The Vancouver Sun originally posted this in May 2009 (I am the author), however it is gone now. Currently the BC Solicitor General is considering the merits of "Keep Right Except to Pass" so I thought a good idea to republish....
In 1996, 25,000 names were gathered in British Columbia for a petition calling for the removal of photo radar and an independent review of speed limits. The review was completed in 2002 and it revealed what most drivers already knew; that limits on some B.C. highways are set incorrectly, mostly too low.
Over the past 20 years, the B.C. population has increased by more than 30 per cent and roadways have been busier than ever thanks to a recently robust economy. Despite this, we have enjoyed a reduction in crash-related fatalities of nearly 40 per cent from a peak in 1990 -- more cars, more trips, and fewer deaths.
Yet the shrill cries of "Speed Is Killing Us" are still heard. Ironically, the enforcement emphasis during the past six years, during a period of dramatic economic growth and road use, has been rightly redirected toward offences with a higher correlation, to at-fault crashes rather than speeding.
The RCMP now issues about 250,000 tickets per year for speeding, less than half issued during the peak of photo radar. If proponents of more speed enforcement were correct, there should have been a noticeable increase in fatalities during this time. It has not happened just as it did not happen in the United States subsequent to the 1996 removal, despite intense lobbying of special interests, of the federally mandated 55-m.p.h. limit.
The RCMP leadership in B.C. can be given credit for implementing a new philosophy of targeted enforcement which has produced real improvements in highway safety, moving from speed traps to crash black spots. However, the baseline -- the law -- remains flawed.
Laws must be set with the reasonable actions of the reasonable majority in mind, and there is no value in legislation that there is neither the will nor the means to enforce. Anything to the contrary and the door opens for arbitrary abuse, as is the case with photo radar.
If a particular limit is routinely and safely disobeyed by the reasonable majority, it can hardly be called valid. Incorrectly set speed limits are a guarantee of non-compliance, necessitate more police for enforcement, are expensive for motorists (increased fines and insurance), reduce road capacity and efficiency, increase disrespect for laws in general, and can even embarrass politicians whose actions are not consistent with the laws they oversee.
So why then, did the Ministry of Transportation refuse to implement the recommendations in the report it commissioned? Further, why spend taxpayer money in the first place, if there were no plans to act on it? Answer: Politics.
Judith Reid, then minister of transportation and highways, told me during a 2003 meeting that the optics of raising speed limits were bad. Nobody wanted to be the minister during a crash fatality on a road with a higher speed limit -- especially after the public had been bombarded for several years with ICBC's "Speed Is Killing Us" propaganda. Additionally, the change needed to be approved by then solicitor-general Rich Coleman, and that was not going to happen.
An odd thing occurs with the subject of speeding; few drivers see themselves as speeders. While many gasp at tickets for 40 km/h over the posted speed, few connect the dots and realize that most drivers are technically speeding when conditions are good. So if the legal speed limit on a highway is 90 km/h and 85 per cent of the drivers are travelling 110 or 115, the question should be: Are they travelling excessively over the safe speed for conditions? In B.C., the answer is often no.
Highway safety requires two key ingredients: minimal speed variance and reduced traffic volume. Increasing highway capacity and design speed is one way the government reduces volume, but danger increases when vehicles impede others.
A much-needed improvement in B.C. is "Keep Right Except To Pass" legislation allowing police to enforce signage recently placed on highways to enhance safety, by reducing both vehicle interactions and speed variance, HOV lanes included. The Institute of Transportation Engineers recommends setting speed limits based upon an upper limit (85th percentile) of free-flow vehicle speeds.
Drivers naturally comply with limits viewed as reasonable, thus reducing speed variance and potential interactions between vehicles. Everybody wins; scofflaws are fewer and easy to apprehend, drivers are safer and politicians need not fear their driving records.
Speed limits in North America are a complete joke. Nobody obeys them and the people that do, often end up posing a problem. How many times have you sat behind an asshole sitting in the fast lane who refuses to let drivers pass?
