Vancouver residents fed up with crosswalk-blocking drivers | Daily Hive

Tim Yu/Facebook

Vancouver residents are sharing their opinions about some potentially dangerous situations involving drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

We’ve all been there: you’re about to cross the road at a designated crosswalk in Vancouver, and a car is blocking the way, forcing you to wait or to walk in front of it haphazardly.

A Facebook group dedicated to bad drivers in Metro Vancouver has riled up a horde of concerned residents who are directing their ire at drivers who commit such driving sins.

“This nonsense happens far too regularly. Blocking pedestrians, a cycle lane, and car traffic because you’re too selfish to wait,” said the original Facebook poster.

The post led to hundreds of comments, with most people agreeing with the sentiments.

“Pedestrians should be allowed to walk over cars obstructing crosswalks,” one Facebook user said.

One of the group members tried to reason that sometimes it’s not always the driver’s fault.

“Sometimes a person misjudges the traffic, or it was moving and a pedestrian or another car stops the flow ahead instead of the traffic flow being predictable,” they said.

Others weren’t buying that excuse.

“Nah. I’m not letting drivers off the hook. Driving is a paid for privilege and a moral obligation to pay attention and drive with caution,” someone said in response.

“Stop making excuses, do better, people,” someone else said.

Another user described a similar situation, which many have likely experienced.

“This happens on my street all the time. It’s pretty much a daily occurrence during rush hour. The traffic will back up and someone will be stuck in the crosswalk. Then the next 3 idiots behind them will keep going and get stuck completely blocking the intersection,” they said.

Thousands are injured on a yearly basis

Last month, ICBC put out some footage of the dangers of this nature that pedestrians and cyclists face on a daily basis. ICBC says that nearly 4,000 pedestrians and cyclists are injured every year, and that most of those crashes occur at intersections, often at the hands of Vancouver drivers.

“We all deserve to stay safe on our roads, and we’re asking drivers to slow down, stay focused and watch for others,” ICBC road safety manager Kathleen Nadalin said in a release.

ICBC isn’t the only group trying to raise awareness around road safety for cyclists and pedestrians. Over the past year, Vision Zero Vancouver has ramped up its awareness campaigns about road safety for pedestrians and folks travelling on bicycles.

We also spoke to a Vancouver mom in the fall who was fed up with close calls with drivers, fearing for the safety of her children, calling drivers in the city flat out “terrible.”

Have you witnessed a rise in any bad behaviour from drivers, like late left turners? What about cyclists or pedestrians? Let us know in the comments.

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