Should Cyclists be Licensed?

Once again the debate is raging in Vancouver over the proposed bicycle lane expansion on Hornby Street. The Vancouver Sun, the Georgia Straight, Jeff Lee (of Civic Lee Speaking) are on fire with comments.

I am all for expanding the bike lane concept, but it has to work for drivers and pedestrians. It has to be safe and efficient for all.

As interesting as the debate is, there is one major consideration that has barely been touched upon. That is the “rules of the road”. Legally, a cyclist must obey the rules of the road. In this case, the rules are governed by British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act. The Act says that cyclists have the same rights and duties as drivers of vehicles.

So can someone clarify for me how the bike lanes work? As a driver, you can’t turn right at many intersections flanked by a bicycle lane. Do cyclists get to run the red? Or if they have to stop, why not allow cars to turn with a right turn arrow; then allow the bikes to cross. Or implement a system as Montreal uses – where all the pedestrians go in all directions – let the bike lanes go with them, and then the cars. Makes sense to me. Voila – right turns allowed!

How about making a left-turn from a bike lane? How does that work? If you follow the Motor Vehicle Act cyclists need to make a left turn similar to how a pedestrian would walk in a 90 ° angle. So when do the rules of the road apply and when are they different?

With the increase in bike lanes and utilization, why don’t people need to have a bike license and some basic training? Maybe that would cut down on cyclists who act like a car driver sometimes, a cyclist at other times and a pedestrian when the need arises. I am talking about the people who pedal full throttle on the sidewalk (going the wrong way to the one way traffic) and enter the crosswalk going 30 kilometers an hour and expect a driver to be able to stop in time. And then flip the driver the bird! Cycling against the traffic is illegal as is cycling in a crosswalk. How many cyclists do I encounter every day who never use a hand signal? I can go on and on, but the point is, in my view, very few cyclists know or choose not to follow the rules of the road. If cyclists want to use the road and be respected on the road, then a license should be required to prove they know the rules.

Four wheels or two wheels? It really doesn’t matter which one you support because the history of the current city council is that the Hornby bike lane will forge ahead. The Dunsmuir trial period is barely half over and they are already holding public meetings and circulating surveys on the next stage of the project. So let’s all work together so we can walk, drive and bike together in green harmony. One-way to achieve this is through education and a great resource for both cyclists and drivers can be found at: http://www.bikesense.bc.ca/Bike_Sense-Nov05.pdf

Dump the Junk – Clean Up the Dirty Driving

A while ago ICBC launched their “Dirty Driving” campaign. Not only was it clever, the confessions were quite humorous. They even created a website where you can learn how to be a better green driver. So is any driving really green?

The concept is not only to save money but to reduce the driving emissions carbon footprint. I recently used the Drive Smart Calculator. You put in the data – gas price, kms driven, and type of car. The calculator calculates I can save $385 a year or 710 kgs of CO2 emissions. Tell me more!

Here ‘s the problem. The nifty little calculator makes a few assumptions: I jackrabbit drive; I don’t inflate my tires properly; I don’ t maintain my vehicle and, oh my gosh, I carry 100kg of junk in my trunk.

Well, if I have to confess to anything – I do jackrabbit drive on occasion, okay almost weekly. But that’s because Vancouver traffic is a nightmare – no left-hand turn lanes, no advance green lights for turns, ped lights that go at the same time as traffic. But read more on that in upcoming blogs.

My challenge with ICBC’s good intentions is I can’t do a thing about the price of gas, I keep my tires inflated to the proper psi and I maintain my vehicle on a regular basis. The only 100 kilos of junk in my trunk – okay car seats – are my two lovely daughters whose combined weight is barely100 kg. If I dumped them I wouldn’t have any reason to drive at all!

