My view of Canada

[DeadPoolX 9]

I think I said something that was misinterpreted. I'm not on the corner of Burrard and Robson. My wife and I did live there for a couple of weeks while we scouted out apartments in Vancouver and the outlying areas. Finding a place to live is just too difficult when outside the province.

As for the whole "driver vs pedestrian" thing, I can understand where all the USC spouses are coming from. In the U.S., the chances of seeing a pedestrian (in most cases) is very slim. Everyone drives and those who don't (i.e. walk or take public transportation) are considered to be "poor slobs." That's not really an elitist stance, since even the illegal aliens have cars!

The first time I visited Canada, I was amazed at how Canadians just wander out into the street. It shocked me even more to find out that the cars are "expected to stop" and therefore, it's considered okay to do this. I would never walk in the street unless I had a visible crosswalk and preferably, a cross light. Maybe the cars are supposed to stop, but that doesn't mean they necessarily will. If a human and a car collide, guess which one comes out in better condition?

In the U.S., crosswalks are few and far between. Many places don't even have sidewalks. If someone were to venture out into the street, the likelihood of them becoming roadkill is high. Drivers don't stop for people on foot; in fact, many drivers joke that hitting certain people -- such as old people -- means more points. The only time drivers stop is if a crossing guard is there for school children. Half the time the only reason drivers do stop is because of the low speeds mandated in school zones.

I've known many people who believe that if kids don't know any better than to stay out of the road then they should be run over. That line of thought is generally reserved for high school students and not younger kids. Honestly, I can't help but agree -- if these are the people who're going to college and will be the future leaders of our country, they should damn well know better than to walk in front of vehicles propelling themselves at speeds which will kill a human. Perhaps some agreement could be reached and "dodging cars" could become P.E. credit.

To be fair, some American cities are set up better for public transportation. New York, Philadelphia, Austin and San Francisco are all good examples. Many cities, however, either have terrible public transportation systems or simply don't bother, since everyone has a vehicle.

[Reba 2]

No that's backwards DPX, everyone has a vehicle because there is no public transit

[Carlawarla 1]

I think I said something that was misinterpreted. I'm not on the corner of Burrard and Robson. My wife and I did live there for a couple of weeks while we scouted out apartments in Vancouver and the outlying areas. Finding a place to live is just too difficult when outside the province.

As for the whole "driver vs pedestrian" thing, I can understand where all the USC spouses are coming from. In the U.S., the chances of seeing a pedestrian (in most cases) is very slim. Everyone drives and those who don't (i.e. walk or take public transportation) are considered to be "poor slobs." That's not really an elitist stance, since even the illegal aliens have cars!

The first time I visited Canada, I was amazed at how Canadians just wander out into the street. It shocked me even more to find out that the cars are "expected to stop" and therefore, it's considered okay to do this. I would never walk in the street unless I had a visible crosswalk and preferably, a cross light. Maybe the cars are supposed to stop, but that doesn't mean they necessarily will. If a human and a car collide, guess which one comes out in better condition?

In the U.S., crosswalks are few and far between. Many places don't even have sidewalks. If someone were to venture out into the street, the likelihood of them becoming roadkill is high. Drivers don't stop for people on foot; in fact, many drivers joke that hitting certain people -- such as old people -- means more points. The only time drivers stop is if a crossing guard is there for school children. Half the time the only reason drivers do stop is because of the low speeds mandated in school zones.

I've known many people who believe that if kids don't know any better than to stay out of the road then they should be run over. That line of thought is generally reserved for high school students and not younger kids. Honestly, I can't help but agree -- if these are the people who're going to college and will be the future leaders of our country, they should damn well know better than to walk in front of vehicles propelling themselves at speeds which will kill a human. Perhaps some agreement could be reached and "dodging cars" could become P.E. credit.

To be fair, some American cities are set up better for public transportation. New York, Philadelphia, Austin and San Francisco are all good examples. Many cities, however, either have terrible public transportation systems or simply don't bother, since everyone has a vehicle.

[Emancipation 2]

We have plenty of crosswalks in my town here in CT, it's just that NO one stops at them.. it drives me batty..

I saw a young father yesterday trying to cross a busy street (probably dropped the oldest off at a local school and was trying to walk home with the rest of the clan) and he was AT a crosswalk and no one stopped.. like for 5 minutes.. they just drove on by. I felt so bad for him.. he wasn't just going to dash into traffic with those kidoes in toe..

[Sprailenes 47]

I notice here also, that when someone does cross the street they run for their lives!

I just don't like the way I look when I run.

Come to think of it, I don't think I'd like the look of myself if I were flat as a pancake on the pavement either...but I'll take my chances.

[thetreble 19]

Even here at the univeristy where we have designated crosswalks for students, faculty and staff, drivers still don't stop. We even have flashing lights telling them to slow down because they will be pedestrians and I often wait 5 minutes or have to run like a little crack addict (sorry I couldn't help myself...dave chappelle reference there) across the road...

I guess running across roads is a part of our Canadian lives.

[warlord 72]

Warlord,

Have you encountered a group called Critical Mass? Holy #######, they are like the ghestappo on bikes.

I too have driven in most cities in the U.S. and find that Los Angeles and Boston are by far the worst. I live 23 miles away from my job...... which takes me 2 hours to get home

It's annoying, but as my fiance tells me .... Nothing I can do about it....

