Pedestrians

Information related to pedestrians.

CASE LAW - R v Sipes

BC Courts Coat of ArmsDonald Sipes crossed Chesterfield Avenue in North Vancouver as a pedestrian. He did not use a crosswalk and was approached by police who intended to warn him for jaywalking. A conversation ensued after which the warning turned into a ticket and the officer demanded to know Mr. Sipes name and residential address. Mr. Sipes did provide his name, but refused to provide his residential address and so was arrested for obstructing a peace officer.

CASE LAW - Russell v Parks

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThis is the story of Lenord Russell, who exited a bakery in a mall and walked forward into a parking stall at the same time that Kenneth Parks drove into it to park his vehicle. A collision occurred in which Mr. Russell suffered injury to his knee and foot. The case before the court was to decide who was liable for the collision and discusses first that the mall parking lot is a highway and then goes on to examine the duties that Mr. Russell and Mr. Parks had to each other as pedestrian and driver.

Being a Safe Pedestrian at Night

walking at nightMy life is usually mostly rural in character, but I've been visiting Surrey this week as both a driver and a pedestrian. Given the spate of vehicle / pedestrian collisions in the news lately it has been interesting to consider how they happen in light of my unusual surroundings. I think that a large component of the problem is haste with drivers and lack of attention by pedestrians.

Q&A - Jaywalking or Using an Unmarked Crosswalk?

Pedestrian CrossingI hope you can clarify for me if I illegally jaywalked today or was just using an "unmarked crosswalk." The grand entrance to our townhouse complex is directly across the street from the entrance to another grand townhouse complex. The two entrances form a kind of right-angle intersection with the 2-lane road they bisect (82nd avenue and 160th Street, Surrey approx. place).

Waiting for Pedestrians to Cross

Walk SignalAs a pedestrian in Vancouver I am feeling increasingly at risk says a visitor to this web site. Drivers want to maneuver behind pedestrians as soon as they can. What is the law about proceeding when the pedestrian is still on the street?

This question has two answers, depending if the pedestrian is at an intersection with or without operational traffic lights.

CASE LAW - Murdoch v Biggers

BC Courts Coat of ArmsA green light doesn't always mean go unless you've had a good look to make sure that there are no hazards present before you proceed. Jennifer Biggers learned this when the vehicle she was driving collided with Carol Murdoch, who was crossing quickly in a marked crosswalk against a red light.

Q&A - Mixed Pedestrian Controls at Intersections

Pedestrian CrossingI'm wondering what the law in BC is for pedestrians on the axis of an intersection that has no pedestrian control lights. An example in Vancouver would be Main Street at 10th Avenue. There are vehicle control lights on the North-South axis and pedestrian control lights on the East-West axis, but not on the North-South axis.

CASE LAW - Cairney v Miller

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThis is a case involving a pedestrian (Brian Cairney) and a driver (Kimberly Miller) who met in a crosswalk at the intersection of Vernon and Hall Streets in Nelson, B.C. It was evening and Mr. Cairney saw the vehicle driven by Ms. Miller slow down, so he assumed that she had seen him and was slowing to allow him to cross. Ms.