The ramp from pine centre onto highway 97 is a yield, not a merge.
I’ve been cut off too many times to count.
Pay attention!

It’s not the intersections that are the problem.
Locations 1-6 are indicators of where incompetence visits most.

I’d like to see accident rates normalized by the rate of traffic flow. That would give an idea of the intrinsic accident-proneness of the intersections. Raw accident rates to a large extent just reflect the amount of traffic through the intersection.

Just about every time I’m at Hwy 16 and 97 I see someone running a red light, especially the left hand advances.

One of the reasons for these crash numbers is sheer volume of traffic. I used to use Hwy 16 to commute to work and it is terrible, very busy. I have since moved….

I am going to use this platform to complain about a young man driving a motorcycle last night with a young girl on the back of it. He weaved in and out of traffic on the Hart Highway at a high rate of speed. I had my turn signal on to change lanes and he came up on me so fast that I almost hit him. When I honked and “waved” the young girl on the back looked shocked. I beg of her to demand her driver to slow down. Fine if he wants to kill himself but to take another life with him is just wrong.

Perhaps it is time to revisit the Sintich / boundary extension and get the bridge in over the Fraser to connect Blackwater to highway 97S…

I agree with Rogerwaters as I have come close hitting vehicles exiting the Pine Ctr by Target or former Zellers. Its a YIELD sign and not Merge.

Maybe it’s time to stop handing out driver’s licenses like they’re candy at hallowe’en.

Don’t know how to merge and or yield? No license for you! No idea what “keep right except to pass” means? No license for you! No idea what your vehicle’s signals are for? No license for you! Like to yap on your phone while driving? No license for you!

The list goes on and on.

I also do not like the merge?(yield) coming off 97 to 16E as with the new alignment it is hard to see the all traffic coming down Hwy 16.

I continue to be astounded at the number of drivers who run red lights at intersections. It’s these drivers who are causing the collisions. It seems that a yellow light means “speed up” so you can run the red light to alot of people in PG. Wake up people!!

I think red light crashes or running would be reduced if drivers had more warning of a light change. Have the lights operate something like this, green, flashing yellow, steady yellow, red.

I have noticed for example at Domano and 16 there are warning lights if heading east but no warning lights heading west. Heading west lots of skid marks, heading east very few as drivers have warning of a pending light change.

This could be done at minimal cost by just reprograming existing lights.

This system would allow a driver more opportunity to scan an intersection instead of having to fixate on the light.

I so agree axman, well said, especially the “keep right except to pass”
On my way to work coming down the Hart the other day a lady in a blue truck “waved” at me because I was on her butt in the left lane as she did 50! First of all it is a 70 zone but if you really want to go that slow MOVE OVER!

not to mention how many people that don’t understand the difference between a yield and a merge.

It may be those drivers who do not know whether they can stop in time when they see a yellow light light up 50 feet in front of them at a 60kph speed limit, or it may be those who at 200 feet from the signals at a 50kph speed limit are gunning it who are “running” a red light. Everyone has their own definition of that term and everyone has a different level of driving skills and reaction time and opportunities to see how close the car behind is following them.

I have never been involved with such a collision, nor have I ever been a witness to one. I do know one thing for sure. I tend to drive defensively, especially at signalized intersections. I follow the old adage to look both ways before crossing a road – whether a pedestrian or driving a vehicle. I do not blindly follow green lights as they just turn from red to green. I look both ways to see if someone is coming through, especially, these days, truck trailer units. It takes two to cause a collision. Many can be prevented by everyone driving with a bit more care and attention.
==================================

That yield at the Pine Centre should be turned into a merge. There is plenty of room to do that. Looking over one’s shoulder to spot oncoming traffic from behind that is typically not that easily seen in side and rearview mirrors is not the safest thing in the world.

Again, a defensive driver on 97 should move to the outside lane if it is free in order to allow the yielding driver to access the inside lane.

I am curious to know where 17th and 20th avenues intersect????

ahh I see … Carney/20th and Massey/Winnipeg/17th ….

Whomever designed that street naming system was smoking some serious weed…

“hello 911 whats your emergency?”
ya theres a car wreck on Massey and Carney
“Sir those streets do not intersect … do you mean 20 and 17 ave?”

No because no time ever do avenues intersect on another!!!!

hey bowzone, if you think the city street naming system is messed up, you should check out the room numbering system at CNC (wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you Gus ;-> ? )

I’ll bite …..

If I recall corectly, I came up with the room numbering system ……

It is quite simple actually, works in a similar way as house numbering systems based on the connecting corridors, rather than streets.

When one looks at a plan of the college, then it becomes obvious that there is the main east-west corridor plus corridors which run perpendicular to that. When looking at that grid, there are “blocks” surrounded by east-west corridors and north-south corridors. Each block has its own numbers.

http://www.cnc.bc.ca/exploring/services/facilities_services/map_booklet.htm

It is a commonly used system for complex buildings which grow/change over time.

I started with blocks 100, 200,300,400,500 and 800. Notice there is no 600 since that allows for a block to be added. Could have gone with even one side of the east-west corridor and odd on the other side ….. but, I did not and am losing sleep over it every night … LOL

So …. room 1-301 … is first level, in 300 block, room 01 …. which is the theatre.

If you need a guide … it’ll be $75/hour …. ;-)

For anyone who has problems with street naming systems and streets taking on different names from intersection to intersection, do not bother travelling in Europe in large cities such as Paris.

