While driving up Foothills yesterday afternoon travelling in the right lane, I glance in the mirror and see this white Ford P/U coming up fast on the left driving all over the road. The driver flies by me crossing over the center line, over into my lane and suddenly slows down. I catch up, pass on the right and glance over at the lady driver texting a message on her cell phone. I backed off and watched her all the way to Harthighlands turn off, speeding up, slowing down and all over the road. Good thing she never hit anyone or drove into the ditch.

^ I couldn't believe it when I saw a city bus driver chirping away on her cell phone the other day.

My favorite is the Gaurdian Angles traffic controllers. They stop you in the line-up if you are on the cell and let traffic pass by you, to prove as point I assume. But twice now I have gone past them at the new Fraser crossing and they are on the phone! They must have some magical powers given to them when they pass the course.

More on cell phones, it's not unusual to see the folks driving the chip, logging, and transport trucks on their cell phones as well. You would figure that if you were driving such a large vehicle you would want as much reaction time as possible to avoid hitting something or someone.

There are a lot of stupid laws out there, but this is one they should put on the books... anybody caught talking on their cell phone while driving gets slapped with a driving with undue care and attention charge.

Well I know for a fact, at least one of the more reputable chip hauling companies in town have it as company policy, (No cell phone use while driving).
Call it in with a unit #

And the last 4 posters are angels, they would never do anything wrong in a vehicle ;)

My biggest pet peeve about cell phones are the amount of kids you see walking about ..texting...steady..they flip the cover up and back down about every 5 seconds. I actually saw a kid the other day riding his bike and texting at the same time.

These kids dont realize life is passing them by and thier too damn busy ..to notice.

They even sent out notices to primary kids..about bringing cell phones to school!..

northman, your response is a great example of how to miss the point. The point is not whether any of us have ever talked on a cell phone while driving, because I'm sure most of us have. It's dangerous. Period.

I agree that cell phones are out of control!
Especially with kids!
What the hell did we do before we had cell phones?
How did we survive?
It's crazy!
The other day in Boston Pizza at noon,it sound like a telephone exchange!

To use a phrase like 'telephone exchange', or to even understand what a 'telephone exchange' was, dates you Andy.

Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it might explain your disconnection with cell phone culture.

Wonder if theres any counselors out there at the ready jus in case all cell phones decided to just pack-er in one day?

I see some of you have difficulty talking on a phone and driving... Are you capable of talking to a passenger while driving? How about walking and chewing gum? I've heard that can be difficult for some.

Hmmm....you're right Moses!
I AM dating myself!
Actully,cell phones have become a part of my life too,but I can still remember what it was like without them...and we managed just fine!
Cheers!

northman - "And the last 4 posters are angels, they would never do anything wrong in a vehicle ;)"

Not at all- I talk on my cell phone when I'm driving. I'm just surprised that BC Tranit doesn't have a policy against it.

Okay cell phone guys check this one out

Driving to Hooterville the other day I see a small car crossing over lines and not really paying attention. We pass the guy and he is watching a movie on his laptop and also had a blackberry headset on!

A lady on the bypass is driving a 4x4 eating a burger, drives thru a full red on 10th.

A guy with a doggy on his lap, steers with one hand going around a corner, hits the median with his back set of tires.

A blue brand new 350z going a buck eighty along foothills trying to catch one of those crotch rockets.

The list is endless, papers, dogs, eating, cell phones, screaming kids, loud stereos, drunks, druggies, old farts going 20k in a 60k zone, semis running the red at 5th and the bypass.

Why stop at cell phone misuse?

I wonder if people have changed thier driving habits with the soaring price of gas?...we sure do. Anyone else ?

"I see some of you have difficulty talking on a phone and driving... Are you capable of talking to a passenger while driving?"

Based on my observations of some drivers out there, the answer is clearly "no".

Quite often when you see somebody on the road doing something stupid you will see a cell phone attached to their ear.

