New Ontario Crossover Law

[Big Guy]

As of January 1st, a new law in Ontario indicates drivers and cyclists must now stop and yield the whole pedestrian crossover until the person is completely off the roadway. This rule also applies at school crossings where there is a crossing guard holding a stop sign. However, the new law does not apply at crosswalks, unless a school crossing guard is present.

http://globalnews.ca/news/2431309/new-rules-at-pedestrian-crossovers-and-school-crossings-in-ontario/

While the idea sounds good it may be very difficult to enforce - unless there are cameras in the intersection.

There are a number of other new changes taking place as of Jan 1 2016

http://globalnews.ca/news/2415214/new-ontario-regulation-and-fee-changes-come-into-effect-jan-1/

Anybody have problems with these changes?

[Boges]

Probably very difficult to enforce. Unless of course cops are having trouble hitting their quota for the month.

[Moonlight Graham]

Pretty minor changes. Crossovers aren't crosswalks, they aren't super common. The most I see crossovers is outside airport terminals, where cops are usually parked, so enforcement can be easier there.

[overthere]

Thats been the law in AB forever. You have to wait until the person on the marked crosswalk has reached the far curb, unless there is a median on the road.

It is not harder to enforce than other traffic laws, if you are observed breaking it the cop writes it up.

The purpose is simple: to try to keep people from blowing past stopped cars when a pedestrian is still on the roadway and vulnerable. The idea is that if you see a stopped car on the road, it should alert your brain.

[eyeball]

I think the idea is that too many pedestrians that see a car crossing the crosswalk in front of them will pause thereby exposing them to the danger of lingering in the crosswalk zone.

I think one of the worst things you see around crosswalks is when someone uses the shoulder to blow past a stopped car on it's right side.

Edited January 4, 2016 by eyeball

[Topaz]

A program I was listening to was talking about the self-driving or driverless auto and the person pointed out in his opinion that if this auto catches on that in 20 years, the unemployment will be sky high because there won't be a need for a drivers and he also said if this happen to cars then wait till it transfers to 18 wheels causing more unemployment, so in other words tech. will put people out of work. Thoughts?

[Boges]

A program I was listening to was talking about the self-driving or driverless auto and the person pointed out in his opinion that if this auto catches on that in 20 years, the unemployment will be sky high because there won't be a need for a drivers and he also said if this happen to cars then wait till it transfers to 18 wheels causing more unemployment, so in other words tech. will put people out of work. Thoughts?

Isn't that always the case though? The internet is eliminating entire industries. Cars must have destroyed the horse industry.

[Guest]

A program I was listening to was talking about the self-driving or driverless auto and the person pointed out in his opinion that if this auto catches on that in 20 years, the unemployment will be sky high because there won't be a need for a drivers and he also said if this happen to cars then wait till it transfers to 18 wheels causing more unemployment, so in other words tech. will put people out of work. Thoughts?

Isn't that always the case though? The internet is eliminating entire industries. Cars must have destroyed the horse industry.

This is always the case. There are far fewer blacksmiths and wheel rights these days, though there are far more web designers and auto workers. Completely autonomous vehicles should also lead to fewer vehicles owned per capita. That will mean fewer manufacturing jobs and drivers but also far more power workers as we generate the electricity needed to power these vehicles locally and new positions we haven't dreamed of yet.

[overthere]

The internet

Is just a fad anyway.

[eyeball]

Isn't that always the case though? The internet is eliminating entire industries. Cars must have destroyed the horse industry.

How is that the pry-my-reins-from-my-dead-cold-fingers crowd didn't manage to prevent the development of cars?

I imagine they must have put up some kind of resistance.

[Boges]

How is that the pry-my-reins-from-my-dead-cold-fingers crowd didn't manage to prevent the development of cars?

I imagine they must have put up some kind of resistance.