Nope we don't deal with Critical Mass, but our member cities especially in Boulder are can be very outspoken. They have the mentality here that everyone needs to cater to them, but they don't need to follow any rules at all. And I agree, a bike rider can use the traffic lanes, IF, they keep up the speed of the traffic. So if it's a 50 mph road, then I expect them to be going 50 mph an hour in that lane or else get the hell off the road (goes for slow granies with blue hair and are using telephone books so they can peer over the dashboard).

LA is slow driving I'll give you that, just not really agressive compared to what I've seen and experienced elsewhere. I just try and avoid driving out of the city during holidays since no matter what back road you take, you're pretty much screwed. Took me 4-5 hours once to get to San Diego on Memorial Day to see my friend (can't remember exactly how long, but took a hell of a lot longer then usual). Not fun...

Edited November 21, 2008 by warlord

[Carlawarla 1]

Even here at the univeristy where we have designated crosswalks for students, faculty and staff, drivers still don't stop. We even have flashing lights telling them to slow down because they will be pedestrians and I often wait 5 minutes or have to run like a little crack addict (sorry I couldn't help myself...dave chappelle reference there) across the road...

I guess running across roads is a part of our Canadian lives.

This isn't to you specifically Amanada, but what's with a designated crosswalk...with flashing lights no less, and no one stopping?? Isn't that against the law? Hand out a few $250.00 tickets and we'd see that change pretty fast!

[thetreble 19]

Even here at the univeristy where we have designated crosswalks for students, faculty and staff, drivers still don't stop. We even have flashing lights telling them to slow down because they will be pedestrians and I often wait 5 minutes or have to run like a little crack addict (sorry I couldn't help myself...dave chappelle reference there) across the road...

I guess running across roads is a part of our Canadian lives.

This isn't to you specifically Amanada, but what's with a designated crosswalk...with flashing lights no less, and no one stopping?? Isn't that against the law? Hand out a few $250.00 tickets and we'd see that change pretty fast!

It absolutely is against state law, any way. We have signs that say, "stop for pedestrians, it's the law" I guess people don't take it seriously.

[SpiritAlight 1]

In Montreal, when you step off the sidewalk to cross the street whether in the middle of the street or at an intersection even if you have the right of way (aka green light), you seriously take your life in your hands.

Always look.

Always move quickly.

You could get smashed by a driver coming out of a lane, if you are not extremely cautious.

In Chicago, they have made it the law

to stop if you see a ped on a crosswalk.

That is absolutely hilarious.

No one here stops, and no one uses signals, and everyone cuts people off (driving or walking).

(I am generalizing somewhat.)

In Vancouver, people behave like they live in Lotus Land and all is pure and all is good.

And then, invariably, on morning news you hear:

"Pedestrian struck at corner of x, in mid morning rush hour."

Oh boy.

Not too bright.

Drivers are not the best in Vancouver as it is, and peds are not careful at all.

Cyclists there are quite militant for the most part.

I mean it is a city where you can cycle for transportation all year round, and so...

In sweet Portland, Maine, mmmmm, so nice there...oh ahem, everyone is so courteous, that at an intersection with stop signs, the other driver will wave you across (when you are driving too) even if you got there after them. They extend this to pedestrians and cyclists too. In my time there, I observed people are salt of the Earth and gentle/kind.

There is my thesis on my experience in these cities.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Atlanta traffic is bad but it is a combination of volume, high transport truck volume and bad driving (tailgating, speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, etc.). The roadways themselves are well designed, it is just hard for the infrastructure to keep up with the volume and major accidents are a daily occurrence on all major roadways. There is a public transit that we often use and they just extended an express bus service to our area so Joe does that most days instead of driving in. I have driven in Detroit and I-94 is terrible - not only does it have high volume and bad drivers - the road is basically potholes on top of potholes. I remember when I lived in Chatham listening to Detroit radio stations having contests about who could find the biggest potholes on I-94! I just prayed that I would see one in time before I drove into it because car damage and flat tires were common.

Re - crosswalks . . we have a lot of sidewalks around here because we are in suburbia and I do see people walking a fair bit, although distances make any real walking effort difficult. For school crosswalks the school districts here hire police or security crossing guards and they literally direct traffic at crosswalks when school kids are out. It is a real nuisance because they always give the vehicles entering and exiting the school area as well as pedestrians the right of way so you can wait up to 10 minutes before you get past that crosswalk. I guess if people refuse to acknowledge them on their own, having them enforced by personnel is the next obvious step.

In Canada, when I would cross the road, I would always make sure that there was no immediate traffic coming. I figured, since the cars weren't using the road and I needed to be on the other side, I might as well use it!

Edited November 21, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Emancipation 2]

I agree Kathryn.. Atlanta is a well designed city, just has an over abundance of traffic. We always found it a relief going to Atlanta, where there is always loads of fast moving traffic, but not the aggression of the North East. We found we had to calm down a bit to drive down there.. then as soon as we were driving home and reached DC, add on the aggression again

[The_Dude 1,142]

Remember:

"We're not blocking traffic, we are traffic!"

I like that chant.

B)

You are blocking traffic if your riding at 18-20MPH in a 40 MPH main road in the left lane

Using the left turn lane ensures that 1 bicycle will get through the intersection, while holding up 6-8 cars that could have comfortably made it through merely because a bike cannot accelerate fast enough.

what bugs me about traffic in LA is some of the motorcycle drivers... they weave in out of traffic like they own the road and I have even seen a few using the carpool lane...

In California, motorcycles are allowed to use the carpool lane. They are also allowed to ride in between lanes of traffic. It's not legal in all states, and i'm fairly sure its not legal in Ontario.