I live up at the UniverCity development and some of the streets are pretty narrow.
That narrowness means that people who park on these residential streets need to be at their best when they slide their vehicles into a spot.
Let’s just say that many of these Burnaby drivers are not at their best. This leads to dangerous situations in which vehicles have their butt ends sticking out a little (or, in some cases, a lot). That might not seem so bad, but when you factor in how narrow the streets are, that butt end causes some near-misses, especially in rainy or night conditions.
It’s just one of those little things that can mean a lot when it comes to safety.
Parking should not be an afterthought in the driving process. You should be wanting to finish strong after driving by ensuring your vehicle is parked close to the curb. Too many Burnaby streets are so narrow that sticking out even a few inches can be dangerous.
This brings me to another dangerous parking habit, one I was reminded of by NOW reader Laurence, who doesn’t want his full name used.
Laurence said the South Burnaby neighbourhood that includes 16th Avenue is a ratrunners’ paradise.
The road is narrow, but it’s made worse by people who park too close to the edge of intersections.
I’ll let him explain: “Making things worse are the ways that some people park their vehicles along this stretch. I've noticed that drivers are increasingly parking too close to intersections, significantly reducing visibility as others drivers approach the intersection, especially when attempting to make a safe right turn. Burnaby bylaw 4760, 6912 states that no person shall stop or stand a vehicle within 20 feet (6 metres) of any intersection street, crosswalk, and stop-sign. Drivers generally park well on major streets but when it comes to smaller streets, many drivers park all the way up to the stop sign or crosswalk.”
As you can see from the photo above, the visibility for drivers turning is terrible, leading to dangerous situations because ratrunners are driving so fast.
So, just a couple of thoughts on parking for drivers to consider. Sure, you might have to park further away or it might take you a few seconds longer to get your vehicle in tight, but it’s worth it on the long run.
Follow Chris Campbell on Twitter @shinebox44.