Yeah, there are other distractions besides cell phones, the moral of the story is "Pay attention and reduce distraction.". Many drivers adopt a very complacent attitude and figure that the other guy will see them.

rambleon...

transit does have a policy on this. apparently its not allowed. note the route and time and call it in.

Have we ever got a lot of information this morning about cell phones.

First off most of us on this site are dated. Who else would have the time to waste on the trivia thats been posted here? Us old guys and stay at home Moms.

So Im old. And I mean old. I dont have to depend on websites and all sorts of url's to make my point. I have lived what ever my topic might be. The young guys need all that stuff and the cell phone to keep them informed and make asses of themselves with all the crap they have gained from their electronic world.

I dont have a problem with cell phones The places I go I rarley see them and most of the time the people that use them are discreet about its use.So liten up and show a little class. As for on the street and the drivers that use them there are many that dont need a cell phone to be dangerous on our streets. Drive defensively. If you dont know how get an old guy to show you.

Cheers

Talking to a passenger doesn't involve using one handed steering, and doesn't involve taking your eyes of the road to punch quarter inch square keys on a teeny tiny keypad.

I don't think cell phones are the problem, I think it is just people who don't know how to stay alert while driving. Poor driving decisions seem to run rampant in this town. When I talk on my cell phone while driving I am aware of the fact that I need to pay special attention to the road.

As ammonra has stated, hand held cell phones as well as push button dialing are most definitely a problem. Imagine the poor individuals who have to use a manual gear shift while holding a cell phone to theri ear - shift? steering wheel? cell phone? which will it be?

How about that good advice for defensive driving - keep both hands on the steering wheel.

Talking while driving is common and something the human brain can handle relatively well since the motor movements and associated skill are hardly impacted for most, though not all. It also depends on the intensity of the conversation.

I do not think cell phones are the problem, it is the type of phone that is the problem. Getting one with a single ear piece or speaker and using voice activated dialing would go a long way to improving the situation.

Then there are those who have hearing in only one ear. So what if you do not hear emergency vehicles. Right? Cell phones rule.

We get stats on people wearing seat belts in accidents. Could we get any for cell phones in use while driving?



Now

Change the subject up a bit. What bugs me is contractors or developers that insist on buying the bulk of thier material from out of town without giving locals a chance.
The new hotel (Sandman) for instance. They don't appear to have much local content at all. I used to stay at a Sandman whenever possible but not anymore.
Also, someone said that the seniors home on 20th is being built (components) out of town and shipped here and a lot of the other material is being shipped in. I wonder if the locals where even given a chance. Hopefully they were.

Cellphone use while driving is dangerous and is different than talking to a passenger. You cannot pay attetion to what you are doing while driving with a cellphone glued to your head period.
You may think your the man and it has no effect on your driving ability, but your wrong.

red2b, If you want to support local, don't support the Sandman. The organization always builds their own hotels. They never hire a local contractor. In fact they traditionall go out of their way not to support the local contracting industry. They do nothing for the community they derive their living in.

Thats the Garibaldi's for you....

Studies have shown talking on a cell phone can be as bad as driving impaired. Almost every time I see someone weaving or driving well below the limit, I think they're hammered, pass them, and then find its just another moron who can't HANG UP AND DRIVE!

I see there are still those of you that insist on driving around residential areas of our city with your car stereos pounding all hours of the night and day. I guess you really don't have any consideration about anyone but yourselves.
What is wrong with you?
Did you know that while you are doing this you are disturbing the sleep of a lot of people?
Many of the people in this town are shiftworkers. So it doesn't matter what time of the day or night it is, chances are you are pissing somebody off.
Learn some respect already

As labour becomes scarcer with the increasing age of the population, we will see a rise in the use of prefabing in construction. That was the case with the post war baby boom and was a very dominant constrcution method, and continues to have a larger part in the construction industry in Europe than it does here.

In fact, when you think of it, factory construction is not only labour saving, but also has a better quality control, at least when it is done right.

