Lanes

Highway lane use information.

Q&A - Can't See The Lane Markings, do I Follow the Tracks?

Q&A ImageQUESTION: Just wondering....when the roads are snow covered and you can't see the painted lines but there are tracks worn in the snow and are not within the 'lanes' what are ther legal responsibilities and duties especially if one is in an accident because one person is in the 'lane' and the other is in the worn tracks.

CASE LAW - R v Dickson

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThis Supreme Court case from 2003 is useful to illustrate two topics: lane splitting by motorcyclists is illegal in BC and traffic court justices may prohibit drivers based on a bad driving record and have the prohibition upheld by the higher courts.

Q&A - Changing Lanes After Turns at Intersections

Q&A ImageQuestion: When I'm in the advance left turn lane, and I am on the green, entering a 2 lane roadway, how far do I have to drive before I can change into the right lane? I had a situation where a new driver was entering the right lane after making a right turn on a right turn on red. They became upset with me for changing lanes from left to right.

VIEWPOINT - Maintain Your Proper Lane Position!

SoapboxI'm not sure if you have covered this in previous columns but two of my biggest peeves is people that can't maintain proper lane positioning and people that shave corners. This is extremely dangerous if the offending driver is coming into your lane and a friggin' nuisance when following behind someone that 'gets into the gravel" and spits it up. What happened to the drivers courtesy today?

Q&A - HOV Lane Speed Limits

Q&A ImageQuestion: I am having difficulty with HOV Lanes and speed limits. Here are two different scenarios that I'm curious about and a comment about (non) enforcement of the speed limit during rush hour. I am uncomfortable using the HOV lane due to the dangerous behaviour of drivers overtaking me from the rear when I follow the speed limit.

Q&A - Another Take On Failing To Keep Right

Q&A ImageI have a question for you and hope you can answer it.

You're driving from Kelowna to Vancouver on the Okanagan Connector. There are two lanes for your direction of travel. The fast lane seems to be pretty clean with bare pavement. The slow lane is covered in snow and doesn't look safe. You have winter tires and everything, but bare pavement always beats compact snow.

CASE LAW - Haughian v Jiwa

BC Courts Coat of ArmsIn this case, Kathleen Haughian was proceeding eastbound on Sunset Street east of Smith Avenue in Burnaby, B.C.  Sunset Street in this location consists of two lanes in each direction with angle parking on both sides. The angle parking is toward traffic on the north side and away from traffic on the south side.