Lanes

I watched a particularly foolish driver the other afternoon who decided to cross over two lanes of traffic in order to prepare for a left turn about a kilometer ahead. This driver zoomed across all the lanes without pause, ending up in the left hand lane about three vehicle lengths ahead of a heavy truck.

Here is another video from Road Guy Rob who explains about advisory bike lanes, just like the ones installed recently Victoria. In this case the installation was in San Diego, California and "the people living nearby lost their collective minds.  Here's why these lanes aren't quite as bad as local TV coverage claims."

The case of Bains v Watkins might be a classic He Said / She Said situation. The purpose of the trial was to decide who was on the wrong side of the road when a head on collision between vehicles driven by Janice Watkins and Surinder Bains occurred. The incident occurred on 84 Avenue near the 135A Street intersection in Surrey.

I am often asked to tell the motoring public that it is illegal to change lanes in an intersection. I cannot do this, because there is no specific rule prohibiting this driving action in B.C.'s Motor Vehicle Act. However, a defensive driver will choose not to do this, even if it is legal.

When I used an unmarked car for enforcement, one of the tactics that I would use on multi-laned highways involved finding a vehicle traveling at the speed limit in the left hand lane. I would take up a position in the right hand lane a few vehicles lengths back and wait. It did not take long before another driver was dangerously close to the vehicle that I was following, trying to bulldoze them out of the way.

I enjoy these videos by Road Guy Rob. He explains how the road structures that we use daily function in an easy to understand manner. In this video he takes on the subject of raised medians. On one hand, they prevent crashes, but on the other, they keep us from turning left where we might want to. This video explains how engineers decide how to build raised medians.

Probably one of the most dangerous things that we do as drivers is to make a left turn. As we sit in traffic waiting for a large enough gap between oncoming vehicles we risk being hit from behind, the most common collision type on our roads. When we do turn, we present the sides of our vehicle to other traffic which is the most vulnerable position to be in.

Two way left turn lanes are designed to reduce traffic congestion and rear-end collisions when turning left mid-block while saving the space otherwise required for a dedicated left-turn lane in either direction.

"Don't design streets for the traffic that you have, design streets for the traffic that you want." The Active Transportation Design Guide from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure addresses human powered modes of transportation, including bicycle lanes.

Cody Andrews and Barry McKenna were driving northbound on Highway 1 between Hutchinson and Chapman Roads in Cobble Hill. Mr. McKenna was operating a motorcycle in the left lane intending to make a left turn onto Hutchinson and Mr. Andrews was driving his sportscar in the right lane. When Mr. Andrews moved to the left lane, they collided.