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Behind the Wheel –
Something must have struck a nerve lately as I have received a number of requests to deal with cyclists passing other traffic on the right hand side. One near miss on a right turn even had the cyclist shaking their fist and cursing the driver. No doubt cyclists have their issues with the behaviour of motor vehicle drivers but passing on the right is something cyclists do when in most cases they should not.
In British Columbia, cyclists have the same rights and duties as the driver of a motor vehicle. That means they must obey the same traffic rules and must be treated as if they were another car or truck on the highway. It also means that cyclists may receive a traffic ticket for traffic rule violations as well.
Our traffic rules generally forbid passing on the right. It may only be done if there is an available lane on the right, when a one way street is of sufficient width or when overtaking a vehicle signaling a left turn. However, one must do so safely and must not travel off the roadway. Roadway means the portion of the highway that is improved, designed or ordinarily used for vehicular traffic, but does not include the shoulder.
On highways that have a paved shoulder separated from the roadway by a solid white line, the cyclist must ride on it if it is practicable to do so. While the shoulder may be wide and unobstructed, the cyclist is still forbidden from passing overtaken traffic on the right while they are riding here.
The author is a retired constable with many years of traffic enforcement experience. To comment or learn more, please visit http://www.drivesmartbc.ca.
They are approaching an intersection, with no right-turn lane. The car turns right, causing the cyclist to have to brake to avoid running into the side of the car. The driver of the car is obviously at fault, as he/she crossed into the path of the cyclist. Correct?
What would your answer to your own question be if the cyclist were a car instead?
What about a car passing a cyclist riding with traffic on a road with a single lane in each direction (and no cycling lane)? By letter of the law, the vehicle should not pass the cyclist and stay behind the cyclist at 30 km per hour until there is a passing lane....yet, as common practice, cars overtake cyclists almost every this situation occurs ....many in very dangerous situations.
As with all law common sense should prevail. Cyclists cannot travel the speed of traffic most of the time and therefore should try and stay as close to the right as safely possible, while drives should respect cyclists and give them a safe zone when passing. Both cyclists and drivers should respect the limitations of the other party, drive/ ride defensively and maintain situational awareness at all times.