Traffic Congestion Rant

[squid]

If you've lived in the Lower Mainland for any length of time you would have to agree that the traffic is getting worse. My rant is that it is due in part to lousy drivers (amongst a number of other things ). I thought when the prov gov't brought in the graduated licensing program new drivers were supposed to be better ?

But my biggest complaint is with the lack of enforcement of traffic violations. Who hasn't been driving down the road and seen umpteen instances of lousy/reckless driving. When's the last time you saw anyone pulled over getting a ticket? Where are the cops ? You can bet that when a driver gets a traffic ticket almost universally he/she complains. What better way to influence driving habits than to penalize poor habits. I say that for a undisclosed period of time the boys in blue should institute a strict policy of enforcement. Will it change driving habits, I don't know. Money grab, maybe so. But a least something is being tried and the burearucrats won't have to come looking for more money to fund their pet projects.

On another related matter. Did anyone see the 6:00 P.M. news last night on CTV? They ran a story on roadside vehicle testing. 1 in 5 vehicles pulled over had a mechanical defect, 1 in 3 dump truck had a problem! Why don't those idiots in Victoria mandate that commercial vehicles be tested annualy for mechanical deficiencies. How much proof do they need that there are thousands of trucks driving around potentially waiting to cause a major accident !

 

[mustangjoe]

I don't like it when assholes are sitting at a red light in the left lane and don't bother turning on the left turn signal until it's too late for me to change into the center lane smoothly. Totally inconsiderate.

 

[future canadian]

personally, I can't stand a speed limit of 100 km when I have to travel north of the border ... just you get it up to 120 or 130?

 

[PerazziDave]

Traffic Mess

Don't worry all traffic woes will be fixed by the Winter Games in 2010. Hope I live that long to see it. PD

 

[logdog]

truck testing

commercial vehicle are required to be certified every 6 months. This is supposed to invovle a complete check of the vehicle from brakes to steering and even electrical systems. I had a truck fail because the licence plate light was out and the battery needed to be serviced. Needless to say there are many disreputable shops and operators who look the other way when it comes to inspections and "sell" the inspection stickers. Next time you go past a truck have a look at the passenger side window...there should be a sticker on there with an expirey date on it.

 

[future canadian]

Don't worry all traffic woes will be fixed by the Winter Games in 2010. PD

and I want to drive up to Brandywine Falls (from the ferry stop at Horseshoe Bay) and I am worry the sea-to-sky (or sky-to-sea) highway will be slow and go due to construction.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

Don't worry all traffic woes will be fixed by the Winter Games in 2010....

...and you know this is a fact how?

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

My rant is that it is due in part to lousy drivers (amongst a number of other things ). I thought when the prov gov't brought in the graduated licensing program new drivers were supposed to be better ?

Do I even dare to get started on this !!!!!!!!


...........QM'r

 

[georgebushmoron]

We need more Skytrain.... and a subway would be great too. Too bad the Transit Authority has such powers to tax without consent.

 

[sdw]

If you've lived in the Lower Mainland for any length of time you would have to agree that the traffic is getting worse. My rant is that it is due in part to lousy drivers (amongst a number of other things ). I thought when the prov gov't brought in the graduated licensing program new drivers were supposed to be better ?

But my biggest complaint is with the lack of enforcement of traffic violations. Who hasn't been driving down the road and seen umpteen instances of lousy/reckless driving. When's the last time you saw anyone pulled over getting a ticket? Where are the cops ? You can bet that when a driver gets a traffic ticket almost universally he/she complains. What better way to influence driving habits than to penalize poor habits. I say that for a undisclosed period of time the boys in blue should institute a strict policy of enforcement. Will it change driving habits, I don't know. Money grab, maybe so. But a least something is being tried and the burearucrats won't have to come looking for more money to fund their pet projects.

On another related matter. Did anyone see the 6:00 P.M. news last night on CTV? They ran a story on roadside vehicle testing. 1 in 5 vehicles pulled over had a mechanical defect, 1 in 3 dump truck had a problem! Why don't those idiots in Victoria mandate that commercial vehicles be tested annualy for mechanical deficiencies. How much proof do they need that there are thousands of trucks driving around potentially waiting to cause a major accident !

The Horsemen in Burnaby have been very busy the last few days. They are ticketing people who move too fast through School Zones, people who don't think that Stop Signs apply to themselves, people who think an Amber light means stomp on the gas and people that think their brake is mounted on the steering wheel.

The Horsemen doing the ticketing are all on foot and pop out of hiding when they have identified their target.

