READING - A Citizen's Guide to Better Streets

Project for Public Spaces LogoWe strongly believe that now is the time to focus on changing the way that transportation planning is being conducted! Not only does every community have a network of roads and streets, but people in just about every community we have worked with for the last 34 years, have experienced problems related to their streets.

READING - Heavy Vehicles Tire Blowout and Explosion

IRSST LogoDid you know that in Québec, 360 accidents involving a vehicle tire occurred over a period of 10 years, including some ten fatal accidents directly attributable to heavy vehicle tire blowout or explosion? This fact sheet presents the phenomenon of mechanical blowout of heavy vehicle tires mounted on wheels, and the process and events that lead to tire blowout or explosion as a result of heat buildup.

READING - Evaluation of Retroreflective Material on Stop Sign Posts

VTRC LogoThe Virginia Transportation Research Council looked at the addition of reflective stripes to the posts holding up stops signs and then studied driver behaviour. They found that the signs were easier to see in the daylight if the post did not have the stripe installed. The opposite was true at night. However, the conclusion of whether the treatment was useful or not did not surprise me.

READING - Reducing Litter at Roadsides

NCHRP LogoPlease think twice before you toss that item out the window or fail to secure a load properly. Litter on our highways can cost as much as $500 per lane mile to clean up, causes damage to vehicles and might even result in an injury or fatal collision. This US report on reducing litter at roadsides contains Canadian content as well as experiences from other parts of the world.

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CASE LAW - R v Roberts

BC Courts Coat of ArmsIn this case Mr. Roberts fell asleep at the wheel and left the roadway. During investigation of the event he told police that he had been partying late at night and had consumed alcohol. There was not sufficient evidence to convict him of impaired driving, although the reasons why are not discussed. Mr.

Everyone Must Wear Seatbelts

image promoting use of seatbeltsAs of September 15, 2019 taxi drivers in British Columbia are no longer exempt from wearing their seatbelts if they are travelling at less than 70 km/h. I have never understood why this exemption was necessary, particularly in light of the fact that doing so actually endangers their passengers.

READING - Global Status Report on Road Safety

WHO LogoThe Global Status Report on Road Safety reaffirms our understanding of road traffic fatalities as a global health and development problem. More than 1.2 million people die on the world's roads every year, and as many as 50 million others are injured. Over 90% or the deaths occur in low-income and middle-income countries.

Yielding to an Emergency Vehicle

Fire TruckI have received a number of e-mails from readers following the column on B.C.'s new Slow Down, Move Over law. They are concerned that some people are taking this to mean that they don't have to pull over and stop on the approach of an emergency vehicle anymore. People that they have spoken with think that it is now acceptable to slow down, move over and let the emergency vehicle pass them by. This is not correct!