Intersections

A recent survey by ResearchCo has found that 7 out of 10 British Columbians approve of using intersection cameras to conduct speed enforcement as well as ticketing red light runners. The survey also found that just over half of us also support the use of point to point speed cameras while over 3 in 5 support either fixed or mobile speed cameras.

35 intersection cameras in British Columbia are being upgraded to perform automated speed enforcement in addition to penalizing red light runners.

This all started with a simple question from my e-mail: "Are right turn lanes allowed at 4 way stop intersections?" The story evolved as I asked questions to try and understand the situation before answering here. It turns out to involve the intersection of Trail Avenue and Cowrie Street in Sechelt.

Question: I'm looking for your assistance in settling a debate. This depicts the camera vehicle making a left turn in front of a vehicle proceeding straight through the intersection around a left turning vehicle.

Q: I have a question about right-of-way at Hudson street and 70th avenue in Vancouver. If traveling northbound on Hudson and you have the green light wanting to turn West onto 70th avenue and someone traveling southbound on Hudson street turns West onto 70th avenue, who has the right-of-way? Traveling southbound on Hudson, there is a stop sign for entering 70th avenue and Hudson street is offset. I hope my question is clear enough.

Q: I live near a small traffic circle at Peatt and Brock Roads in Langford. What often happens is a large volume of traffic flows south down Peatt Road and proceeds straight through. There can be 10 or 15 cars in a row. Meanwhile, there will be a vehicle on Brock Road waiting for a break in traffic to proceed into the circle. I have been told that this situation needs to be treated as a "lazy 4 way stop."

Oceanside Community Safety is a group of volunteers that want to make a difference. Their Traffic Watch program is an expansion of Speedwatch that now includes Cell Watch and Intersection Watch. Intersection Watch volunteers observe drivers at an intersection to check compliance with traffic laws and remind drivers of their obligations. The data collected is shared with the RCMP, ICBC and the public.

When the drivers stop to give a pedestrian in a crosswalk the right of way, unless there is a compelling reason not to, the pedestrian should take it and proceed. Yesterday I stopped along with the driver to my left to enable a man standing in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic to cross.

Change is good, that is unless the town wants to upgrade a busy T intersection with a roundabout rather than installing traffic lights. This is the situation in Qualicum Beach where the town has announced that it intends to rebuild the intersection of highway 19A (Island Highway West) and highway 4 (Memorial Avenue) using a roundabout. This is something that the Qualicum Beach Residents Association (QBRA) opposes.

Question: I ride a KLR 650, as well a KTM 450 exec. Both are street legal and have smaller engine displacements. These motorcycles are built with little steel and are mostly aluminum. Neither one of my bikes will force a light change at Leathead and 97 as well as Highway 97 and Sexsmith road intersections in Kelowna.