Latest news with #MinetaTransportationInstitute
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Maverick
Loaded for Bear: Would left turns on red lights safely cut SA's fuel usage?
One of the many upshots of the Arab oil embargo in 1973 — aside from stagflation and the beginning of the end of blue-collar prosperity — was that it triggered a major traffic reform in North America: the right turn on right light or RTOR. In 1973, Arab members of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) imposed an embargo on the US because of its support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War. Canada was also hit hard by this embargo, and I can recall from my childhood in Nova Scotia sitting with my parents in long queues at petrol stations. One of the many upshots of this drama — aside from stagflation and the beginning of the end of blue collar-prosperity — was that it triggered a major traffic reform in North America: the right turn on right light or RTOR. The thinking behind it was that it would save on the consumption of petrol — or gas as it is called in North America — by allowing motorists to make a right turn on a red light if the coast was clear rather than waiting another 20 or 40 or 60 seconds while their engine idled. For a single outing to work or the grocery store or wherever, that would not amount to much. But multiplied millions or tens of millions of times per day, savings were seen to be had in a time of chronic shortages and soaring prices. The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 required states to allow right turns on red lights to be eligible for federal assistance for mandated conservation programmes. It was an energy-saving and green policy at a time when even Republicans were not opposed to environmental regulations. Straightforward The rules are pretty straightforward. If you want to turn right you treat the red light as a stop sign, coming to a complete stop and making sure there is no traffic coming from your left before proceeding. At some intersections, a sign will say that right turns on red lights are not allowed at certain times of the day such as during rush-hour traffic. North Americans of course drive on the right-hand side of the road, so in South Africa such a reform would allow for left turns on red robots. When this correspondent first came to South Africa in 1998, it took me a while to realise that I was not, in fact, allowed to make a left turn when the light was red. So, would such a reform be sensible in South Africa? South Africa does not face a crisis in petrol supplies — at least, not yet! — and declining fuel prices have been a key driver of slowing inflation, though the fuel levy hike will arrest that promising trend somewhat. But every drop counts and South Africa also needs to reduce its emissions of the greenhouse gases that are fuelling rapid climate change. It must be said that in North America there has been some questioning of this rule of the road on both fuel saving and safety grounds. One 2024 study by researchers at the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University found that '… RTOR movements are generally unsafe for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers, while only marginally useful in lowering emissions and only under certain contexts. Those marginal benefits may further decline with increased electric vehicle (EV) adoption.' Given the carnage on South Africa's roads, policy makers would need to think twice about introducing a measure that would make driving even more treacherous. Dangerous and reckless driving There is a lot of dangerous and reckless driving in South Africa, and minibus taxi drivers spring immediately to mind. How many of them would come to complete stops and make sure it is safe to execute a left turn at a red robot? I am guessing not that many and they are hardly the only menace on South Africa's roads. Also, to make a left turn on a red robot you need functioning robots in the first place. Many South African drivers don't seem to get the point that a traffic light that is not working at an intersection — a frequent occurrence — should be treated like a four-way stop. Such situations are often treated like a game of chicken and chaos, horns blaring, middle-fingers extended and road rage are often the result. Imagine the stoners who try to make a buck out of this chaos by 'directing' traffic when the robots die trying to also navigate a left turn rule. Still, I often grow impatient when I am at a functioning robot and could safely turn left but am prohibited from doing so. (Full disclosure — I sometimes do it. I did learn to drive in Canada.) I am sure many South African motorists feel the same. But come to think of it, given how the rules of the road in South Africa are so frequently violated, maybe the left turn on the red light is fairly common anyway. And maybe, some day, South African motorists will be overwhelmingly careful and law abiding, allowing for a left turn at a red light to be made legal with relative safety. I don't think EVs are going to rule the roads here any time soon and fuel needs to be saved — and greenhouse gas emissions slashed — by hook or by crook. DM
Hamilton Spectator
27-04-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
‘A weapon': Vancouver ramming is latest attack to turn vehicles into deadly tools
MONTREAL - A car ramming Saturday at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people marks at least the fourth attack in seven years in which vehicles have been deployed as deadly weapons against groups of people in Canada. Perpetrators fuelled by motives ranging from terrorism and far-right extremism to misogyny and mental illness have turned increasingly to the tactic in recent decades. Vehicles are 'easily obtainable, and a ramming attack requires little preparation' or skill, notes a 2018 study from San Jose State University's Mineta Transportation Institute. The gruesome practice has also proven devastating, yielding a high death toll in horrific fashion when crowds are gathered. 'It is in fact an effective tactic for motivated individuals to do harm, if you think about it, because it doesn't require any special training,' said Jennifer Magnus, who teaches public safety and law enforcement at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. 