We don't know what our limits are, so to start something with the idea of being limited actually ends up limiting us.
Ellen Langer
Nice to see the VPD do this.
Now if they'd post one up of them stopping all the illegal e-bikes, EUCs, one-wheels and (over-juiced) scooters (yes I know some scooters are temporarily permitted) we might get somewhere.
Yeah, by not cracking down on those things in the beginning they are setting the precedent that they are ok to being used in the manner they often are and then painting themselves into a corner for the future. It's been the same for allowing the tent cities in the DT region to get out of hand over the past few years. To be fair to the VPD tho, they are caught in a bit of a no-man's-land on these issues as the legislation surrounding those issues is out of their control. They're also in a catch 22 situation from the perspective of public opinion, damned if they do something and damned if they don't do something.
There are so so so many other things that cyclist do that are actually dangerous, other than rolling through a stop sign that I've had plenty of time to check is safe as I approached. Perhaps get up early and stop cyclists riding the dark without lights? There's plenty.
Typical VPD picking low-hanging fruit. Catch people texting while stopped, but not moving! Have speed checks at predictable designated locations, but only when it isn't raining!
Posted by: Squint
There are so so so many other things that cyclist do that are actually dangerous, other than rolling through a stop sign that I've had plenty of time to check is safe as I approached. Perhaps get up early and stop cyclists riding the dark without lights? There's plenty.
Typical VPD picking low-hanging fruit. Catch people texting while stopped, but not moving! Have speed checks at predictable designated locations, but only when it isn't raining!
this.
time to stop pretending bikes are identical to cars and acting like the same rules of the road make sense for all forms of traffic. for example, implementing the idaho stop for bikes would make a ton of sense, but then the outrage monkeys would be upset that cyclists have 'special' rules. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop
people in vancouver need to go to europe and see how well cities work when you remove cars and add more bikes and stop being so silly about rules designed around 2 ton cars being applied to 30lb bikes.
also just walking around yesterday, i counted dozens of cars blasting through stale yellows and early reds at high speed. never mind the tailgating, lack of signals, random u-turns, illegal lefts, rolling through stops and a host of other bad car behavior.
if the cops want a safety campaign, start with the bad drivers. there's plenty there.
Yeah, but imagine the carnage those 25lb bicycles would cause after rolling through a stop and colliding with someone at 5km/h!
Agree it's lame low hanging fruit bs.
They need to spend more time walking and riding themselves to see just how crappy most drivers are at rolling stops and running down pedestrians when making a right. 9 out of 10 drivers roll blind way into an intersection blocking the sidewalk before they even consider looking to see if someone was standing at the corner waiting to cross.
I've come to think that we should install cameras at every corner and let AI and the computers enforce the rules. Divers might change their ways when they start getting 20-30 tickets a week for their crappy habits.
Not VPD specific but I'm curious why the media do not identify the accused when (alleged) crimes are committed?
How often do you read an article which says something like "A 19yr old male N driver from Richmond was allegedly caught speeding..." whereas other countries (e.g. UK) would say "John Doe, age 19, of Westminster Road, Richmond, was allegedly caught speeding..."
A potential shaming may moderate people's behavior...
The other perspective is that they’re doing this for the benefit of the cyclists so they don’t do stupid stuff that might get them injured. Did anybody else notice they’re not giving out tickets?
Posted by: syncro
The other perspective is that they’re doing this for the benefit of the cyclists so they don’t do stupid stuff that might get them injured. Did anybody else notice they’re not giving out tickets?
I think a ticket is more likely to change a behavior than a warning, but maybe that is just me. If they really wanted to get the most bang for their buck in a single stop, just stop the illegal e-bikes and similar ($600 ticket) that are listening to their headphones ($368 for distracted driving). That's $1000 for the taxpayers right there.
Posted by: syncro
The other perspective is that they’re doing this for the benefit of the cyclists so they don’t do stupid stuff that might get them injured. Did anybody else notice they’re not giving out tickets?
Can't wait for them to show up at basically any intersection and stop every pedestrian who enters the crosswalk after the walk sign is gone. Broadway and Commercial... it would be chaos.
I'm just highly suspicious of someone telling me what is dangerous about something I probably have considerably more experience with.
If we want to focus on a problem, how about clueless phone zombies. Can't count how many of them I see step out into the street with barely a flick up of their eyes. Vancouver pedestrians have a poor grasp of physics.
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