Grab a brick: Pedestrians flock to Granville Island to try safety stunt
Pedestrians could be seen waving what looked like bricks Monday, as they crossed a busy street on Vancouver's Granville Island.
Signs posted on either side of the crosswalk instructed people on how to be seen by drivers: Grab a brick from the basket provided, look left and right, and then wave the brick in the air while walking across the street.
"We found that when you introduced something with sharper corners, suddenly you’ve got people worrying about their paint, you’ve got people worrying about their windshields," said Luke Bailey of Vision Zero Vancouver, with a grin on his face.
He was smiling because the concept was all part of an April Fools' Day prank dreamed up by the organization.
At the same time, they hope the joke will lead to some serious discussions about road safety.
“What we really need is to build our streets and intersections more safely so that people outside cars and inside cars are kept more safe,” said traffic safety advocate Lucy Maloney.
The playful mischief was hit with pedestrians, with many people flocking to Granville Island just to use the crosswalk and take photos of the foam bricks.
Others who didn’t realize it was a joke thought “it was a ridiculous idea” until they caught on.
Vision Zero Vancouver actually came up with the idea several months ago, but decided it made more sense put up the display around April Fools’ Day.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Usyk beats Fury by split decision, becomes undisputed heavyweight champion
Oleksandr Usyk defeated Tyson Fury by split decision to become the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in 24 years.
To plant or not to plant? Gardening tips for May long weekend
May long weekend is finally here, and with the extra time off you may be getting the itch to head out to your garden and plant. However, the old debate whether you should plant now, or wait, is still ever-present.