 

[Curious Boy]

Vancouver = Anarchy Central

Most Vancouver drivers are unable or unwilling to put their vehicle where it needs to be for smooth traffic flow. I think it breaks down to 2 categories: arrogant & unable to control their vehicle. Running a light or blocking an intersection because your time is more valuable than mine makes you arrogant. Backing up traffic because you can’t park means you’re unable to control your vehicle. Doing 40 in the centre lane of Broadway during rush hour makes you guilty of arrogance, as 3 lanes of traffic try to finesse their way around you. There are hundreds of thousands of people trying to get to their destination, but when the odd a$$hole acts as if they are the only ones who matter, it really messes up traffic flow. When construction blocks one lane of a 2 lane road, how hard is it to alternate the right of way?

I think this arrogance is just The Vancouver Way where the individual is more important than the community. I know you’re late, but doing 60 in a school zone with kids milling about is just wrong. You may be in a hurry, but entering the crosswalk after the light changes to Don’t Walk backs up cars for blocks.

Just quit being so damn selfish, and everybody will be able to move along!

 

[DJLAW]

Do I even dare to get started on this !!!!!!!!


...........QM'r

i was waiting for that one QM'r. you have every right to get started. have at it boy!

 

[LonelyGhost]

some simple solutions:

1. make gas $5 a liter ... sure it will hurt 'poor people' but whatthefuck are we paying huge taxes for transit if the inconsiderate losers won't take the fucking bus?

2. make any parking spot $10 per hour -- 24 hours per day. A parking spot in Taiwan is worth $100,000 per year so this is still cheaper ($87,000 per annum)

3. any driver with any vehicle that doesn't pass inspection spends a week in lock-up. second infraction you lose the vehicle.

4. no trucks on the road from 7 am to 7 pm (except major highways)

5. $100 per day to cross any bridge into Vancouver.

6. Ban all cellphones in vehicles ... use one and lose the phone and the vehicle!

7. Ban all vehicles on any campus (UBC, SFU, BCIT etc) except people with kids, disabilities or who commute over 50 kms.

8. Ban all vehicle traffic (except deliveries) on Kingsway ... buses only with priority lights ... this way you can get from New West to Downtown in half an hour!

9. Use the money from above to put cameras at every major intersection and fine, charge or jail people who don't obey traffic lights.

10. Ban all cars from schools and playgrounds ... parents will simply have to walk to pick up their fat-ass kids.

 

[Cock Throppled]

Everyone is too self-important now and too insulated from their fellow man. In short - it's selfishness. The sad fact is traffic enforcement has not been a priority for most police forcesfor a while. Now, knowing there is almost no chance of getting penalized for even the most insane behaviour drivers take a me firts attitude and fuck you if you're in my way. Too often, they seem to have an "N" on the car.

 

[roadwarrior]

Put cameras at all intersections to scan for those who try to beat the red light and promptly smash into someone.

I tried taking Skytrain, but that horrible Broadway and Victoria Drive station always seems to be full.

 

[butter]

some simple solutions:

1. make gas $5 a liter ... sure it will hurt 'poor people' but whatthefuck are we paying huge taxes for transit if the inconsiderate losers won't take the fucking bus?

2. make any parking spot $10 per hour -- 24 hours per day. A parking spot in Taiwan is worth $100,000 per year so this is still cheaper ($87,000 per annum)

3. any driver with any vehicle that doesn't pass inspection spends a week in lock-up. second infraction you lose the vehicle.

4. no trucks on the road from 7 am to 7 pm (except major highways)

5. $100 per day to cross any bridge into Vancouver.

6. Ban all cellphones in vehicles ... use one and lose the phone and the vehicle!

7. Ban all vehicles on any campus (UBC, SFU, BCIT etc) except people with kids, disabilities or who commute over 50 kms.

8. Ban all vehicle traffic (except deliveries) on Kingsway ... buses only with priority lights ... this way you can get from New West to Downtown in half an hour!

9. Use the money from above to put cameras at every major intersection and fine, charge or jail people who don't obey traffic lights.

10. Ban all cars from schools and playgrounds ... parents will simply have to walk to pick up their fat-ass kids.

3 & 4 (allowing for delivery trucks) & 6-10 are great ideas.

5 doesn't work because it rapes the students driving in from abbotsford to go to UBC or SFU.

Instead of 1,2 & 5 we should have a zone based parking system. Everyone is required to have a pass which indicates the zone they reside in and the cost to park goes up the closer the zone you live in is to the one you are parking.

Examples:

a.) You live in Langley and work in Gastown. Parking in Gastown for the day $7.

b.) You live in Richmond and work in Gastown. Parking for the day $20.

c.) You live in Yaletown and drive to work in Gastown. Parking for the day $50.

________________
"No matter who you vote for, the Government always gets in" Anon

 

[LonelyGhost]

3 & 4 (allowing for delivery trucks) & 6-10 are great ideas.

5 doesn't work because it rapes the students driving in from abbotsford to go to UBC or SFU.

