A crash on the Pandora Avenue bike corridor is a harsh reminder that drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have to travel defensively. That old advice is even more important as everyone gets used to the city鈥檚 new separated bike lanes.
On Monday, a cyclist on Pandora had just ridden through the Vancouver Street intersection on a green light when a van, attempting to pull into the McDonald鈥檚 parking lot, stopped across the bike path. The cyclist braked, but went over his handlebars and hit the van. His shoulder was separated and cartilage was torn.
The rider had the right of way, and a sign warned drivers to yield to cyclists.
Motorists using Pandora 鈥� and Fort Street when its bike corridor is installed 鈥� have to pay attention to signs and road markings. It will take time to become familiar with the new system.
Pedestrians are also having trouble adjusting to the new system. One cyclist had three close calls in one week when pedestrians stepped into the path without looking.
Every day, but particularly while drivers are learning, cyclists and pedestrians must use extra caution.
Driving, cycling or walking, always expect that the other person is going to make a mistake. It might be inattention, unfamiliarity or distraction, but mistakes will happen.
The fact that you have the right of way will be of no help when a car slams into a human body. Whether the driver, cyclist or pedestrian is at fault is of little consequence in that moment.
The term 鈥渄efensive driving,鈥� is words to live by.
They are more valuable today, as road users are bombarded with an array of signs, lights and rules that are often new, on top of the traffic that requires constant attention. Most people can process only a limited amount of information in a short time, and the bike lane presents a new set of challenges.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps says the corridor is well engineered and follows best practices from other cities.
Helps said motorists and cyclists have to remember that green paint on the road means pay attention.
鈥淕reen paint is a signal to slow down and pay attention,鈥� Helps said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an engineering standard now across North America that green paint is a conflict zone on the pavement.鈥�
This 鈥渆ngineering standard鈥� will come as news to the vast majority of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, who have been taught since childhood to understand that red means danger, amber means caution and green means safe.
That colour system is used on everything from traffic lights to safety labels.
Training us that green on the pavement means something different from green everywhere else is going to be a challenge.
Indeed, the engineers who conceived this idea and the cities that signed on to it should be taken to the woodshed. It needlessly encourages potentially lethal misunderstanding.
Pity the poor tourist, who in addition to all these sensory inputs, is also trying to navigate an unfamiliar city.
It鈥檚 one more reason for those of us who live here to use the roads and sidewalks as if everyone else is a split second away from making a fatal error.
