02-04-2021, 05:30 PM
(02-04-2021, 04:58 PM)plam Wrote:(02-04-2021, 11:34 AM)danbrotherston Wrote: Yes, pedestrians have the right of way (not that it matters much). If you are on a bike though, you are legally required to dismount to cross (there is a singular exception in the region...possibly the province....at Huron and Strasburg, which was modified as an experiment to allow cyclists to cross without dismounting, but they still do not have the right of way). Of course, this is an insane statement, and almost nobody dismounts...engineers know this, but it doesn't seem to matter.
Erb & Laurel Trail also has a crossride (automatically activated too). The only remaining complaint is, why isn't it advance-activated based on anticipated travel time upstream.
(02-04-2021, 12:14 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: The common understood meaning is that those with the right of way go first. There is probably nothing illegal about yielding the right of way, but it doesn't mean it isn't against the intended function of the system.
The issue with people yielding the right of way when they have it is that it confounds expectations and is hence more likely to lead to bad outcomes, especially by third parties.
Erb & Laurel Trail...not sure what you mean by this, it isn't near a roundabout. And, more, Erb & Laurel Trail is a full pedestrian signal because we have no other way to get cyclists across the road (whether engineers would have used a PXO if it was just pedestrians, probably not, but at least they have the option). Using a full pedestrian signal has significant disadvantages...for one, all modes must be delayed (as you alluded to with the need for an upstream trigger), where as a PXO peds have the right of way immediately, and it delays cars for longer, because of the need for a signal timed to the duration of peds.
Worse, our regional engineers haven't the slightest clue how to properly time pedestrian signals. Not a single engineer at the region has taken the time to think about what different demands peds put on a signal from cars...they just copy verbatim the program for cars.
On yielding the right of way, yes, agree entirely.