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5 things that make driving scary

It's not just distracted motorists — many environmental factors stress the driving experience

Kathy Renwald
Oct 11, 2021  •  October 11, 2021  •  4 minute read  •  8 Comments
Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross.
Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross. Photo by Kathy Renwald

Driving is difficult. There’s road rage, congestion, distracted drivers, and complicated cars that divert focus from driving to a computer screen. Add in some convoluted street designs and lack of law enforcement, and you have a cauldron of aggravation that makes driving miserable. Here are just some of my beefs:

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Sight-blocking gardens

Traffic islands and “bump outs” are beautiful when planted with flowers. But these Canna lilies are so tall they block the view when entering an intersection.
Traffic islands and “bump outs” are beautiful when planted with flowers. But these Canna lilies are so tall they block the view when entering an intersection. Photo by Kathy Renwald

I love gardening. I’ve spent many years writing about it. But when gardens start to take over city streets, that’s a fail. Traffic islands beautify a city, and traffic calming measures such as bump outs, or “chokers,” are designed to slow traffic down. But when they are planted with ornamental grasses, or tall flowers such as Canna lilies, they become a hazard.

I live in a neighbourhood in Hamilton that was one of the first in the province to adopt a 30 km/h speed limit neighbourhood-wide. It’s a nice idea, but it is rarely enforced.

As an additional measure to slow vehicles down, the city installed bump-outs on some of the major streets to choke traffic by narrowing the road. This year, many of them are planted with Canna lily, flowers that grow up to a metre and a half tall.

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Now, vehicles entering from side streets can’t see oncoming traffic without pulling out into the intersection. Traffic that has the right of way also can’t see vehicles creeping out into their path. Because the 30 km/h speed limit is rarely enforced, vehicles are often travelling at 45 to 60 km/h. It’s not a good situation. Please keep planting those traffic islands, but pick lower-growing flowers!

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Too close for comfort

The law says no parking within nine metres of an intersection. Visibility is reduced when trying to see beyond vehicles parked too close to this stop sign.
The law says no parking within nine metres of an intersection. Visibility is reduced when trying to see beyond vehicles parked too close to this stop sign. Photo by Kathy Renwald

Parking too close to an intersection is another hazard. Yes, parking in the city is a challenge, but more often we see vehicles parked so close to an intersection that the stop sign is casting a shadow on their car. Once again it forces drivers to inch out into the intersection in order to see crossing traffic. The rule in Ontario is no parking within nine metres of an intersection.

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The challenge of a country drive

  1. With reduced roadside maintenance, it’s not unusual to see traffic signs disappearing behind vines and trees.
    With reduced roadside maintenance, it’s not unusual to see traffic signs disappearing behind vines and trees. Photo by Kathy Renwald
  2. Rural roads are lovely to drive, but lush growth right at the road edge means cyclists, pedestrians, and animals are often hidden. Municipal weed cutting and tree trimming on a regular basis has been reduced due to budget restraints and COVID impacts.
    Rural roads are lovely to drive, but lush growth right at the road edge means cyclists, pedestrians, and animals are often hidden. Municipal weed cutting and tree trimming on a regular basis has been reduced due to budget restraints and COVID impacts. Photo by Kathy Renwald
  3. Rural roads are lovely to drive, but lush growth right at the road edge means cyclists, pedestrians, and animals are often hidden. Municipal weed cutting and tree trimming on a regular basis has been reduced due to budget restraints and COVID impacts.
    Rural roads are lovely to drive, but lush growth right at the road edge means cyclists, pedestrians, and animals are often hidden. Municipal weed cutting and tree trimming on a regular basis has been reduced due to budget restraints and COVID impacts. Photo by Kathy Renwald

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Remember when a drive in the country was relaxing? Not anymore. If you obey the speed limit there will likely be someone on your tail, pushing you to speed up. When you do speed up, watch out for more hazards, trees, vines, and bushes growing at the edge of the road.

The clearing of vegetation encroaching rural roads is happening with less frequency. Some maintenance standards have also changed with increasing bans on pesticides — a good thing, in my opinion. Now I suspect it is mostly the matter of money, the time, and the staff it must take to cut weeds and prune trees and shrubs.

The rural drive may be prettier with more leafy greens, but watch out for obstructed stops signs, cyclists hidden by foliage, and cars drifting toward the centre of the road to avoid vegetation.

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Sign pollution

  1. Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross.
    Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross. Photo by Kathy Renwald
  2. Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross.
    Sign overload at an intersection. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross. Photo by Kathy Renwald

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Some time ago, I participated in a driving study conducted by McMaster University. The first session started with an interview — I was asked if I knew what day it was. It was a cognitive test and I passed, but throughout the three part study I was constantly reminded about the complexity of driving.

So, how much more decision overload can we take?

Hamilton is pretty famous for its one-way streets. Some of the major one-way streets now have two-way bike lanes on them. Approaching the one-way from a side street, I counted nine directional signs the driver must compute. Some of the signs are for vehicles, some are for cyclists, and there are several more pavement markings. You must look both directions for cyclists in the bike lanes, watch for the cyclists who still insist on using the sidewalk, and don’t forget the motorized scooters either. Throw some distracted drivers into the mix, and you better keep your cognitive functions sharp.

  1. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross.
    This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross. Photo by Kathy Renwald
  2. This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross.
    This one-way street also has a two-lane bike lane going in both directions. Between the numerous signs, cyclists, e-scooters, and skateboarders it’s a challenging street to cross. Photo by Kathy Renwald

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Tints taint the driving experience

One last beef. What’s up with windows tinted so dark you can’t tell if a human is driving the car? This is dangerous for other drivers, and particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. You’re at a crosswalk, but does that driver with the tinted windows see that you have the right of way?

The Ontario Highway Traffic Act governs window tinting. According to the HTA, but the VLT (visible light transmission, or ) rate dictates that the darkness of the tint on the front side windows cannot be less than 70 percent. Furthermore, no aftermarket tinting of windshields is allowed on cars manufactured after 2017.

So keep your eyes open, stay away from texting and keep you cognitive skills sharp as driving challenges mount.

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