In article said:I've noticed how completely enraged car drivers get when I drive the speed limit past a playground
- hey, I can drive! It's stressing and depressing when I get passed while doing 30 k in a 30 k
zone with children playing nearby. Bernie
I see numerous schools have taken to planting their own signs, supplementary to the official
signage. Rows of yellow, soft plastic signs stuck in the grass along the roadside, reminding drivers
to slow down. But I think they look too much like real estate or "open house" signs, for all the
recognition they get.
It appears one criterion for designating bike routes in Vancouver, is proximity to schools. But the
routes often seem to have the unintended consequence of attracting rat runners[*]. So then the City
has to install speed bumps, like along Ontario Street, which is now corrugated with them. I've seen
a few drivers along there bottom-out on them, while desparately and vainly trying to pass me or
other riders. Then they approach the rest of the speed bumps very gingerly.
Interestingly, the speed bumps appear to be so scientifically designed and engineered, that riders
travelling exactly at 30 km/h can comfortably surmount them without having to unweight the saddle
very much, but cars exceeding 30 km/h by even a little bit, get a fairly serious wake-up call.
I'm impressed by the thoughtful design that went into things. They're not just lumps of asphalt. And
they're a lot more effective than a bunch of extra signs.
cheers, Tom
[*] I've heard the term used to describe impatient, shortcut-seeking, car-driving commuters who will
run through the "maze" of side streets to try to lop a few seconds off their commute time.
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