ReplyDeleteMore accidents and frustration are caused by drivers who drive too slowly and disrupt the flow of traffic. What should be enforced is yielding to faster traffic and vehicle pull out lanes should be constructed, with fines for people who back up more that 5 vehicles. This is in effect in Oregon State and makes complete sense....but it is easier to catch speeders on radar.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to note Surrey has changed speed limits on major through roads, main arteries to 60 kmh, while leaving lesser roads to 50.
ReplyDeleteThis is a big improvement over Vancouver with 50 kmh speed limits on Oak, Granville, and Knight streets, and all others for that matter with motorcycle police making a killing as traffic routinely ignores the limits, I have seen as many as 8 motorcycle officers writing literally hundreds of tickets in a very short time. They prepare for this by filling up complete ticket books in advance with everything but name of driver and vehicle info... It amounts to a tax on visitors to Vancouver in many cases, as these campaigns are invariably conducted on nice sunny days where speed naturally is higher due to good conditions.
Yes, keep right to pass is necessary on our highways especially where Albertans pulling campers through the mountains of BC is concerned, often these line ups can total well over 50 vehicles in lenght, a dangerous mix.
Yes, commonsense speed limits make sense on many levels, if these are raised gradually over a period of time, and not as one lump, there is little objection from anyone and appreciation from all, and commonsense would indicate it is high time we started to fix things!
Please do.
M.
I understand the frustration of those calling in as well, as I am one of those people who am constantly at odds with the government on driving and enforcement and who is on the road causing all the problems and ITS NOT mature aware speeding drivers that are causing problems on the highways, that are built for speed! The municipality and traffic police are writing tickets to the wrong drivers...speeders are easy and the only big money raiser for them. They are criminalizing the local hard working dad or mom going to work in the morning. They use these usually hard working individuals who are strapped for time and are always behind morons, like you said there is a dumbing down of the motorist. There are left turn lights now that are ridiculous, they are making the driving public like Mcdonalds servers, where the server cannot count change ... only the till tells them what to do. Sir, 30% of drivers shouldnt be on the road, they can barely think , let alone drive. Then you get these idiots who drive from vancouver to chilliwack in the passing lane at 90, and wont move over.
ReplyDeletePeople talking to their kids, or passengers, blocking driveways to gas stations, left turners blocking rural roads from traffic getting by on one side causing backups for miles. People do not know how to use entrance lanes to the freeway, and cannot merge properly... they don't even signal properly..they signal after they've made the turn. Its sick. The new Port Mann bridge will be a bottleneck when they open it because of these brain dead, its my right to drive in any lane I want, people! It won't change. They are afraid to drive across the bridge and there will be five of them, one in each lane doing 60 in the rain with miles of traffic backed up behind them. If they have 2 people in their car and cant drive over 60 they think they have the right to be in the diamond lane?
Sir My family is 5 generations here in bc and not once has anyone in my family ever needed to phone the police for anything, we are all law abiding productive citizens, but when it comes to the road... i am a criminal because ...they catch me for speeding going down a hill and coming up the steep side on a farm road and they nail you for speeding. This is typical. Or the only place to pass on a single lane road ,the police will be in that spot to nail you. Its nothing more then criminal on the municipality side...and road officers are now given the ok to take cars from people and make them walk.? Tell me whats the difference between mexico and here..they steal your car but here in Canada they just steal the money out of your pocket with a fine.. I remember when vancouver banned photo radar from their area because they did not share in the revenue??!!! Safety is it?? This was on the radio. There is a favourite spot in mission, bc where the police like to sit... check it out.
Its the underpass going south onto the mission bridge from the eastern mounded access road.
The speed is 70-80 then with both sides of the road concrete barracaded you go into the underpass and it says slow to 50...absolutely no one does 50. There is a slight hill and you take your foot off the gas and you coast underneathe at 70. The sheriff cars from the jail all do 70, school buses, city busses, plain patrol cars all do 70. But any cop wanting to raise some cash can sit behind the cement wall and nail hundreds of cars...its cheap..thats right from a corporal of the rcmp.
Thanks.... a really fed up driver.