Cyclists Must Yield Too

Here's an new angle on a continual problem, that of other road users failing to yield to emergency vehicles. Most of the time this question is asked about cars and trucks, but this fire department official asks the question about a different subset of traffic, cyclists.

Our trucks were recently responding code three to a call when we came upon a group of approximately fifteen cyclists. Traffic was very heavy due to the holiday weekend and, despite lights flashing and sirens wailing, the cyclists did not stop. Consequently, motorists were prevented from pulling over as the cyclists were in the way. Must cyclists abide by the same road rules as motorists when it comes to being approached by emergency vehicles?

A person operating a cycle on the highway has the same rights and duties as the driver of a motor vehicle. This means that when approached by an emergency vehicle displaying a flashing red light and sounding a siren, they must move to the nearest edge of the roadway clear of an intersection, and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed by.

Despite the fact that a cyclist is not licensed, they may still be issued a traffic ticket for violations of the rules. The fines are the same as those applied to a motor vehicle driver but cyclists are not assessed penalty points by ICBC.

Reference Links:

• Rights and Duties of Cyclists - Section 183(1) Motor Vehicle Act
• Yielding to Emergency Vehicles - Section 177 Motor Vehicle Act