How to Make the Malahat Safer
The debate about how to improve the treacherously narrow and winding Malahat Mountain Highway on South Vancouver Island has been an on-going issue since its conception back in 1861 when it was built as a cattle trail, then up-graded to wagon-road status in 1884 and eventually paved in 1911 (Commission). Currently vital safety upgrades are underway such as concrete barriers to divide the road lanes and stabilization solutions for falling debris. The presence of physical law enforcement units on the highway to manage problems like cell phone usage, impaired drivers and vehicles that are ill equipped for weather conditions is a necessary and crucial part of maintaining safety on the Malahat (Unit). However, due to the fact that the Malahat is built on the side of a mountain, with sheer drop-offs on one side and rock cliffs on the other, there are very few spots from which law enforcement can enforce speed limits. Furthermore, the highway spans over many different municipalities, and enforcement suffers from jurisdictional issues (Rondeau). Speeding is a critical safety problem that is prevalent on the Malahat; reducing speeding by installing speed cameras will substantially decrease the amount of fatal accidents on the highway, as well as save precious natural resources and billions of dollars in taxpayers’ money.
There have been substantial government studies done to find solutions for the Malahat, ranging from double decking the highway to building bridges across the Sannich Peninsula inlet, all of which have serious environmental impacts, and are estimated to cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars (Transportation). The twinning or double decking of the current highway would come with many...
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...tober 2013. http://www.traffic-safety.ca/index.htm Reutter, Mark. "New Speed cameras will cost more, not less, from city's preferred vender." 19 April 2013. Baltimore Brew. Web. 10 October 2013. http://www.baltimorebrew.com/2013/04/19/new-speed-cameras-will-cost-more-not-less-from-citys-preferred-vendor/ Rondeau, Andrea. "Two-week crack down solves mystrey of Malahat crashes." 04 July 2007. Cowichan Valley Citizen. Web. 01 October 2013. http://www.cowichanvalleycitizen.com/news/two-week-crackdown-solves-mystery-of-malahat-crashes-1.159199 Transportation, Ministry of. "Trans-Canada Highway 1- Malahat Corridor study area Final Report." Not given July 2007. Web. 10 October 2013. http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/malahat/finalreport/ Unit, Constable from Intergrated Road Safety. Personal interview, getting opion on Malahat issues Linda Mather. 30 Sept 2013. Personal Interview.
The Trans-Canada highway act was passed down by the parliament in 1949 , which is the year after St-Laurent was elected as the prime minister of Canada. The act offered the provinces a 50-50 split on the cost of building a highway from coast to coast to reduce the federal money and decreased the needs of taxes. Moreover, as one can see from its name, this act's purpose is to approve the establishment of the Trans-Canada Highway. As a matter of fact, Trans-Canada highway is extremely advantageous for Canada and is the world's longest national highway as it stretches from Victoria, British Columbia to St. John's, Newfoundland, connecting all 10 provinces together. Before this transportation systems existed, passengers and goods have to cross Canada by horse wagons or boat, which could take months to reach the planned destination. However, this significant project allows companies to ship Canada's abundant natural resources across the wor...
Lt. Wells was a member of the Law Enforcement Stops and Safety Subcommittee. This committee is volunteer-based and works under the financial support of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It is affiliated with the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Throughout the book Tom Lewis goes back and forth between the good and bad that came about from building highways. While the paved roads connected our country, made travel time faster, provided recreation, and pushed the development of automobiles they also created more congestion and travel time, divided communities, and made us slaves to automobiles. The author is critical of the highways, but he does realize the great achievement it is in the building of America. Lewis said, “As much as we might dislike them, we cannot escape the fact that ...
Macfarlane, Daniel. "Rapid Changes: Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project." University of Waterloo. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .
The argument that Forestville should reverse a decision it made six months ago to raise its speed limit by 10MPH due to a 15% rise in accidents because accidents in Elmsford, a neighboring region, declined slightly, is inconclusive. A base line study of traffic pattern disruptions and speed variances in Forestville and Elmsford comparing demographic data, location, rate, and type of accidents for more than six months might determine significant risk factors. Federal studies suggest that accidents rise if speed limits are raised on highways by as much as 5% for each 4 MPH but on moderate speed limit roads, no such relationship exists. Other studies show accidents decrease with a rise in speed limit since artificially low limits also cause accidents.
Ever since the invention of the automobile, numerous efforts have been employed to try and improve its safety features. Judging by the current statistics, one could argue that driving has so far turned out to be a risky business. In actual fact, people of all ages and social status are considered to be in control of lethal weapons whenever they have to drive. According to the National Safety Council, it is estimated that more than 41,000 people lose their lives in road accidents annually and no less than 2 million more suffer from serious life threatening injuries (2009). Furthermore, it is estimated that at least 50% of the people killed in road accidents is as a result of their failure to adhere to safety measures such as wearing seatbelts while driving, driving under the influence, or careless driving (Ingalls, “Defensive Driving Strategies”). As an effect, huge losses occur with respect to life, injuries sustained, and damage to property.
