What is the difference between a crosswalk and a pedestrian crossover?

To kick off the first ever Pedestrian Safety Month, let’s discuss the traditional crosswalk vs the new pedestrian crossover. 

The standard crosswalk is found at an intersection. Motorists do not have to wait for pedestrians to cross the full width before proceeding.

A pedestrian crossover, on the other hand, can be found at any stretch of roadway, not necessarily at an intersection, generally in areas where pedestrians would benefit from a controlled crosswalk but there is not enough traffic to warrant a traffic light. At a crossover, motorists must wait for pedestrians to cross the full width of the road before proceeding.

Some of the features of a pedestrian crossover are:

Always have “ladder” style stripes that mark the crossing area.

Always have roadside signage that says “Stop for Pedestrians”.

Always have pavement markings to show where cars and/or cyclists must stop.

Sometimes have lights or overhead signage.

There are four types of pedestrian crossovers. Spot the differences:

On my first crack at this, the difference I saw was in the cars that were stopped.  One is a BMW, one is a Mercedes and one is a Chrysler minivan.

The actual differences in the crossovers themselves is as follows: 

(from Oakville.ca and mto.on.ca)

Type D:

• Lines that mark the crossing area
• Clear place for motorists and cyclists to stop
• Roadside signs

Type C:  Same as Type D but with added flashing lights, activated by pedestrian.

Type B:  Same as Type C but with added overhead signs.

Type A:  From what I can see, this one also has warning signs such as the X painted on the road and X on the overhead signs.  Although, it does not have the ladder-style painted stripes nor the teeth that tell you where to stop.

It seems that some places are trying to grab the attention of motorists even more by painting the stripes on the road as a 3-D illusion.  Is it effective, or too distracting? 

For me it combines two things I like, optical illusions and public art.

Myths about driving in Canada

Myth #1:  It is illegal to drive wearing flip-flops. 

There is no law that states what you need to wear on your feet while driving.  You can even drive barefoot if you want.  Heck, there’s not even a law that says you need to wear clothes.  But keep in mind that if you are driving and your flip flop gets stuck under your brake pedal and causes an accident, you will have more than just the fashion police to deal with.

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Myth #2:  If you get pulled over and you don’t have your driver’s license with you, you have 24 hours to produce it. 

You don’t.  You need to have it with you.  If you don’t have it on you to show the police, they can choose to not charge you if there is another way for them to look you up, which depends on your province and the resources they have on hand.  If they are lenient, they may give you time to get your license, but they don’t need to.

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Myth #3:  It is illegal to drive with a cracked windshield. 

Regardless of the length of the crack or the percentage of the windshield that is cracked, it is not the crack itself that is illegal, it is the result that should concern you.  If the crack is in a place that reduces your visibility, then that is a safety concern and is just as illegal as anything else that reduces visibility.  Also, since the windshield is important in the structural integrity of the vehicle, having a crack in it compromises this even if it is not obstructing your view.

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Myth #4:  Traffic laws are not enforceable on private property. 

In Ontario and Quebec the Highway Traffic Act does not apply on private property so yes, you could drive through a stop sign in a parking lot and not get a ticket, but the signs are there to protect pedestrians and others to move harmoniously in the area.  In addition, avoiding the traffic laws still does not make one immune to the federal criminal code, and depending on what you are trying to pull, you could be in violation of a federal law such as dangerous driving or mischief.  In Alberta the traffic safety act applies to private property as well. 

Five car noises you shouldn’t ignore

If you hear a chirping sound, you either have a pulley misalignment or your serpentine belt might be worn.  Unless you’re listening to Colt Ford’s “Cricket on a Line”

(photo courtesy of iStock photo)

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Unless you are listening to 2 Chainz “4 AM” Ft. Travis Scott, a clicking sound when turning a corner usually indicates that you need to replace your CV joint.

(photo courtesy of oards.com)

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Unless you’re listening to “Der Tod Ist Ein Dandy” by Einstürzende Neubauten, if you hear a squeaking sound when slowing down, your brake pads are wearing down and need replacement.

(photo courtesy of mdxers.org)

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If you waited too long to replace your brake pads, you will hear a harsh grinding sound.  This means the pads are worn right down and you are scratching your rotors with the backing plate.  Unless you are listening to “<shutdown.exe>” by 3Teeth.

(photo courtesy of https://ricksfreeautorepairadvice.com/grinding-noise-when-braking/ .  This site is also a good resource for an actual rundown of what could be causing the sound)

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Unless you are listening to “Bike” by Pink Floyd, that siren is the sound of a police car pulling you over.    

(photo courtesy of Ontario Provincial Police)

What’s the meaning behind these car logos?

Audi

Audi AG is the result of a 1932 merger of four automobile companies: Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer. The four interlocking rings of the Audi logo represent the coming together of these four companies.

(Source: Audi.com)

Toyota

Toyota introduced its new logo in 1989 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. It is comprised of 3 ellipses. The two inner ellipses represent the heart of the company and the heart of the customer. The fact that they overlap symbolizes the sharing of the same values and mutual trust. Together they form the letter T. The outer ellipse represents the world embracing Toyota, who was expanding to new markets at the time. The negative space represents endless possibilities, and the varying thicknesses in the ovals is a nod to the calligraphic nature of Japanese writing.

Source: Toyota.com, Toyota.co.uk

BMW

It’s an aircraft propeller. But it’s not. But it still kinda is. Bayerische Motoren Werke, or Bavarian Motor Works in English, arose from the renaming of aircraft engine company Rapp Motorenwerke. It is widely believed that the white and blue inside the circle represent propellers on a blue sky background. The original intent of the emblem design was simply to represent the state colours of Bavaria, but a 1929 advertisement showed the BMW logo superimposed onto spinning airplane propellers, which led people to associate the logo with propellers. Another similar photo in 1942 reinforced this connection, and there was no reason to dispel the myth that this was the original thought process for the emblem design.

Source: BMW.com

Volvo

Not just for men.  In 1926, the automobile company was formed, and used a logotype that included the name VOLVO inside the ancient symbol for iron, a circle with an arrow pointing diagonally to the upper right.  Although this is also the male symbol, the intent was to convey the strength and durability of iron. 

(Source:  volvoclub.org.uk)

Škoda

The black inner circle represents 100 years of history, the wings represent speed and movement, the arrow represents precision, and the colour green demonstrates their commitment to the environment.

(Source:  skoda-auto.co.in)

Subaru

The big star in the Subaru logo represents Fuji Heavy Industries, and the five smaller stars represent the five companies that merged with FHI to form what is now Subaru Corporation.  The alignment of the stars in the Subaru logo represent the constellation Pleiades, or in Japanese, Subaru.

(Source:  Subaru.ca)

Jaguar

Whether you pronounce it with two syllables or three, Jaguar’s logo is, well…. a jaguar.

(Source:  me)