niin tas a bone to pick with“

eye-in-the-siy advisers” who

d. that. there,is no: “such thing ag a “four-way-stop procedure”

hue, battery, test antireeze,

THE probiem with so-
calied “people in the
know” is that they
often don’t know any-
thing at all, but you’d
never think that that’s
something you'd need
know about.

Could someone please tell
me who educates the trattic
reporters? Those men and
women on the radio aron
television who relate the af:
fic conditions every nine min-
utes and occasionally offer
erroncous trafic advice while
they're at it?

They need a good talking-
to. Better still, a good cuff
upside the head.

On numerous occasions
Ive cringed with fear and
dread after scie doit on the
radio mentions a problem
with the taffic lights at such
and such an intersection and
promptly follows up with the
“helptal” suggestion that

“everyone follow the four-
way-stop procedure.”

Says who!

The Eye in the Sky? Me.
Traffic Sponsored by”
Craftsman Collision? Ms.
Conmunity Cruiser On My
Telus Mobility Cell Phone as
1 Motor in My Labbarts Blue
4X42 Gimme a brake! {that’s
a pun, not a grammnnatica!
crror, just in case the gram-
mar cops are reading).

Even more perturbing is

the fact that these PlayLand

. spokespersons: come-insight-

{-infrastructure-analysts will
occasionally mention the tact

that police are on the scence
“at these dysfunctional inter-

sections and STILL suggest
drivers use the 4- ~way-stop
procedure. Look, folks, when
police are on the scene, you
obey the directions of the
police, not the ne’er-do-well

‘on the radio.

Gr, these sage maestros of

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all of the lights are out while
maintaining that vou are
required to follaw the same
four-way procedure you
would at a regular four-way-
stap. It’s a good tip bur iz’s
also completely contrary to
the mighty MYA which clear-
ly detines an intersection
without signals with the
yield-to-car-on-right rule, the
uncontrolled intersection
rule. (Unfortunately, thar
rule just isn’t practical in
high-density, multi-laned twaf-
fie but there i¢ is just the
same.)

Also, by happenstance I
actually ‘drove # rough a dys-
functional intersection where
{ was advised by the broad-
casting car coach to teeav it
fike a four-way, only to dis-
cover that the lights weren’t

actually out, rather, they had
reverted to an emergency
default sequence of flashing
yeliow lights on one roadway,
flashing red-lights for the
cross street.

Effectively, these lights
were allowing the bulk of
traffic to “proceed with cau-
tion” as is required when
faced with a flashing yellow
and compistely stymieing the
cross-traffic which could
merely stop and “proceed
when! safe,” which it never.
would be until the lights
were fixed or the police: -
arrived. ;

So the only time the traf-

_fic reporters, splatter-gun
advice actually hits the mark

is when a traffic light prob-
lem has forced the signals to

a complete circuit of flashing
reds, in which case everybody
must stop as if there were
four stop signs, a true four-
way-stop,

To top it all off, it is
important to understand that
the so-called four-way-stop
“procedure” is a falschood in
the first place.

While “first come first
serve” is the common prac-
tice, the widely accepted rule
of thumb that governs our
behaviour at a four-way-stop,
this routine is not covered
anywhere in the mighty
Motor Vehicle Act, which is a
good thing when one consi.-
ers how many different varia-
tions drivers may have of
“first.” Arrive first? Stop first?
Show up in the general vacin-
ity first? Ben first?

It is more 2Ppro riate to
regard the rule of thumb as

“the first to discontinue
mation is the next to pro-
ceed,” but ever then ts not -
an obligatory Practice.

Anyone who lawfully stops
at a four-way but decides it’s
not worth waiting for every-
one else to figure out who's
next is perfectly within their
rights to proceed “out of
turn,” even though it’s rude.
That is why faur-ways are
best referred to as “courtesy
stops,” where everyone exer-
cises a bit of comnion cour-., ©
tesy and keeps this moving
with stagecred smoothiess.

All sad and done, though,
drivers seen to pay attention -
to TY and radio traffic advi-
sors about as often as they
Pay attention tome, which is

- not at all often, which is -

probably a good thing all said
and done. don’t mind... -
Just place your faith i in the
Eye in The Sky and hope
your fellow drivers know chis,
so-called “four-way-stop”

‘procedurde or are listening to:

another station.. Drink

-Labbatt Blue. Buy a Sell:
. phone: Be safe.

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TALKING

 acicl

Govt. licensed inspection
station S2564°