Dear Editor:
This year there have been many news reports of pedestrians being hit or killed by cars. As a driver, cyclist and pedestrian, I am certainly seeing drivers not obeying basic rules of the Motor Vehicle Act. Drivers are not stopping correctly at stop signs.
As I was curious about how frequently this was happening, I decided to just sit by a quieter intersection at First and Chesterfield on the eastern side and see how many cars actually obeyed the stop sign when travelling west before entering Chesterfield from First.
In less than 40 minutes, there were 20 vehicles — of which only one stopped correctly.
That driver was a young man in his twenties, who I spoke to briefly to congratulate him on his obeying the law and stopping correctly. His reply was that was the law.
All the other drivers only looked left down toward Esplanade after driving through the stop sign, over the white line and past the pedestrian crossing area into the curb area of Chesterfield.
Only one driver had a pedestrian appear walking southward and this driver had to stop but was already in the crosswalk after not stopping at the stop sign.
As soon as this pedestrian was barely past the left side of the car, walking toward Esplanade, the driver hit the gas, looked only left and drove across Chesterfield.
It’s shocking indeed that only one out of 20 vehicles actually stopped.
Most kept their speed until nearly into Chesterfield. Had a child been running ahead of a parent they may certainly have been at risk of being injured or killed.
Any parent with a stroller entering the crossing from the right side of the vehicle not stopping would be putting the safety of the child at risk. Of that I have no doubt.
The stop signs are for drivers to obey. The stop sign means a vehicle, including bicycles and motorcycles, must come to a complete stop behind the white line before looking both right and left before proceeding further.
How do drivers improve their driving safety in all ways? Should there be more frequent road testing rather than how it is now just to obtain a licence?
Should there be more ticketing for such infractions? I don’t know the answers but it certainly pays for those on foot to be very aware of this danger in crossing streets in North Vancouver.
Wendy Alden
North Vancouver
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