The construction at the Sandman has been going on forever. Don't know why. At least they are smart enough to use block construction between units. Too much wood for my liking though for that type of building use. Poor quality over time. Might look nice to start, but lower side of median hotel construction to be sure.

Don't forget, we have a prefab contractor here who uses local people to build buildings for elsewhere. Wonder how many units they ship out. Doesn't look like they have a huge plant.

I am hard of hearing and a night owl. Probably do not realize that I am disturbing others.

Love the vibrations though, feel them right through the steering wheel; makes my hands tingle .........

;-)

"Love the vibrations though, feel them right through the steering wheel; makes my hands tingle ........."
Is that from your cell phone vibrating or from your boom box?

Posted by: rambleon on May 23 2008 7:01 AM
I couldn't believe it when I saw a city bus driver chirping away on her cell phone the other day.

Yes it happens all the time and when a bus driver drove through a red light and I got the bus number and time and when I got home and called Pacific Western to let them know what I witnessed I was told that some of the drivers need to be on their cell phones as they are supervisors and could have been communicating with other buses!! to which I inquired why they have radios in the buses then?? no answer and I was told they would speak with the driver in question.

As it says on the linked site ... the price of gasoline depends on government policy - some subsidize it, some sell it at about the true cost to the government, others add minimal tax, and then there are the expensive countries which have been adding "environmental taxes" on for many decades.

http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices

Looks like Brazil is in the ballpark with the USA.

Owl, They pretty much hire mediocre skilled workers to build the building, thus it takes them forever. My six man crew could have done as much as they have with twenty men for the same time it had taken them. It took 2 years to build the Four Points. Its taking them so far 8 months to get this far. I bet it will be 30 months before the doors open. They better start the siding before all that OSB starts to delaminate.

BTW ... those who have been adding on for many decades are the leaders in low energy technology ...... they have been getting ready for the crunch ... we haven't ..

They have not fallen off the edge of the earth into poverty ... far from it .... they will be reaping at least the short term rewards of their policy ....

The simple way out is not generally the best way out of a pending crisis.....

Folks I think it is time to regain control of our police forces and maybe kick the RCMP out of the province. I was reading Paul Willcocks column on tasers. In it he says the RCMP does not accept any civilian oversite and refuses to allow the provincial government to set policies. Just who do these knuckle draggers think they are. I for one think it is time to clip their spurs and send them on their way.

Also it is mentioned that the Transit police refused to testify at the taser inquiry until ordered to do so. Hello knuckle draggers, you are not a power onto yourselves. Folks be careful, its getting dangerous out there, hard to tell who the bad guys are.

Did you ever wonder if the automakers and oil companies are all in cahoots with each other when they determine at what intervals you should change you engine oil?

You can bet that the automakers make sure you change that oil WELL before its reaching its critical point where its losing its lubricity, or the filter is losing its ability to keep it clean --- because its insurance ( that you pay for ) to keep their warranty claims as low as possible !

Has anyone thought about how many million barrels of oil would be saved EVERY DAY if we just added 1000 kms, to the oil change interval in every car in North America, or the world for that matter !!

Horrible thought for the greedy oil barons, but a viable concept to me.

I have run many a vehicle to the 300,000 km mark ( and well beyond ), with oil changes sometimes delayed to almost DOUBLE the recommended interval, and never lost an engine yet !!

"Course, you have to be prepared to deal with denial of warranty claims due to the little "book" not showing oil changes at the proper intervals, but there's nothing in the rules saying you can't change your own oil. Let 'em prove you didn't !!

Palomino

Great conpiracy theory, but new vehicles are actually scheduled for oil changes further apart than they were 10 years ago, from what I can tell.

I agree Seamutt!
Time to reign in the RCMP and put them back where they belong!
They are not god, even though they have been allowed to think they are!
I blame the upper reaches of the RCMP,not the guy's out on the streets,but in many cases,they are over due for a tune up as well!
The hiring of a civilian boss to oversee them, has been a complete failure!
I also believe policy should be set in conjunction with the government.
When I look at the number of inquests,coroners inquiry's,and court cases stemming from accusations against the RCMP, where they are almost NEVER found at fault,something just doesn't add up!