What I have seen on a few occasions is a big chip truck (or other big truck) running the red, and right behind is one or two cars presumably not able to see the light because they’re following very closely.

“I have noticed for example at Domano and 16 there are warning lights if heading east but no warning lights heading west”

The warning is for heavy trucks because it’s on the down hill and the actual lights aren’t visible until you come around the curve.

“I continue to be astounded at the number of drivers who run red lights at intersections. It’s these drivers who are causing the collisions”

Defensive drivers don’t rush out into any intersection before ensuring it is safe to proceed.

gus … good on you … you are still a good sport about it all after these many years :-) … I always understood your system … was ongoing amusement to watch new students try to figure it out every fall though .. similar to watching people trying to get their head around Third ave disappearing into Fifth, etc. … depends on perspective for understanding

My understanding is that speeding is still the number one factor in these accidents … quite simple really, slow down, give yourself a moment … will the world really end if you miss a light or have to wait another a few vehicles to turn left or merge? your blood pressure might go down a few points also ….instead of stewing about who is in the left lane and do they really belong there …

the cup is half full … enjoy your day

“Again, a defensive driver on 97 should move to the outside lane if it is free in order to allow the yielding driver to access the inside lane”

Don’t you mean the inside lane then the ouside lane?

If I am in the outside lane at the Pine Center exit and planning on turning west on 16, thats the lane I’m staying in because theres not enough room between those two points to be lane hopping.

“My understanding is that speeding is still the number one factor in these accidents”

Thats what they’d have you believe.

I’m with Interceptor: Plan a by pass bridge from Sintich to Hwy 16 west/ Blackwater RD and call it NO More Tangles Bridge

I’m thinking that bypass system won’t ever actually happen. Too much business lost due to people driving right on by.

“I agree with Rogerwaters as I have come close hitting vehicles exiting the Pine Ctr by Target or former Zellers. Its a YIELD sign and not Merge”

Good ole PG! I still remember getting cutoff by people who were supposed to be yielding at that spot, only to have them stop dead in front of me in the actual merge lane at 16/97 heading West while they waited for all traffic to clear, LOL.

“If you think the city street naming system is messed up, you should check out the room numbering system at CNC”

Such fond memories I have of sitting in Lib 1-308A and B :)

Dragon: “I’m thinking that bypass system won’t ever actually happen. Too much business lost due to people driving right on by.”

Agreed. I remember a proposal in Quesnel some years ago and the downtown businesses rallied against it.

Quesnel remains the worst town to drive through on Highway 97.

gus: “If I recall corectly, I came up with the room numbering system ……”

You did? This explains a lot. :-)

a new bypass? – really? .. with a declining population in the North and a static population in PG for the past 30 years, it may be a little hard to justify a bypass to accommodate waiting at a light or two … I accept that commercial traffic has increased over the years but not enough to justify another bridge over the Fraser

If you want to see a weird numbering system, try the Harvard system for library books. Rumor has it that it is by height of author, but nobody really knows….

There is lots of traffic on HW16 going right through the city and I have seen some drivers with no map getting confused heading towards Terrace in the middle of town. They can construct a bypass for HW16 on the east of Fraser connecting it to the HW97 and divert the vehicles with heavy load to take that direction.

Contrary to what “anotherside” has to say, have you ever looked around PG and noticed the spread of distances in this city? and did you notice that there are 3 bridges to the Hart Hwy, 1 bridge hwy 16 east, 1 bridge hwy 97 south and conjestion from Hwy 16 e/w and hwy 97 n/s. Relief would possibly build a new bridge that connects with Hwy 16 e and ineffect divert the flow of the 3 or 4 intersections that are considered the worst intersections in PG. I wonder if ICBC would like this outcome?

I wonder if ICBC would like this outcome?

ICBC might like it but they won’t pay for it … and I don’t think the taxpayers of PG can afford it … one highway to the north across one river equals one bridge … one highway to the south across one river equals one bridge … one highway to the east across one river equals one bridge … one highway to the the west up a hill with no river equals no bridge … until there is an economic imperative, the province and the feds won’t be looking to spend any additional money on a new bridge either … not with the Pattello and other bridges in the lower mainland needing replacement and Christy telling us that we need to learn to say NO

It is simple, folks.

There are three bridges across the Nechako and two across the Fraser.

Obviously we need a third bridge across the Fraser …. ;-)

And, like the Foothills Bridge on the western perimeter of the city, we need a bridge on the southern perimeter of the city. The people living there have too far to go to work and to fly out of this community.

Christie will understand completely. :-)

For the cost of a Pattello replacement we can build 10 bridges in the interior.

It is simply a matter of finding out which 10 communities need a bridge, get together with them and lobby jointly.

It is the opposite of divide and conquer …. it is join together and conquer.

Seriously if you don’t think a bypass is needed? Go for a drive up Pedin hill between hours of 3pm and 6pm on any weekday especially in the winter months when truckers think they don’t have to chain up.
….. How many trucks spun out and blocked the hill off in the past 2-3 years or how about the semi almost landing in the Boston Pizza.
It’s only a matter of time before a serious accident involving either a fuel truck or chemical truck on Pedin hill does some serious damage.
I wonder if anyone has considered the increase in traffic with new subdivisions being built around the hwy 16 / Domano area.