AllistonGT
Well-known member
Run for something. I'll vote for you
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Why is Ontario becoming the wild-west of roads and highways?
- Thread starter PrivatePilot
- Start date
My suggestion would wake the teachable drivers up so as to read more than the three sins, speeding, drunk and red lights. Dumber ones get to read tickets. Most drivers would go into shock if they ahd to learn everything at once. (Thanks to our lax training and laws)
That's a fair point, but it doesn't excuse the behaviour. If someone is on a major highway and is terrified to make a lane change...they shouldn't be on the 401/QEW/Whatever.
Yeah, the right lane disappears far too often, but it is what it is. And we're not alone in stupid highway design - drive through Montreal (to use one example) and you'll find left hand exits that will suck you off the highway onto some other road if you're not observant and watching for the signs. And throughout my travels in the USA I remember seeing no shortage of head-shaker road design decisions over the years.
Again, it may be stupid....but it's generally almost always well marked. The thing is, two things are happening on our roads today:
1/ A lot of people are only focusing on things 6 feet off the end of their hood and simply don't seem to see signs...so they don't know that their lane is ending until they're almost into the concrete barrier. So they run to the end, panic, slam on the brakes, and jam themselves over - and that's what creates traffic slowdowns and jams. And this is where actual driver training would come in handy - it seems they'll give a licence to anyone with a pulse and a crayon anymore. That needs to stop.
2/ People see the signs but it's "ME me me me me me me me me", so they run right to the end, sometimes onto the shoulder, run up beside traffic, zoom up onramps and offramps past traffic only to jam themselves back in, only to repeat things again at the next offramp/onramp....etc etc. And this is where enforcement would come in handy.
I think they should add another layer to the police force in the form of special constables granted traffic enforcement abilities. Looking at the wage structure of a special constable it looks like it would be realistic to get 1.5 to 2 SC's for the cost of 1 basic police officer. Put them in cars and sent them out in droves onto the highways and city roads. I'm quite positive they could easily recoup their own wages in fines every single year.
I think they should add another layer to the police force in the form of special constables granted traffic enforcement abilities. Looking at the wage structure of a special constable it looks like it would be realistic to get 1.5 to 2 SC's for the cost of 1 basic police officer. Put them in cars and sent them out in droves onto the highways and city roads. I'm quite positive they could easily recoup their own wages in fines every single year.
I'm all for it. How about certified observers with certified dash cams. It eliminates the confrontation that a regular armed officer would be equipped to handle.
Also:
Yeah, the right lane disappears far too often, but it is what it is. And we're not alone in stupid highway design - drive through Montreal (to use one example) and you'll find left hand exits that will suck you off the highway onto some other road if you're not observant and watching for the signs. And throughout my travels in the USA I remember seeing no shortage of head-shaker road design decisions over the years.
Again, it may be stupid....but it's generally almost always well marked. The thing is, two things are happening on our roads today:
One problem is that vehicles behind a large truck don't see a lot of the signs until too late. A classic is a car entering an intersection on a red light because they don't see the light until it's too late. Yes the driver should wait until he's sure he has a green but in heavy traffic that could incite road rage from following drivers.
Yeah, the right lane disappears far too often, but it is what it is. And we're not alone in stupid highway design - drive through Montreal (to use one example) and you'll find left hand exits that will suck you off the highway onto some other road if you're not observant and watching for the signs. And throughout my travels in the USA I remember seeing no shortage of head-shaker road design decisions over the years.
Again, it may be stupid....but it's generally almost always well marked. The thing is, two things are happening on our roads today:
One problem is that vehicles behind a large truck don't see a lot of the signs until too late. A classic is a car entering an intersection on a red light because they don't see the light until it's too late. Yes the driver should wait until he's sure he has a green but in heavy traffic that could incite road rage from following drivers.
And... what happens when the traffic stop escalates?
Finally witnessed some actual traffic enforcement on yesterdays ride...and an instant Karma situation.
For about 30km coming down highway 28 our group was stuck behind 3 or 4 slow mover (by "slow", I mean 85ish kph) cars.
We just did our thing. But a black dodge sprinter van in the traffic behind us (I was last in the pack) was clearly losing his mind. He passed about 3 or 4 cars to finally work his way up directly behind our group at which point I kept things tight to not give him an opportunity to try to pass us and be forced to jam himself back in when that inevitably didn't work out as planned.
He eventually realized he wasn't getting any further ahead and just followed us but was clearly still impatient.
When we got to Highway 7 east of Peterborough and it opened up to 2 lanes, he took off like a bat out of hell of course.
A few KM up there's an OPP on the shoulder with someone pulled over. Everyone starts moving to the left lane to go around it....except Dodge van guy - he pulls out into the right hand lane (because others moving over then slowed him down again), honks on it again (all by himself) and not only starts passing people on the right, but blows past the stopped cruiser on the shoulder, in the right hand lane..
About 1/2km up the road there was another cruiser sitting there. Peeled out and nailed him.
Felt good.
For about 30km coming down highway 28 our group was stuck behind 3 or 4 slow mover (by "slow", I mean 85ish kph) cars.
We just did our thing. But a black dodge sprinter van in the traffic behind us (I was last in the pack) was clearly losing his mind. He passed about 3 or 4 cars to finally work his way up directly behind our group at which point I kept things tight to not give him an opportunity to try to pass us and be forced to jam himself back in when that inevitably didn't work out as planned.
He eventually realized he wasn't getting any further ahead and just followed us but was clearly still impatient.
When we got to Highway 7 east of Peterborough and it opened up to 2 lanes, he took off like a bat out of hell of course.
A few KM up there's an OPP on the shoulder with someone pulled over. Everyone starts moving to the left lane to go around it....except Dodge van guy - he pulls out into the right hand lane (because others moving over then slowed him down again), honks on it again (all by himself) and not only starts passing people on the right, but blows past the stopped cruiser on the shoulder, in the right hand lane..
About 1/2km up the road there was another cruiser sitting there. Peeled out and nailed him.
Felt good.
I'll give you half a feel for that situation. That particular instance of the slowing down and/or moving over when passing emergency or stranded vehicles on the side of the road section of the Act directly affected a cop, so they had a vested interest in enforcing it. If it was Joe blow and a tow truck they (most likely) may have Swerved and Rejected.
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Mad Mike
Well-known member
Those autobahn speed cameras are expensive. Best day of fines was 4000DM (1990), about $2000. I had never heard of blitzers, and thought autobahn were unlimited.
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