The man acquitted in a downtown Vancouver crash that claimed the life of a two-year-old girl will not face another trial after B.C.’s highest court dismissed an appeal from the Crown Friday.
If we move to a broader perspective than just lights, there is nothing that physically forces the man to follow whatever traffic contraption we throw at him
Traffic lights encourage drivers to move quickly, and ignore their surroundings. They tell drivers to trust the intersection to be clear if the signal is green. This means that if a prudent and cautious driver makes the single mistake of misreading the light, it risks a high speed colission.
A 4-way stop would have slowed traffic, likely preventing fatalities in this case. Even if the driver missed the stop sign, the cross traffic would be slow enough to not push the SUV into the corner of the intersection. At the same time there wouldn’t be pedestrians in the corner, because 4-way stops allow pedestrians to cross quickly, and doesn’t require them to wait directly next to intersections.
This is an urban road. It was a choice to prioritize traffic speed and car throughput over pedestrian safety. This is the inevitable result.
You cannot design a road that is safe for someone who runs a light that has been red for 20 seconds
You can literally design roads without lights.
If we move to a broader perspective than just lights, there is nothing that physically forces the man to follow whatever traffic contraption we throw at him
Traffic lights encourage drivers to move quickly, and ignore their surroundings. They tell drivers to trust the intersection to be clear if the signal is green. This means that if a prudent and cautious driver makes the single mistake of misreading the light, it risks a high speed colission.
A 4-way stop would have slowed traffic, likely preventing fatalities in this case. Even if the driver missed the stop sign, the cross traffic would be slow enough to not push the SUV into the corner of the intersection. At the same time there wouldn’t be pedestrians in the corner, because 4-way stops allow pedestrians to cross quickly, and doesn’t require them to wait directly next to intersections.
This is an urban road. It was a choice to prioritize traffic speed and car throughput over pedestrian safety. This is the inevitable result.