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So, ok, I can understand the logic of requiring levers in public access buildings As an aid to those who are mobility impaired and so on, it makes as much sense as other things such as handicap parking spaces, ramps for scooters and so on. I have nothing against levers, in fact I just did our entire top floor of our house in them. But I have to say, Vancouver city proper has just mandated that all new construction be it private residential or public have levers. So if you decide to build a house in Vancouver or buy new construction, you are going to be stuck with these things whether you like them or not. To me that seems overdone. If I want to build a house with knobs instead of levers, I should have that choice. If someone wants to build a house with levers instead of knobs, they should have that choice. I'm guessing that an inspector will refuse to sign off on a new house if it has knobs instead of levers. Does any one else thing that this is a case of government getting too involved in our choices.

First I've heard of this. The biggest doorknobs are Mayor Robertson and his Vision council.

They probably would have been ok if it was a knob.

Interestingly not much has been said about the public health angle of this issue. Door knobs on the doors of public buildings can be some of the most germ-laden surfaces you can put your hands on. With levers you can usually work them with your forearm or elbow and not actually contact it with your hands. Also easier if your hands are full with shopping bags or whatever. But a person who owns their own private dwelling should be free to outfit it with doorknobs if they so choose.

I figure this could be successfully challenged in court if anyone cared to do so. My only objection is that it would make it easier for some animals to open doors you don't want them to.

I clipped this article (about banning doorknobs) out of the newspaper for my father. He used to work for the City of Vancouver and collected old doorknobs for decades. Something for those 'Pickers' to go nuts over........

KnowItAll wrote:My only objection is that it would make it easier for some animals to open doors you don't want them to.

Absolutely right. My daughter has a cat that jumps up and pulls the lever on the front door when she wants to go out, leaving the door open, of course.

“I can understand if you have a public building where everybody wants to have free access and that is a problem,” he said. “But to say that when I build my private home and nobody is disabled that I have to put levers on, strikes me as overreach.”

I'm sort of with this person however I'm very sympathetic to universal design short of every private dwelling having to have a wheel ramp.

As to animals - we had a young German shepherd for years who was booted from the police department as they had no handler for him and when he'd take the suspect down in training he'd not grab the padding but go for the shoulder. He was friendly and bit no one nor got into dog fights and he was a good pet I took reluctantly. My police bro-in-law took him or the dog would have to be put down and as I was formerly with this department they accepted him moving him to us. I hoped the dept would have said no as I was no fan of this move by the wife. But in the end it was fine.

BUT on arrival to a house we had not long before moved into we had not put in dead bolts.

One night as we were turning into the driveway we saw our front door open and found the dog gone! Just then the teen age girl from around the corner is bringing him home and we're in shock. She told us that she not had a chance to tell us but she had to put him back just yesterday!

After the deadbolts went in his teeth crushed the door knobs despite us putting obnoxious stuff on them. Shortly after he settled down and it was no longer an issue.

A lever would be great for a cat but I suspect most have better locking today and it won't open the doors as they did back in the 80s.

German Shepherds are the 3rd smartest dogs after the Border Collie and Poodle. They are extremely loyal and protective dogs.

TheLionKing wrote:German Shepherds are the 3rd smartest dogs after the Border Collie and Poodle. They are extremely loyal and protective dogs.

This is really off-topic, but I couldn't resist. I'm a friend of the author of the book you've taken that information from, listing the dog breeds from brightest to dumbest. I remember how much mail he got, after the book's publication, from owners of the breeds ranked near or at the bottom of his list--really vile hate-mail, and, IIRC, at least one death threat!

Toppy Vann wrote: A lever would be great for a cat....

To use to open the door! As I noted above. Today's levers are no better than earlier ones in that respect.