It's really not hard to build crossings using traffic lights that work—Europe has been doing it for decades. For some reason, though, your politicians and road engineers refuse to do it. That's the problem, not drivers.
It's too easy to blame drivers when the state hasn't done the bare minimum to make its roads safer for pedestrians. People are no better or worse drivers there than anywhere else in the world.
That’s brilliant! Very funny and makes the point… I hate that there’s a part of me that instantly thought ‘what if more people cross in one direction’ though… 🤦♂️
The message: Drivers in cars are more likely to yield not at the prospect of hurting someone but at the fear of their vehicles being damaged
#thewaroncars
Golf clubs also inspire respect for pedestrians in motorists. Ever so casually swing that putter over your shoulder as you prepare to engage the crosswalk, whistling while you walk.
I'm sure the newspapers will report it in the same passive voice they love for all traffic violence.
maybe, "car windshield broken in brick accident".
right?
I did this one time as a kid with an aggressive dog. I picked up a big rock and carried it past the property and dropped it once I was by. The dog watched me the entire way and didn’t bark once.
Not that I would have thrown the rock at the dog (or hit it even if I tried) but the dog didn’t know it.
This is not only an uncontrolled pedestrian crossing, but also a high-traffic bicycle route crossing. At certain times (such as morning rush hour) there are significantly more (10x) bikes than cars, yet many drivers presume they have right of way. It amazes me there aren’t more accidents here.
I love that NYC does not have this problem. People will cross against the light and just stare down cars in the crosswalk just daring them to hit them.
Wait what??? Oslo is super safe. Drivers stop way before you're even close to the curb.
There are exceptions of course, but there are few cities where drivers are so careful.
That so strange. I would imagine Oslo as the world's safest city for pedestrians. Cars always stop at crosswalks in my experience (bar a couple of exceptions). Literally have never felt safer crossing anywhere else in the world (in cities).
thank you for the statistics! and yes, I did not intend to claim anything regarding how our rate of drivers killing pedestrians compares to any other country.
To get to work near the university hospital in Oslo, I cross on the only non-pedestrian-crossing side of a roundabout. I always wait for the cars to go first: they have right of way, after all.
Every. Single. Car. stops for me. None of them have to. Every single one of them does. Oslo is amazing.
I have heard this from other people and I'm so baffled by it. I've had cars screech to a stop last minute, barrel through when I'm already on it, beep me and flash their lights, even when I'm with my kids in the trailer. Could just be badly designed and poorly marked crossings around where I live
Man I've seen some wild behaviour towards cyclists. Ultimately what pushed me into walking (I'm almost always commuting with my kids and the bike lanes on my route are unprotected)
I've even seen this behaviour first hand as passenger in cars with people I would otherwise consider rational.
It's insane how so many of them are blaming _all_ cyclists for the fault of some, and are so willing to harass innocent cyclists as revenge or whatever the hell it is.
I ride a lot and I have a dash cam on my bike. Not that anything comes of it... But when someone finally is hurt or killed, there will be evidence that the situation was unsafe and decision-makers knew.
This is a nice example of my general experience - drivers aren't aggressive or hostile, but they're incredibly inattentive to pedestrian crossing areas this exact situation occurs quite a lot
This was certainly our experience in 2015. Cars in Norway would brake if it even looked like we might be thinking of crossing the street. I crossed the street a couple of times when I didn’t need to in order to respect such courtesy.
Not sure about Oslo, but in fellow Nordic capital Stockholm the cars were incredibly well behaved. The bicyclists, on the other hand, would happily murder you if you got in their way.
Haven’t actually been to Granville Island in decades, but they seem to give far fewer fucks about appearing soft and compliant for the tourist dollars these days.
I expected the bricks to be real, but the way people are waving them in the video suggests to me that they're probably plastic, but maybe I overestimate brick's density.
I agree that the threat of the brick (and the confidence that making that threat might provide) is really what makes a difference.
After exploring Granville Island myself a while back, I see exactly zero reasons why there need to be cars on it at all. Pedestrianize TF out of it and finally connect up the dead light rail branch to it.
I strongly agree. It's a no-brainer, especially as Granville is basically Vancouver's (more upmarket) Pier 39/Fisherman's wharf. It needs the F line streetcar to connect it with downtown.
Maybe make some replica BC hydro interurbans that are ADA accessible?
Not sure it’s worth a fresh procurement of replica heritage vehicles, but there could be as many as seven actual heritage vehicles in storage per Wikipedia. (I don’t see them listed on the Transit Museum Society’s website, which is concerning.)
