Montreal City Weblog

Kate 07:39 on 2019-05-31 Permalink Reply  

• Etienne 08:01 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  I had to follow one of these road safety last year to avoid a bicycle ticket (breezes through empty intersection with stop)
  At the time i was happy not to have to pay, but I looking back I am annoyed that as peds and cyclists, where are ticketed for not « behaving » when our behaviour is 0.01% likely to cause any deaths.. (except maybe ours)

  Enforcement should be done ON MOTORISTS.

• Kate 08:15 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  I know. I mean, it’s not like I don’t know I’m technically not supposed to cross on the red, but if there’s no traffic in any direction, I feel like a stooge just standing there.

• Tim S. 08:46 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Everyone in Montreal behaves badly. For example, at intersections with pedestrian-only phases, pedestrians often cross on the car phases, which causes turning cars to be stuck in the intersection waiting for them to cross, meaning the cars are still there when the light changes and end up going through on the pedestrian phase.
  A few years ago I made of point of complaining frequently to the local police station about their lack of traffic enforcement, and realized that once they got to know me, they’d probably love nothing better than to catch me jaywalking and give me a lecture about how I’m no better myself. So ever since I have scrupulously obeyed all signals, often feeling like “a stooge” as Kate said. But be the change you want and all that.

• Daniel 09:06 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Where to even begin with this…

  I do know I’d like to see some stats on how many motorists are sent for road safety training compared to cyclists and people on foot.

  It’s arguably commendable the authorities want to protect walkers from harm by better educating them, but really this is just a form of victim blaming.

  This approach is easier than having a greater focus on educating motorists and improving infrastructure to make crossings safer for people on foot. They’re just going for the sparse low hanging fruit here; It’s lazy.

  I could rant an essay on this topic!

• Chris 09:16 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Tim, you’re right that everyone technically breaks many aspects of the highway code. But Etienne is also right that the consequences of these violations is vastly different.

  I too “be the change you want to see in the world” and as such I jaywalk when there’s no one else and it’s safe, I practice Idaho Stop, etc. Because the highway code should change to allow these things!

• DeWolf 09:32 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Chris is right that the highway code needs to change to adapt to the realities of active transportation. Only once have I ever encountered someone in Montreal who came a full and complete stop on her bicycle at every stop sign. Needless to say everyone passed her when the had the chance. Most cyclists practice an Idaho stop (slow down, make sure the coast is clear, glide through) and for good reason. There are streets like St-Viateur that have stop signs every 150 metres. If a cyclist followed the law at every one of those they’d have no energy to continue cycling.

• John B 09:54 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  > There are streets like St-Viateur that have stop signs every 150 metres.

  And that’s where the bike paths get put. See Maisonneuve vs. Sherbrooke. Cars get lights and a through route. Bikes get stop signs every few pedal strokes.

• walkerp 10:10 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Having a six year-old child works wonders for improving your behaviour at lights and cross walks. 🙂 Both because you want to set the right example, but also because they will start calling you out on it immediately and consistently like a little policeperson right by your side.

• Ian 13:30 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Haha indeed! This even backfired on my wife once, who inadvertantly taught our youngest daughter that it’s ok to jaywalk of there aren’t any cops… she meant if there isn’t any traffic, but children see things differently.

  @johnB there aren’t bike paths on St. V, just on the north-south streets. Saint V is a mess of car, pedestrian, bicycle, and delivery traffic.

  @deWolf, yes, I see bicyclists blazing through the stop signs on St. V every day, it is incredibly dangerous and a bad example for everyone. Give me a break on keeping up your steam, it’s one of the flattest roads around, people are just being impatient. I’ve seen people getting into all kinds of conundrums, but bicyclists ignoring stop signs are a real danger to themselves and others in this high traffic multipurpose area – just yesterday my kid’s crossing guard had to yell at a cyclist for ignoring their instructions to stop as we were walking home from her school, and I see cyclists ignoring the stop signals on school buses every single day, especially as in my neighbourhood there are school buses 6 days a week for the Hassidic kids.

  Mile End is a real mess, and cyclists thinking stop signs of all types are optional for them because they are somehow more righteous than cars, trucks, or pedestrians doesn’t help a bit. I’ve actually had more road raging bicyclists get up in my face when I call them out than car drivers – and I call out both regularly!

• Chris 19:57 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Ian, define “blaze through stop signs”. Cyclists are well aware that they are the dead ones if they collide with a car. (Almost) never will a cyclist fly through an intersection blind, without looking first if they’re gonna get killed. Cyclists are higher up than motorists and see things motorists can’t. It’s like a car going 40 in a 30 zone, if they think they can do it reasonably safely (road width, visibility, etc.), they’ll do it despite knowing it’s illegal.

  I’m certainly not saying that cyclists are angelic, but I am saying they are no more scofflaw than motorists.

  Everyone should follow the golden rule: if it’s not your right of way, yield! But if no one else is in the intersection, then by all means jaywalk, Idaho stop, etc.

• Ian 22:09 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  I mean just go through stops like they aren’t there, ignoring pedestrians. And yes, they really are worse about it than cars, including passing stopped school buses, ignoring crossing guards, et cetera. I’m guessing you don’t spend much time on Saint Viateur, Bernard, or Fairmount …or are seeing the world through a very partisan lens. This is my neighbourhood, I spend most of my time here on foot. Trust me that I don’t have any special love for non-pedestrians be they cars, trucks, bikes, scooters, segways (yes segways) or whatever.

• Ian 22:14 on 2019-05-31 Permalink

  Also worth noting I’ve never seen a motorist going the wrong way down my street with no lights at night, no hands, checking their cell phone. I saw three people do that on bikes over the last summer while I was sitting on my stoop. I call bullshit on bicyclists having some inherent sense of safety based on their vulnerability.

• qatzelok 19:14 on 2019-06-01 Permalink

  Automobile drivers kill thousands of Canadians every year. When killers start moralizing, it’s time to close your ears. Cars are not camparable to bikes. Cars are like cigarettes, and bikes are like apples.

• Ian 22:17 on 2019-06-01 Permalink

  As a pedestrian I’d say cars are like cigars and bikes are like cigarettes but whatever. Thanks for your well-=reasoned input as always.