An informal study by students at Mellon University concluded that 80% of all cars on US roads drive on tires inflated to only 80% of capacity. Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by 3.3%. So if we take the ICBC dirty driving test with a small car, the annual savings per year is $15 and 28kgs less of CO2 emissions. This doesn’t sound like much, but here are a few facts that add up to a lot. AirCare (in BC) inspected 479,604 vehicles in 2007. Of that number, 74,435 vehicles failed inspection. Let’s make an assumption that 80% of the failed vehicles don’t have properly inflated tires. If AirCare implemented a quick tire pressure test, over $890,000 and 1.6 million kgs of emmisions could be eliminated each year!

Little things add up and we all can do our part. However, I am still skeptical. Is any driving really green?

What do you think? Leave a reply.

What’s Up With the Right-Hand-Drive?

Until recently, the only right-hand-drive (RHD) cars seen in Canada were vintage versions of British imports like MGs, Morrises, Austins and Hillmans. But RHD cars are growing in popularity here, with ICBC reporting that some 200 of these vehicles are imported into British Columbia every month, mostly from Japan.

So, why the popularity and why Japan? The primary driver for their popularity is price; with vehicles often costing thousands of dollars less than a comparable local car. But there are other reasons, including the uniqueness or cool factor as they garner high looky-loo appeal. As for importing RHDs from Japan, it’s all about safety. In Japan, all cars must undergo an expensive and extensive inspection every two years and while most of the RHD imports are 15 years and older — that’s because Canadian laws place restrictions on newer imported cars — the average odometer reading is very low at between 75,000 and 125,000 kilometres.

As long as the vehicles meet provincial standards and pass a BC safety inspection, RHD cars can be licensed and insured. But a recent study by ICBC casts some doubt on the safety of operating a right-hand-drive vehicle on right-hand-traffic roads. According to the study, RHD vehicles are 40 per cent more likely to get into a crash than a similar left-hand-drive vehicle. Furthermore, researchers found that the average time for a crash to occur after an owner first purchased an RHD vehicle was 223 days, 68 per cent sooner than the 705 days for a LHD vehicle.

Although there was no evidence in the study that suggested RHD vehicles offer less protection in a crash than built-for-Canada vehicles of similar age, BC officials have asked Transport Canada to increase the restriction period on import vehicles from 15 to 25 years, in an attempt to reduce the number of RHD vehicles entering the province.

There is no extra insurance premium for driving an RHD vehicle. However, ICBC is warning potential purchasers that they present greater risk, citing increased difficulty in seeing oncoming traffic when making a left turn and similar challenges when pulling away from the curb.

The Perils of a Messy Car

I remember reading a few years ago about a woman in Edmonton who was in a car crash while driving home from the grocery store. She had just purchased a frozen turkey for her family’s Thanksgiving dinner and placed it in the back seat of the car.
While the crash itself was not serious, the woman sustained major injuries because the frozen turkey flew off the back seat and whacked her in the head.

While this story provides some dark humour, loose objects in a moving vehicle can result in serious injury which is no laughing matter. By applying some common sense about loading and storing objects in your car, you can avoid creating potentially lethal missiles powered by sharp turns or abrupt breaking.

Always keep the interior or your car neat and organized. Store large objects, such as luggage and bags of groceries, in the trunk of the car. If you must use the back seat, ensure that the maximum amount of the object’s surface area makes contact with the seat by wedging it for a secure fit.

Never store loose objects on the dashboard or centre console. Items such as CD cases, loose change and mobile devices should be placed in the car’s proper storage compartments to avoid distractions caused by flying objects when turning corners or quick stops.

Check your floor space to ensure there are no objects on the driver’s side that can cause a pedal jam and inhibit you from keeping control of the vehicle. Ensure floor mats are properly placed so they don’t inch forward every time you get into your car.

When quaffing a coffee or other beverage, use the built-in drink holders instead of holding the cup in your hand or resting it between your legs. Also, while it may be convenient to place a handbag or brief case on the passenger’s seat for easy access, you shouldn’t be distracted by fumbling around for an item while driving. This is a tough one; keep those briefcases and handbags in a place where you will need to stop the car to retrieve what you need.