Instead of 1,2 & 5 we should have a zone based parking system. Everyone is required to have a pass which indicates the zone they reside in and the cost to park goes up the closer the zone you live in is to the one you are parking.

Examples:

a.) You live in Langley and work in Gastown. Parking in Gastown for the day $7.

b.) You live in Richmond and work in Gastown. Parking for the day $20.

c.) You live in Yaletown and drive to work in Gastown. Parking for the day $50.

________________
"No matter who you vote for, the Government always gets in" Anon

students coming from abbotsford would park in new west and skytrain the rest of the way ... and if they had a 'pass' for distance, kids or disability they wouldn't have to pay the toll.

the zone parking is interesting but lots of enforcement issues ... the idea is to make the cost much higher than the convenience even if it hurts the putative poor (if you can afford a car you're not that poor!).

I lived in ottawa and they have dedicated bus lanes ... they even shut down a roadway to make it buses only and you could get from the east to the west on the transitway very quickly and efficiently ... why not Kingsway for buses -- same concept and if you want an hour on Marine or two on Hastings in your car or 30 minutes by bus on Kingsway, which would you choose?

 

[butter]

students coming from abbotsford would park in new west and skytrain the rest of the way ... and if they had a 'pass' for distance, kids or disability they wouldn't have to pay the toll.

the zone parking is interesting but lots of enforcement issues ... the idea is to make the cost much higher than the convenience even if it hurts the putative poor (if you can afford a car you're not that poor!).

How do you get from Abbotsford to new west without crossing the Fraser? Were your just refering to the municipality of Vancouver for the bridges or the region?

Actually there is a way around enforcement too. You make all parking meters/lots require that you swipe the mag stripe on your license before paying. It predetermines the cost based on the address you have on the card and the location of the lot you are in.

 

[Quarter Mile'r]

Driver Training 101

i was waiting for that one QM'r. you have every right to get started. have at it boy!

Thanks DJLAW, I'll do just that.

Okay, I think I'm ready. First of all same as "L" drivers, "N" drivers should be
made to have a licensed adult with them at all times as well. They have to
do it for "L" drivers license so why not the "N" drivers too?

Next thing they should be shown that it is a madhouse out there for driving
and that any neglect for safe driving is not only putting themselves at risk
but the greater fact that they will be putting innocent others at risk too.

Explain it to them this way, the next time they are driving like an idiot and
lose control of their vehicle, smash into somebody they don't know but in-
stead it turns out to be someone very close to them. Like maybe there
own parents god forbid! These are real people driving in real cars just
like them that they are putting at risk of death or injury. Does that not
matter to these people who drive like idiots? If that's the case.........
Seinfeld driving nazi steps in and no drivers license for you for five years
after being found at fault for ANY motor vehicle accident. PERIOD !!!!!!

Oh, but I need my license to go to school and work........to fucking bad
dickhead, you should have thought about that before driving like a friggin
moron !!

Now as was mentioned earlier about getting people outta their cars by
putting large fees on parking and such, I don't know, first I think we
definately need 10 times the transit we currently have. Skytrain should be
every where, just look at the tube in London England, you can get just
about anywhere in London without even having to look at taking a car.
Not to mention there massive above ground rail service as well.

Lastly young drivers in my opinion who are taking their test for a license
should first of all have to take a Phsychological exam of some sort to see
how mentally stable they are in how they percieve the world around them.
IE if your one of those asshats that has no respect for human kind and
walk around with a huge arrogant chip on your shoulder these should be
the ones who send out warning signals to those who would provide them
with the PRIVELAGE to drive. I know, it's a little far fetched, but what
the fuck do I know !!


...........QM'r

 

[Jodie]

Most Vancouver drivers are unable or unwilling to put their vehicle where it needs to be for smooth traffic flow. I think it breaks down to 2 categories: arrogant & unable to control their vehicle. Running a light or blocking an intersection because your time is more valuable than mine makes you arrogant. Backing up traffic because you can’t park means you’re unable to control your vehicle. Doing 40 in the centre lane of Broadway during rush hour makes you guilty of arrogance, as 3 lanes of traffic try to finesse their way around you. There are hundreds of thousands of people trying to get to their destination, but when the odd a$$hole acts as if they are the only ones who matter, it really messes up traffic flow. When construction blocks one lane of a 2 lane road, how hard is it to alternate the right of way?

I think this arrogance is just The Vancouver Way where the individual is more important than the community. I know you’re late, but doing 60 in a school zone with kids milling about is just wrong. You may be in a hurry, but entering the crosswalk after the light changes to Don’t Walk backs up cars for blocks.

Just quit being so damn selfish, and everybody will be able to move along!

If I were to have written a rant about Vancouver drivers, this is exactly what I'd have written!