Cycling

I hate to admit it, but bicycle lanes confuse me. The Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) defines them as a designated use lane that is part of the highway, but not part of the roadway. Both the province and municipalities are able to create designated use lanes and restrict who may use them through legislation. You might be surprised about what this might mean for both cyclists and drivers.

Several weeks ago the media (including ICBC) reported over and over that cyclists have the "right of way". Whether it was the editing or just ICBC's position, there was no elaboration on what that exactly means.

I would be interested your opinion about moving up on the right hand side at intersections when traffic is stopped. I ask not because I do this, but because it was a question on a cycling Q & A site (with explicit mention of BC).

I read a story in the Victoria Times Colonist this morning regarding crashes involving motor vehicles and cyclists using the Galloping Goose trail. The article was prompted by a cyclist who had ridden across Kelvin Road and was struck by a driver who had stopped for the stop sign and then failed to yield to the cyclist.

This web site, part of the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health, describes itself as "a research program investigating factors that encourage or discourage bicycling, transportation infrastructure associated with increased or decreased risks of cycling injuries, and air pollution and cycling."

Jim Davies was unhappy with how close Kevin Elston parked his pickup truck to a cycle lane. The rearview mirror on the truck was a hazard to passing cyclists. Mr. Davies commented to his son who was riding along with him. Mr. Elston overheard the conversation, got into his truck and caught up to the Davies.

This one is a bit different as the case law comes out of Ontario, although the same principles would apply equally well here in BC. Ricky Pizzacalla was riding a motorized bicycle while prohibited. He was charged criminally and convicted.

As humans, we are predominantly right handed. In North America we drive on the right side, tend to walk on the right side and I suspect that this right side bias carries over into many other areas that we are not even aware of.

If you don't check your mirrors, you don't know what you are missing! The UK Automobile Association's Think Bikes Campaign includes this "cheeky" 39 second video to remind drivers that failing to look is one of the major contributing factors for all types of collisions. With the start of better cycling weather in BC, this is something to keep in mind here too.

Here is a link to the story called "Behind the Bike Box." My first reaction to this story is one of disgust, Is the City of Kelowna following BC road law in instituting this bike lane feature? Is the City of Kelowna trying to single-handedly redefine the Higways act? Does it not fly in the face of existing BC road law?