Kwantlen Polytechnic University
12666 72 Ave,
Surrey, B.C. V3W 2M8
604-345-4367
alexander.vaz@kwantlen.net
February 28, 2016
ICBC Privacy & Freedom of Information
151 West Esplanade
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3H9
To whom it may concern:
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I formally request that you provide me with:
- A detailed list of all vehicle accidents at all intersections in Richmond, B.C. from the years 2009 to 2015, including the following information about each accident:
- Location
- Date
- Time
- Crash Type (Casualty or PDO--Property Damage Only)
If possible, please forward the information in electronic spreadsheet form, with the location, date, time, and crash type as columns, either mailed to my address on a CD or emailed in any format (such as Microsoft Excel, or PDF) easily accessible by a Windows computer, to alexander.vaz@kwantlen.net.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 604-345-4367 or by email.
Please notify me when the material is available for release. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Alexander Vaz
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Explanation for my request:
Richmond, B.C. has become notorious for its bad drivers and synonymous with bad driving. The numerous instances of bad driving in Richmond more than likely end up on social media. There is a Twitter account designated specifically for this very thing--to let people know about the bad driving in Richmond. There are even a couple of YouTube videos which show firsthand accounts of bad drivers at work. These videos entitled "Bad Drivers in Richmond, BC 1 and 2, were uploaded in 2012 by the same person whose videos of bad drivers in Vancouver were featured on a CTV News telecast. There is also a Facebook page about parking in Richmond, and this page was featured in a Huffington Post article. With all these instances of bad driving in Richmond, it's no surprise that there are accidents, and I want to see if Richmond driving has been getting better or worse over the past few years. Obviously the bad driving does not automatically equate to accidents, but it is definitely a big factor. Another source I have as an explanation for my request is an interactive crash map from the ICBC website. This map shows the number of accidents at each intersection from 2009-2013, as well as the type of crash, but it does not show any specifics such as date or time. With my request, I will find out about the dates and times of each accident, furthering the information already provided by ICBC's map, as well as gather information from the years not included in the map, 2014 and 2015. I will then be able to see if car accidents at intersections in general, as well as at specific intersections in Richmond have been increasing or decreasing since 2009. Also, with the information gathered from this request, I will be able to produce a similar interactive crash map as ICBC's, but one that has specific information about each crash.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 604-345-4367 or by email.
Please notify me when the material is available for release. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Alexander Vaz
Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Explanation for my request:
Richmond, B.C. has become notorious for its bad drivers and synonymous with bad driving. The numerous instances of bad driving in Richmond more than likely end up on social media. There is a Twitter account designated specifically for this very thing--to let people know about the bad driving in Richmond. There are even a couple of YouTube videos which show firsthand accounts of bad drivers at work. These videos entitled "Bad Drivers in Richmond, BC 1 and 2, were uploaded in 2012 by the same person whose videos of bad drivers in Vancouver were featured on a CTV News telecast. There is also a Facebook page about parking in Richmond, and this page was featured in a Huffington Post article. With all these instances of bad driving in Richmond, it's no surprise that there are accidents, and I want to see if Richmond driving has been getting better or worse over the past few years. Obviously the bad driving does not automatically equate to accidents, but it is definitely a big factor. Another source I have as an explanation for my request is an interactive crash map from the ICBC website. This map shows the number of accidents at each intersection from 2009-2013, as well as the type of crash, but it does not show any specifics such as date or time. With my request, I will find out about the dates and times of each accident, furthering the information already provided by ICBC's map, as well as gather information from the years not included in the map, 2014 and 2015. I will then be able to see if car accidents at intersections in general, as well as at specific intersections in Richmond have been increasing or decreasing since 2009. Also, with the information gathered from this request, I will be able to produce a similar interactive crash map as ICBC's, but one that has specific information about each crash.
While I certainly think getting statistics from some of the busiest intersections in Richmond would be interesting, you are asking for a huge sample size. Try asking for specific intersections instead of all of them over a shorter period of time (ie. 6-18 months).
ReplyDeleteHi Alexander. Your FOI request is very clear and well thought out. Good job! Your reason for choosing this topic is also well thought out!
ReplyDeleteI believe that the area you asked for is too large. Richmond is a big place, like any other city, and maybe instead you should've picked a couple of main intersections with the most accidents according to ICBC's map. With that said I think you could keep the time length the same as long as you narrow down the area.
ReplyDelete