I remember taking my driver’s test a few years back. Okay, more than a few years back. It was in downtown Vancouver in the middle of rush hour and I was nervous. But I was managing to follow the rules and doing okay.
That is, until my instructor/tester told me to make a left turn from a busy thoroughfare onto a side street. I signaled a left turn and stopped, watching the oncoming traffic and looking for a gap. I saw one and decided to make my move.
As I turned the car, I realized there was an old guy walking across that side street. Slowly. I had to stop for him just as a swarm of traffic was coming towards me. I sat there, blocking the oncoming cars, and nervously waited.
Let’s just say the old guy made it to the other side. Of the street, I mean. But me, I failed my driver’s test, though I eventually took it again, and passed.
When I moved to Victoria a couple of years later, life was literally at a different speed. There were a lot of older drivers on the roads who were definitely not in any hurry. But I realize in hindsight they were probably just going the speed limit, or close to it, and I wasn’t used to that.
However, the population of Victoria has boomed in the last couple of decades, as has the amount of traffic that goes along with it. Now we might as well be driving in Vancouver.
The introduction of bike lanes changed the dynamic even more. These days, we have signal lights for pedestrians, signals for cars and for bikes. It takes a little practice to know which one you need to be watching.
Am I in my car, on my bike, or walking? Give me a minute…
The street we live on, which was very quiet when we first moved here, now has heavy traffic every day, especially during rush hour. One of our neighbours actually complained to the city about it.
They put in “traffic calming” measures at one point. That term makes me laugh…you see a lot more enraged drivers when they have to slow down or stop for oncoming traffic because of a boulevard jutting out. Traffic calming my foot.
Now don’t get me wrong. As a pedestrian, I encounter many nice, polite drivers who give me the right of way, and I always smile and wave thank you. But all it takes is one miserable person behind the wheel to ruin my day. Or I’ve ruined his, I suppose.
I want to suggest that these speeders are all young, impatient males, but I’m often surprised to see how many of them are women. And sometimes even “older” women. Everyone’s in such a hurry.
Which brings me to the recent reduction in speed limits in Victoria and Saanich. As a driver, I really have to work at keeping my speed at or just above the maximum, and I do try. But sometimes I’m on automatic (little pun there) and forget how fast I’m going.
When I am keeping to the speed limit, it’s almost a guarantee that I will eventually encounter a tailgater hovering right up behind me. A couple of times I’ve pulled over just to let the idiot pass so I don’t have to worry about being rear ended.
But if I’m truthful, I’m probably guilty of tailgating others here and there too. You know. When I’m the “older” woman in a hurry.
I am generally in favour of the lower speed limits, even if a lot of people aren’t paying any attention to them. There are just too many traffic accidents these days, and pedestrians and cyclists getting hit and even killed. Enough of that!
We’ve all got to slow down. You move too fast. (That might give you “older” folks an earworm.)
IJ