I'm not sure how accurate it is but there's a show I've been watching called The Knick. It's set in turn of the century New York and an Ambulance driver buy upgrades his ambulance from a horse drawn carriage to an electric ambulance. It seemed the initial cars being electric weren't as reliable as horses.

They imply that the introduction of gasoline changed all that. The petroleum industry was suffering because people were using electricity to light their homes and not kerosene lanterns.

Obviously not having to keep horses is much more efficient and likely cheaper than owning a petroleum car.

[eyeball]

That's why I contend that googling up a car from the local car co-op will be the way to go. Car ownership is a big costly inefficient hassle for most people. And as always, I can't wait until I can get one with a bar.

I notice California will be requiring that drivers of automated cars will still need to be able to take control of an automated vehicle in the event of a problem. I can see this resulting in all sorts of accidents and even disasters in the clash between two radically different modes of transportation on the same roads. I suppose there must have been a bunch of disasters involving buggies and cars back in the day too.

Imagine a horse suddenly bolting or turning into on-coming traffic due to being startled by a backfiring car or a driverless car suddenly swerving to avoid a cat that startled the 'driver' into suddenly taking control. Driver distraction will take on a whole new meaning. Crosswalks could become even more dangerous places for pedestrians.

Sooner or later, human driven vehicles will go the way of horses.

Edited January 6, 2016 by eyeball

[The_Squid]

Will these automated cars tow my boat and back it down the ramp for me...?

[eyeball]

I don't see why not.

Besides which most guys are probably dying to crack a cold one by then so...probably best to just leave it to the robots.

[Boges]

I notice California will be requiring that drivers of automated cars will still need to be able to take control of an automated vehicle in the event of a problem. I can see this resulting in all sorts of accidents and even disasters in the clash between two radically different modes of transportation on the same roads. I suppose there must have been a bunch of disasters involving buggies and cars back in the day too.

Imagine a horse suddenly bolting or turning into on-coming traffic due to being startled by a backfiring car or a driverless car suddenly swerving to avoid a cat that startled the 'driver' into suddenly taking control. Driver distraction will take on a whole new meaning. Crosswalks could become even more dangerous places for pedestrians.

Sooner or later, human driven vehicles will go the way of horses.

The reason for this is that it's hard to program common sense. Traffic laws aren't absolute but automated cars tend not to break traffic laws ever.

http://www.thestar.com/business/2015/12/18/driverless-cars-key-flaw-they-obey-the-law.html

[eyeball]

This doesn't surprise me at all. I've long taken the position humans will need to be taken completely out of the equation. They'll have to switch the the whole system in one go and as such I think we're still decades from ever doing so.

The only real reason we'll have to wait is because of the dead-cold-hands crowd - it's strictly a political problem that no amount of technology can address.

Edited January 6, 2016 by eyeball

[Boges]

This doesn't surprise me at all. I've long taken the position humans will need to be taken completely out of the equation. They'll have to switch the the whole system in one go and as such I think we're still decades from ever doing so.

The only real reason we'll have to wait is because of the dead-cold-hands crowd - a problem that no amount of technology can address.

We going to have automated planes and ships too? Transportation all run by computers? It's decades away because you'd have to force everyone to buy a new car in a single day, it's not going to happen. Cars and Horse drawn carriages could drive on the same road for awhile for decades in fact.

[eyeball]

We going to have automated planes and ships too? Transportation all run by computers? It's decades away because you'd have to force everyone to buy a new car in a single day, it's not going to happen. Cars and Horse drawn carriages could drive on the same road for awhile for decades in fact.

I know. Throw the issue of the moral imperative to produce on top of automation and the end of the age labour as we know it and we'll be in this pickle for at least a couple of generations.

As for crosswalks...I suggest we either put them all underground or build over top of the road.

[Boges]

Who needs Robot cars.

http://nerdist.com/drones-for-people-to-ride-in-ehang-184-ces-2016/

[eyeball]

I saw that. That's way cool alright.