'They can grab a vehicle, whether they rent it or use their own, and then just use it as a weapon against innocent bystanders.' Magnus, who served as a Calgary police officer for 14 years, also stressed the trauma and dread spawned by mass killings. 'It creates that level of fear in citizens.' Vancouver's interim police chief said a 30-year-old local man was arrested in the Saturday night attack, which saw a black Audi SUV plow through a crowded South Vancouver street at high speed. Police said 11 people had died as of Sunday afternoon, with dozens more injured. Police said on social media platform X they were 'confident' the attack was not an act of terrorism. Nonetheless, the methods of defending against vehicle-based attacks overlap with counterterrorist prevention, relying on physical barriers, emergency planning, intelligence and social media monitoring. With the threat of rammings on the rise, authorities have tried to insulate public spaces from easy assaults, installing metal bollards — stubby steel posts designed to stop a car from breaching busy streets or buildings. New York City is one of several whose streetscapes are being reshaped by anti-vehicle obstacles. It has erected hundreds of bollards at popular spots after two high-profile vehicle attacks in 2017. Mobile barriers are also an option for events such as concerts, parades and police funerals. 'The police service contacts the city, and they'll use their dump trucks or heavy trucks to block alley accesses,' said Magnus, referring to memorials for fallen officers. 'Even for festivals, you'll often see big city vehicles parked on entrance points, and they may close roadways down and put barriers up.' In Vancouver, Deputy Chief Const. Steve Rai called Saturday's attack a 'watershed moment' for first responders and public officials. 'It goes without saying this will change the landscape for deployment for police going forward,' he said. But recent attacks have underscored how tough it is to fully seal off the threat. New Orleans officials were in the process of replacing bollards when a pickup truck driver ripped through a crowd of Bourbon Street revellers early on New Year's Day this year, killing 14. Even when they are in place, some bollards struggle to withstand the impact from a large vehicle, Magnus said. 'The police will block access points, but you can only block so many,' she added. Meanwhile, the frequency and 'lethality' of car rammings by terrorist organizations have increased sharply in recent decades, according to the Mineta study. Canada is no exception. While mass shootings north of the border are rare relative to its southern neighbour, car-ramming attacks have ramped up in the past 10 years. In February 2023, a Quebec man was charged with killing two children and injuring six others after he allegedly drove a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare. The Crown and defence jointly submitted evidence the man was likely in a state of psychosis at the time and have recommended he be found not criminally responsible. Four members of a Muslim family out for a walk were struck and killed by a pickup truck in London, Ont., in June 2021 in an incident a judge later deemed an act of terrorism by a self-professed white nationalist. In Toronto, a 25-year-old man drove a rented van into mostly female pedestrians on Yonge Street in April 2018, killing 11 people. Parallel incidents have become frighteningly common across the globe. Six people including a nine-year-old child died in Germany and more than 300 suffered injuries after a man evaded protective measures to speed through a Christmas market in the eastern city of Magdeburg in December. In southern China, a man plowed his car into a group outside a sports centre in November, killing 35 in the country's deadliest mass slaying in years. — With files from Ashley Joannou in Vancouver This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2025.
National Post
27-04-2025
- National Post
Vancouver ramming attack the latest in which vehicles have been used as a deadly weapon
A car-ramming Saturday at a Filipino community festival in Vancouver that killed at least 11 people marks Canada's fourth attack in seven years in which vehicles have been used as deadly weapons. Article content Article content Around the world, perpetrators fuelled by motives ranging from terrorism and far-right extremism to misogyny and mental illness have deployed the tactic increasingly in recent decades. Article content Article content Vehicles are 'easily obtainable, and a ramming attack requires little preparation' or skill, notes a 2018 study from San Jose State University's Mineta Transportation Institute. Article content 'It is in fact an effective tactic for motivated individuals to do harm, if you think about it, because it doesn't require any special training,' said Jennifer Magnus, who teaches public safety and law enforcement at Wilfrid Laurier University. Article content 'They can grab a vehicle, whether they rent it or use their own, and then just use it as a weapon against innocent bystanders.' Article content Article content Magnus, who served as a Calgary police officer for 14 years, also stressed the trauma and dread spawned by mass killings. Article content 'It creates that level of fear in citizens.' Article content Vancouver's interim police chief said a 30-year-old local man was arrested for the Saturday night attack, which saw an SUV plow through a crowded South Vancouver street at high speed in a nightmarish scene that left a trail of wreckage and victims strewn on the ground. The tragedy left 11 dead as of 12:30 p.m. EST, with dozens more injured. Article content Article content Police said on social media platform X they were 'confident' the incident was not an act of terrorism. Article content While mass shootings are rare in Canada relative to its southern neighbour, car-ramming attacks have ramped up over the past decade. Article content In February 2023, a Quebec man was charged with killing two children and injuring six others after he allegedly drove a city bus into a Montreal-area daycare. The Crown and defence jointly submitted evidence the man was likely in a state of psychosis at the time. They are expected to recommend he be found not criminally responsible.
