Castanet

I was sitting in the Timmys on the corner when the accident happened last night. I heard a bang and looked out a few seconds later and saw the results of the accident. There were people already out there calling 911 so I just watched for a few minutes. The car in the middle of the intersection seemed to have gotten the worst of it, no front end left and smoke & steam coming out from what was left of the engine compartment...not sure which way he was travelling as he had come to rest in the crosswalk area between Burger King & Tim Hortons facing southwest..but it was the other car that concerned me though, he ended up coming to rest on the small island on the Tim Hortons corner....his front end hanging over the concrete edge facing Tim Hortons into the right turn area off of Cooper. I work close by there and if I am walking and crossing that intersection, I will NEVER stand on one of those islands for this exact reason. You are taking your life in your hands standing on these islands if an accident happens! This happened at 9 pm last night and there could have been people who were leaving the mall to get to the bus stop on Harvey but luckily there was no one wanting to cross at that particular moment...If there had been someone, they would have either ended up being thrown or pinned under that car....This is the worst intersection for accidents in Kelowna...they need to look at pedestrian safety and maybe change it so the walk button is on the actual sidewalk not on the island...you are a sitting duck standing there with absolutely no protection if an accident does happen!

I remember a few years ago at Harvey and Gordon this happened and a person was killed because they were pinned by the car. That whole strip from Spall to Gordon is not good for pedestrians, they need an overpass somewhere in the middle as we constantly see people playing Frogger along there...and being its the mall intersection, wouldnt it be smart to do the same thing at that Cooper? This town has made you vehicle dependent, they would be smart to look at safer options for people who walk or that complement the bus users as you take your life in your hands with all the aggressive drivers in Kelowna!

Vision Zero ... make roads safer for all users ...

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#209596

I think one could be a sitting duck anywhere when an accident happens. Hope those people will be alright.

spooker wrote:Vision Zero ... make roads safer for all users ...

Not Vision Zero...just a point...they always seem to be making adjustments or repairs to the lights and roads to make driving safer for the vehicles but where do the pedestrians fit in?

blondewithbrains wrote: where do the pedestrians fit in?

At all times where moving things are involved we need to be cognizant of what is happening around us.
It's potentially dangerous to do otherwise.

That intersection was changed to improve the flow of traffic and no pedestrian was hurt at that intersection in this accident. Be aware of your surroundings at all times is good advice to follow.

blondewithbrains wrote:

spooker wrote:Vision Zero ... make roads safer for all users ...

Not Vision Zero...just a point...they always seem to be making adjustments or repairs to the lights and roads to make driving safer for the vehicles but where do the pedestrians fit in?

Usually between the front bumper and a light standard or underneath the vehicle on the Island.

blondewithbrains wrote:

spooker wrote:Vision Zero ... make roads safer for all users ...

Not Vision Zero...just a point...they always seem to be making adjustments or repairs to the lights and roads to make driving safer for the vehicles but where do the pedestrians fit in?

Texting and crossing. Stepping out blindly into traffic. Jaywalking. Crossing on a red light. Wearing black at nighttime (ninja style).

No enforcement....

It appears the lamp standard wasn't moved for improvements so I don't see the difference for a pedestrian looking at a before and after picture.

blondewithbrains wrote:

spooker wrote:Vision Zero ... make roads safer for all users ...

Not Vision Zero...just a point...they always seem to be making adjustments or repairs to the lights and roads to make driving safer for the vehicles but where do the pedestrians fit in?

For clarification ... "Vision Zero" is an idea based on the "Safe Systems" approach to transportation design ... so named because it sets a goal of allowing "zero" deaths to occur anywhere in the system of roadways, paths, and trails.

The new "divergent diamond" in Calgary is an example of new design principles where they try to minimize conflicting "left turns" that are required to transfer to another direction ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diverging_diamond_interchange

Many cities across the continent are implementing #VisionZero and directing engineers to think outside the box ... making sharp tight corners that force drivers to slow down to make a turn is safer for everyone ... lowering speeds in areas where it makes sense ...

For more on Vision Zero ... https://visionzero.ca/

If I'm reading it right, it sounds like the pedestrian traffic islands are part of Vision Zero.

Fancy wrote:If I'm reading it right, it sounds like the pedestrian traffic islands are part of Vision Zero.

Yes, but not in the way that you are currently familiar with ...

Vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians or cyclists, should not be exposed to vehicles at speeds over 30 km/h (18.6 mph). If separation is not possible, then reduce the vehicle speed to 30 km/h.

“Separations” in this case are physical separations, such as crash barriers, tunnels, bridges, crossings at different levels, and different roads for different traffic vehicles, such as bicycle lanes. Temporal separation (e.g., traffic lights) is not considered a proper method of separation, and a space of just a few meters is not considered a spatial separation (Johansson 2009), such as when lines on the road are all that separate cyclists from traffic.

Good observation about the traffic islands. Now come over to West Kelowna and watch our carnage, mainly the traffic islands on Highway 97 and Daimler Road. The speed limits here are 80 K Per hour and not 50 K Per hour like downtown Kelowna so lets do the math. At the 80 speed limit most are doing 90 0r 100 so that would be double the limit for Kelowna. Now watch the skid off from these crashes when they occur and the result is not good news. The Daimler light has the Death islands with the light button on these and guess where the school kids and others stand in inclement weather and icy road conditions? The traffic light posts have been taken out twice over the years and the railing at the one island has been taken out two times also. It has now been removed for good but that does not matter as it does no real good anyways The excuse for not putting in a pedestrian overpass is there is no money for it right now [Sound familiar?]. How come there is money for all the raises?. And also why will there be money after a death or serious injury?. Should there not be a plan, in this Century for one overpass, for vehicles and pedestrians each year for 10 years, or two a year for five years and just think of the clean air, employment, profit for cement manufacturers, traffic flow savings to the hospitals, ICBC, and the pain to the injured?. There is where the money is found so there must be another excuse that there is no money. The answer to this question is when is the first overpass going to be built?. End of story.