...and isn't it ironic how can suggest a manufacturer should warranty the operation of its vehicles regardless of whether or not you followed the recommended servicing schedule!

On the subject of oil gouging, has anyone checked out the "magnetic motor" sites on You Tube?

Maybe there's hope for us "little Guys" yet !!

No fuel, no oil, runs for up to 400 years. Boy, do I ever hope this technology is on the up and up !!

The fat cats in the oil baron offices are gonna try to squash this one pronto !!

palomino

I just read the article on the 'police' raiding the wrong house ..full swat gear, masks and high caliber rifles ...

I know the people in the home at the time probably didn't see the humor I saw ..:)

Just another example of our police system.

From my understanding..its takes longer to certified as a hairdresser..than to be a police officer.

Hello all :)

Palomino you may be interested in "The Electric Car" great movie. Supports the "conspiracy theory" regarding oil, car manufacturers. Well made, full of factual info - imo.

Cell phones while driving: get a headset if u need to yap!

Boomboxs and woofers outta be outlawed! Same with the noisy refabed motorcyles rumbling all over town...my ears are still ringing --- maybe I should answer them ;)

Gas Prices: liked Ben's commentary! I think the prob is the govt "can't" do anything because they gifted the land in question. Not much land that belongs to the people anymore.

I agree seamutt: scary times...wish peeps would take their blinders off and see how our rights and freedoms are sneakily being eroded. Not just with tasers either.

Have a great weekend everyone :)

tinyapplecork

diesel whent to $1.47 at esso today
was $1.399 yesterday

rambleon -- you obviously missed the whole point of the concept of what I was suggesting, but lets take it down to that level for discussion anyway.

If the equivalent of a trip to Vancouver from PG, causes engine failure or warranty claims in your car, because you should have changed your oil before you left, then by all means -- make sure you change that oil --- you're driving a car that's gonna leave you stranded somewhere pretty quick and of course you'll want warranty to cover it.

Most cars are not quite that sensitive, and you can bet there's lots of room for error built into every warranty policy, but selling oil to people who are dumping perfectly good oil down the drain (figuratively speaking), I suppose keeps the lights on in a lot of businesses, and keeps the economy afloat, so we'll just have to bend over and keep taking it as usual from the oil barons.

I wonder how it'd play out if I took oil samples for analysis on a regular basis, like the commercial truckers do, and only changed it when the sample said it was time to do so! I've done this for years on my big rigs, and was very surprised at the results. If the engine was in good shape, the samples were coming back "good for another 100 hours", well beyond the recommended change interval. When you're paying six to eight bucks a litre, and the engine takes 38 litres plus a couple of filters to change it, you'd better believe you want to know if you're throwing away perfectly good oil or not.

Anyway, I doubt I'm gonna change the world here, but when the world consumption of oil (at $135.00 a barrel) is something close to 80 million barrels A DAY, even if everybody went as little as 100 miles longer before changing their oil in their vehicles, the savings in world oil consumption could be staggering !! Sooner or later we're going to have to find ways to cut back, whether we like it or not !! The demand for oil is already over output, and the old oilfields are all being depleted to the point where producers have had to cut back production.

This is what's driving the price over the top, and we ain't seen nothin' yet !! Two years from now you're gonna be wishing gas was still $1.30 and "cheap"!!

Just make sure you don't change that oil "before its time" !

palomino

Do you really think the people who talk on cell phones while driving or have dogs on their laps, or text message etc.....are good drivers to begin with? Not a chance. Bottom line is this, I'm a roadstar, never had an accident in my life, for a reason, I pay attention when I drive and I don't drive like a moron. I don't weave in and out of traffic but I most definitely do not always obey the speed limit. I drive and talk on my cell phone all the time and never have a problem. Learn to drive properly and master that art before making an attempt to multitask while driving.