic cannot turn eastbound onto Cormorant, and vice-versa.

Down on Douglas and on Quadra you can, though.

 

Before this turns into another fight over what constitutes a 'lockdown'

 

From the BC MVA: "intersection" means the area embraced within the prolongation or connection of the lateral curb lines, or if none, then the lateral boundary lines of the roadways of the 2 highways that join one another at or approximately at right angles, or the area within which vehicles travelling on different highways joining at any other angle may come in conflict;

[lanforod]

Yup. It’s an intersection

[Mike K.]

Sorry guys, it’s not an intersection.

You are not obliged to stop for pedestrians crossing Blanshard at Cormorant.

[Victoria Watcher]

^ I beg to differ.

[Nparker]

Mayor. Council.

[sebberry]

Sorry guys, it’s not an intersection.

You are not obliged to stop for pedestrians crossing Blanshard at Cormorant.

 

It wasn't a lockdown.

[JimV]

Cook Street roundabout was a bad idea

Letter in TC, July 31

 

Anyone who has done even a bit of research into accepted traffic management practices knows that a key principle relating to roundabouts is that they are not to be used at the intersection of streets with dramatically different traffic loads (like Cook and Southgate).

As a Fairfield resident and frequent user of Cook Street, I can say with confidence that the roundabout in question has increased hazard levels significantly.

The roundabout right-of-way rule in North America is that the vehicle in the roundabout has the right of way. For stop sign-controlled intersections one yields to the vehicle on the right. The tiny Cook Street roundabout, with yield signs everywhere and a tiny size, effectively acts as a stop sign — oh yeah, we already had one of those for vehicles coming east on Southgate.

The installation, with two crosswalks and another about 30 metres farther south, is visually distracting. This does not help drivers trying to figure out which vehicle actually has the right of way and, in fact, increases hazard levels for pedestrians.

If the objective was speed control for Cook Street traffic, two speed bumps would have been more effective and yes, quite a bit less expensive.

Or perhaps simply stop signs on Cook — but no, that would have been obviously stupid. Much better to have the more subtle stupidity of a midget roundabout that, while perhaps catering to the woke sector of citizenry, actually increases hazard levels.

One would be hard pressed to find many Fairfield drivers who think the subject roundabout has reduced hazard level at the intersection of Cook and Southgate.

Jamie Kyles
Victoria

———————————

This is a little bit OT here, but another example of council spending a lot of money on a solution where no problem existed.  The writer’s experience is similar to mine.  I frequently turn north onto Cook from Southgate.  Before, you waited til Cook was clear in both directions then turned.  Now you can either do that or pull into the squitty little roundabout and hope that oncoming drivers know the rules, are not distracted by the forest of signs (at least 15 within a few meters of the roundabout), the bollards, curbs, road markings and crosswalk.

I was there today and the driver two cars ahead of me on Southgate chose the latter course.  As he entered the roundabout the car behind him began to follow.  A truck coming north on Cook didn’t show signs of yielding, so both cars stopped, the second one in the southbound lane.  At that moment a pedestrian chose to use the crosswalk.  Everybody eventually got cleared out without a collision, but it’s just ridiculous.  Engineering excess at it’s finest.

Edited by JimV, 31 July 2022 - 05:43 PM.

[dasmo]

That’s a lot of words to describe that idiotic “roundabout” I just about got in an accident there the other day because it’s especially as it was before. A Main Street with a side street feeding it. I didn’t know it was there even. So the guy coming onto Cook street just went regardless of what I was doing. Thankfully I wasn’t going fast so a slam on the breaks did the trick.

[Nparker]

#waroncarscasualty

[Nparker]

Stephen Andrew: if you want my vote, stop making **** like this a priority. There are more than enough legitimate road maintenance issues that require attention.

[Barrrister]

This is one of many idiots ideas that this council has done. Total lack of judgment by every council member, some worse than others but all pretty well horrible. I am looking for all new faces for council. 

Edited by Barrrister, 31 July 2022 - 07:44 PM.

[dasmo]

I believe I had recommended #nomercy the last election. Basically you want all new faces to simply slow them down at this point.

[JimV]

So did anyone tune in to the Thursday Night Circus at city hall?  I would have but I needed to watch clothes tumbling in my dryer.  Impressions?

[Nparker]

It was a mixed bag of pro and anti MM commentary. You can tune into part 2 on September 1st.