Q&A - Slow Vehicle Pullouts

I have a concern about the road between Port Alberni and the West Coast. When they redid the slow vehicle pullouts, they dressed them up to look exactly like passing lanes. Now everyone travels in those lanes.

The only difference between the slow vehicle pullouts and regular passing lanes is that the slow vehicle pullouts don't have signs telling drivers that the lane is ending (why would it, it's not a travel or a passing lane - it's a slow vehicle pullout).

Example of Slow Vehicle Pullouts

Dangerous Free For All

The result is that you get a big free for all at 80 kph with everyone in the pullout flying back onto the highway and everyone in the left lane locking up their brakes or swerving into the oncoming lane.

Some of the pullouts are on the shoulder with a solid white line, but people still bomb down the shoulder and cut back onto the highway in a panic because the pullout ends abruptly.

One of the pullouts actually leaves the highway into a rest area where people stop to hang out at a creek, but cars still barrel through there and then fly right back out onto the highway.

MOTI Blames Idiot Drivers

I called the Ministry of Transportation and voiced my concern and suggested maybe some clearer signage and painting different lines on the road, but they said the only problem with that road are the idiots driving it.

I've since contacted someone who works in loss prevention at ICBC, and she will look into it.

I was wondering if you've maybe noticed this phenomenon. I don't know if you get out that way much, but it's especially bad in the summertime with all of the rental motor homes,etc. It's not uncommon to follow a vehicle all the way to Tofino because they drive 50 kph the whole way, but then boot it through the pullouts (or passing lanes, I'm not even sure what to call them anymore).

Watched a Collision Occur

Last summer i towed a motorcyclist who tried to overtake a motor home at the top of Sutton Pass. There is a pullout with a solid white line up there. The motor home didn't slow down and swerved right back onto the highway when the pullout ended. He clipped the guy on the motorbike and kept right on going. The bike was a mess, but not as bad as the guy's arm. 

That's the only injury story I have about these slow vehicle pullouts, but I'm sure it won't be the last.

Answer

Yes, I used to drive that section of highway often when I was with Central Island Highway Patrol. I was aware of the pullouts and did charge slow drivers who failed to use them to let others by. The offence is for disobeying a traffic control device.

However, I didn't encounter the problem you describe very often, likely because most often I was driving a marked police vehicle.

Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

I hope that you are paraphrasing the MOTI reply, but it is interesting to hear them applying a candid characterization to the drivers that are doing this.

I don't think that there is anything different that they can do with the line painting though. There needs to be a broken line to tell people that they are allowed to move right, then a section of solid line to confine them to the pullout and finally a section of broken line again to tell them that they may move left if it is safe to do so.

I do agree with you, lane ending signs should be posted to advise drivers.

ICBC Manuals

I'm surprised that the ICBC driving manuals don't have anything specific to say about slow vehicle pullouts. The commercial vehicle and pulling recreational trailer manuals do show images of the signs related to slow vehicle pullouts and advises that they are regulatory signs but that is all.

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