The line needs to extend to other transit in order to work. From the page cited above: “The proposal for a full-service modern streetcar line would extend the former heritage line through Chinatown and Gastown to Waterfront Station, and eventually to Stanley Park.”
Granville Island needs to take a good look at how North Van's Shipyards space runs, and adjust accordingly. (I will miss taking photos of cars there tho')
Nearly got hit by a driver in the middle of a clearly marked crosswalk. I yelled at the guy so he rolled his window down. “I’m in a crosswalk!” I yelled.
“What’s a crosswalk?” he asked, and either he’s one helluva actor or he really didn’t know.
Much more effective than flashing yellow lights and cheaper than retractable bollards, but if someone starts a Gofundme for the latter, I’ll happily chip in.
In Salt Lake City they have little holders with flags in them. I live on a corner where they put these flag holders on 3 corners. There is no flag holder on my corner. People just toss the flags onto my landscaping.
It’s the scariest crosswalk because you have to play peek-a-boo around the big cement pillars that hold up the bridge to see the road. It’s also a huge and popular cycling route.
Ha! Years back there was a crosswalk near my apartment that was always ignored by drivers. They would speed up and almost run me over instead. I ended up walking around with a giant screwdriver and just held it out in front of me... they finally stopped.
I also wish there was some universally accepted vandalism for assholes who block bike lanes. Like "line of yellow spray paint on the driver's door? Looks like someone parked in a bike lane."
Needs to be something distinctive that you can do without dismounting.
I'm not opposed. I like the idea of a distinct signal. "My car/truck is carrying damage that could only be from me being one very specific type of asshole."
Yeah - it has to be possible to do it without stopping. My best is a line of spray paint or a scratch all the way down the side - would still have to be a rider who's fairly nimble on a bike.
If I had infinite time to spend at the hackerspace I’d build a contraption that uses ultrasonic sensors to detect a car passing at too high a relative speed to release the catch on a sprung 1.5m* long vane with keys or a sandpaper pad on the end.
It was like that in Quebec city yrs ago:
My 12 yr old brother was visiting, we couldn't cross: he just said, "watch me!"
He stepped off tge curb & started crossing, LIMPING & DRAGGING 1 LEG.
Cars stopped, it was magic! 😂
Comments
#thewaroncars
maybe, "car windshield broken in brick accident".
right?
Not that I would have thrown the rock at the dog (or hit it even if I tried) but the dog didn’t know it.
There are exceptions of course, but there are few cities where drivers are so careful.
Don't get me wrong, every one is one too many. But Norway is doing pretty well compared to most places. https://www.ssb.no/transport-og-reiseliv/landtransport/statistikk/trafikkulykker-med-personskade/artikler/rekordfa-omkom-i-trafikken
Every. Single. Car. stops for me. None of them have to. Every single one of them does. Oslo is amazing.
No, what drivers _really_ loathe here are cyclists. And some will go waaay too far to antagonize and harass them
It's insane how so many of them are blaming _all_ cyclists for the fault of some, and are so willing to harass innocent cyclists as revenge or whatever the hell it is.
https://youtu.be/3n1p4CBLfr0
I approve. 😈
There's a reason both our national sports are notoriously violent.
I agree that the threat of the brick (and the confidence that making that threat might provide) is really what makes a difference.
Maybe put the arm on CN/CP for their disused tracks, too.
There's so much traffic down there that any line will get good ridership.
Maybe make some replica BC hydro interurbans that are ADA accessible?
“What’s a crosswalk?” he asked, and either he’s one helluva actor or he really didn’t know.
I’ve always heard the terms used interchangeably. (I also learned “zebra crossing” when I visited the UK.)
Bricks for all.
What do I get if I smash both the passenger and driver side windows with one brick?
didn't know what a horrible idea that was......
https://www.google.com.au/maps/@49.2699085,-123.1372661,3a,75y,53.55h,85.1t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sf04tCAxkgeJwR7dDZ2EEEA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?entry=ttu
Needs to be something distinctive that you can do without dismounting.
(* minimum passing distance in my jurisdiction.)
My 12 yr old brother was visiting, we couldn't cross: he just said, "watch me!"
He stepped off tge curb & started crossing, LIMPING & DRAGGING 1 LEG.
Cars stopped, it was magic! 😂
We were in a straight line in the city
I lived in Quebec a few months but a year in Levy, took the ferry to work
😉