It's one of the fastest ways to ruin your day. A flashing light fills the rear view mirror… an icy feeling pierces your chest and that mixture of guilt, frustration and anger curdles as you wonder how much of your hard earned money is being dragged away for something as little as what? A few kilometers over the speed limit? My Name’s Trent Mammarella and I would like to persuade you as to why speed cameras in Australia need to be seriously reviewed.There is quite a significant amount of speculation surrounding speed in Australia. The government will inform you that speed is Australia’s deadliest killer and you are risking life and limb for something as little as what? A few kilometers over the set limit. You’ve most likely heard it all before: the force is out to get you; they need to reach their quotas
In 2017 Tucson was reported to be the 6th most dangerous big city in the country (Arizona Daily Star). One of the contributing factors to this national rating was the amount of motor vehicle accidents that occur in Tucson, Arizona. In 2016 Pima County roads claimed the lives of 112 people (ADOT). Arizona Department of Transportation Director John Halikowski couldn't have said the following statement better, "making travel safer begins before the driver turns on the ignition" (Arizona daily Star). Tucson's motor vehicle crash rates would see a decline with firmer highway enforcement policies and increasing community awareness about highway safety.
The transport facilities in Mongolia are poor. Most of the areas in the 1.56-sq-km land do not have metal-based roads. The terrain towards the northern parts of the country is majorly mountainous while the south is mainl...
The implementation of the Speed Conversation Strategy (SCS) has shown that there are a number of key influences that need to be addressed in order to improve the attitudes, beliefs and personal skills of young drivers aged 17-24 years, these key factors include widening the access to the program and making it possibly accessible to schools. The strategy should also provide information that dispels the myths around travelling speeds, speed limits, crash risk, crash outcome severity, enforcement, responsibility, ‘revenue raising’, travel time and government priorities. To improve community participation and driver attitudes, behaviours and personal skills about safer speeds there would need to be a key focus on Road Safety Education. The unbearable 627 deaths or serious injuries that occur on Queensland’s roads each year is unacceptable. Road Safety Education has been found to be beneficial in changing the attitudes and behaviours of young drivers by allowing schools to have access to best practiced strategies such as the RACQ docudrama could potentially allowing students to be made aware of the risks and focuses on cognitive and perceptual skill development, as young people have a less developed ability to scan their environment and predict the behaviour of other road users (Schools guide: how to select providers of road safety education programs for senior school students, 2009). A best practice program that could be integrated with schools across the Redlands potentially is RACQ Docudrama as they both are very detailed when explain the possible dangers on the road. These two practiced strategies will build supportive environments and personal skills. Key initiatives and commitments that should be taken under consideration to
Boarnet, Marlon G. "National Transportation Planning: Lessons from the U.S. Interstate Highways." National Transportation Planning: Lessons from the U.S. Interstate Highways. Elsevier Ltd., 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
A transportation network must be judged for its cost-effectiveness. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) in 1952 made its tenet, "that a profit should be returned on an investment applies as well to highway projects as to general business ventures."2 Cost-effectiveness includes safety, ease of use, and flexibility in the eyes of both the local government and individual users. Unfortunately, "little or no supporting evidence"3 exists and few studies compared the systems. Since no monetary value can be placed on human life, comparisons of safety are even fewer and less thorough. A simple account of accident records, however, is a good judge of safety. Studies of system costs, ont the other hand, are purely monetary and more frequent. From the operator's standpoint, costs break down to overhead and construction, maintenance of cars and lines, operation costs, and profits. From the users' standpoint the only cost is the fare.
Molenaar, K. R., Anderson, S. D., Schexnayder, C. J., National Research Council (U.S.)., National Cooperative Highway Research Program., American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials., & United States. (2010). Guidebook on risk analysis tools and management practices to control transportation project costs. Washington, D.C: Transportation Research Board.
The development of every nation hinges on the effectiveness of their transportation systems. Movement of goods, services and people to and from locations is made possible by transportation systems. The importance of effective transportation systems cannot be over-emphasized. Many countries face transportation problems and my country Ghana is no exception. A trip of about 30 minutes usually takes about an hour or more due to traffic jams. This is seriously impacting productivity and has become a topical issue in the country. The situation is the same in Uganda where I currently work. To this end, Transportation Engineers are needed to design roads/ highways that will stand the test of time, plan effective traffic management systems to reduce
It is important to follow all traffic laws to keep everyone safe on road. The amount of traffic accidents and losses drops significantly when people are obeying the rules on the road. Sometimes we forget what a big responsibility it is to drive carefully. Traffic laws are designed to protect you and other drivers on the streets. If we don’t follow them we are not only putting ourselves in risk but also other innocent people. By knowing the rules of the road, practicing good driving skills, you help play a vital role in preventing a crash. You will also be making the safety policies more effective. Many components play a major role in road safety including speed limits that are posted and making sure safety equipment is properly installed and used.