As demonstrated in the story about the woman driving home with her Thanksgiving turkey, even a small accident can cause objects to transform into lethal projectiles and result in serious injury or death.

Are you Ready to put Down the Phone? BC Legislates a Cell Phone Ban

“Hey, what are you doing? Do you want me to call you back?” “No, its no big deal, I am just driving.”

This describes the busy lives of so many of us. What makes us think we will not be one of the careless drivers? Is it human nature to take risks? How about the lives of families who have changed in that one moment when a serious car crash has injured or killed a loved one? Was it really important to make dinner reservations while driving? It should be common sense not to take these kind of risks.

These actions are conducted everyday, by thousands of drivers. Reflect on the research:

• On average, about 117 people die each year in British Columbia and approximately 1400 are sent to the hospital because of driver distraction.
• Drivers who text spend 400 per cent more time with their eyes off the road than a normal motorist.
• People who talk on a phone while driving are four times more likely to crash.

But in our society it takes legislation to make people personally responsible for their actions and the safety of others.

On January 1, 2010 BC motorists will be legislated to put down the phone, the blackberry, portable games and MP3 players. Adult drivers will still have the privilege of using “hands-free” devices, such as earpieces and speakerphones. To dial a number you must use verbal or one-touch dialing. New drivers, however, will be banned from using phones or sending messages, even with a hands-free device.

Drivers caught texting or e-mailing will be fined $167.00 after February 1, 2010 and have three penalty points added to their licences. New drivers who violate any part of the rules will receive three points. To continue driving, people who accumulate more than three points must pay a penalty points premium to ICBC.

This is a good time to take a stock of your driving habits. What else do you do that is distracting? It can be the simple things like referring your kids argument, eating a sandwich, spilling your hot coffee, applying lipstick, or worse reading or checking your computer. Take on your own responsibility for your actions. Become an engaged defensive driver. Be safe, arrive alive.

If you or someone you know has been injured due to the carelessness of others while operating a motor vehicle, call Klein Lyons for a free consultation on your rights to compensation.

Why Did They Destroy the EV-1?

Once upon a time, there was a little engine that could. A car engine, that is, that could run on electricity. The EV-1 electric car worked so well. Indeed, no gasoline was needed for these wheels and they ran just like a charm.

But then, one day in 2006, all the electrical engines were called home by their creator General Motors and one by one, each was squashed into oblivion. And to this day, nobody really knows why.

The saga of this doomed electrical engine is the subject of a documentary film made by Chris Paine called, appropriately, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” We might never know the answer.

You can see the news report on the documentary or watch the full movie narrated by Martin Sheen.

The company which set out to destroy its own creation has explained that people simply weren’t interested in buying these cars. The market just wasn’t there. So, naturally, they had to destroy them all. Makes sense … doesn’t it?

Theories abound about why this really happened. “It was Big Oil, threatened by such a great new product.” “It was the Republicans.” “It was the Saudis.” “It was the World Bank.”

“No, it was the American consumer. They could not accept the limits on their freedom dictated by having to plug in their cars every night. All their fault!” The bottom line is that we are left with a fascinating mystery on our hands.

Filmmaker/Director Chris Paine was told that the cars were being “recycled” – then he got some helicopter footage of the cars being destroyed. This prompted him to make the documentary. The Associated Press gave this film 3 out of 4 stars but it got zero media attention – which is why you’ve never heard of it. Drivers pooled their resources and offered the company $1.9 million to buy back the cars. No dice. Actor Peter Horton (“Thirtysomething”) was the last Californian to have his electric car taken away in 2006, but even that didn’t make the evening news. Director Michael Moore co-hosted one of the first screenings of the film, making it even more amazing that you’ve never heard of this before now.

But since that happened in 2006, the electric car is finally making a comeback. Check out our future blogs on electric cars to see more exciting innovation in the electric and hybrid cars.