Lanes

Question: I was driving down Pinetree Way in Coquitlam and had a slow driver in front of me, maybe driving about 25 to 30 km/h. After passing the intersection of Tanager Court, I overtook a slow car over a single solid yellow line since there was no other traffic on both sides and it was safe to do so.

The RCMP's advanced driver training course was without a doubt the most fun of any course many of the participants had taken in their service. What the majority of the course taught us was to be aware of the location of all four corners of our vehicles in relation to everything around us on the track.

Research by Dr. Ben Beck at Australia's Monash University collected data on 60 cyclists in Melbourne who rode their bicycles with a custom device (the 'MetreBox') installed to quantify the distance that motor vehicle drivers provide when passing them. More than 18,000 vehicle passing events from 422 trips were recorded.

Q: I was on a highway in bumper-to-bumper traffic approaching my exit for work and changed lanes to the right once I saw the end of HOV lane sign, and in doing so crossed a solid white line. An RCMP officer was on the side of the highway and waved me over. I explained that I would be exiting the highway and that's why I changed lanes. He gave me a ticket for violation of Section 151(b) - crossing a solid line.

I appealed the ticket and intend to plead not guilty on the basis of section 156, which suspends sections 151 and 155 under certain conditions.

Left lane hogs were back in the news again this week. The CTV Vancouver news story that I watched complained that drivers were not being held to account by police for failing to move out of the left lane and letting other drivers pass. The report claims that based on ticket numbers reported by ICBC the number of drivers ticketed for failing to keep right fell from 799 in 2016 to 699 in 2018.

Q: I need advice to dispute two traffic tickets, Disobey Yield Sign - Section 173(2) MVA and Change Lane Unsafely - Section 151(a) MVA.

Here is what happened to me on Friday night:

Our government spends about $11.3 million each year to paint the markings on our highways. These painted lines and symbols guide us by setting our lateral position in the roadway, telling us when we can and cannot change that position and may also prohibit driving in some lanes by marking use criteria.

Is it legal to pull into a head-in angled parking spot on the opposite side of the street (crossing a solid yellow line)?

Effective this week, heavy commercial vehicles will be forbidden to use the leftmost lane on the Coquihalla Highway between Box Canyon and Zopkios. Aimed at keeping "spun out" trucks on the right side of the highway and the left lane clear for snow removal equipment and tow trucks. If this pilot program produces the hoped for outcome it may be extended to other routes in the interior of the province.

Thi My Tien Nguyen and Evelyn Busink were both driving their vehicles eastbound on 100 Avenue intending to turn left onto 140 Avenue in Surrey. Ms. Nguyen moved to the left and traveled over the painted median island before entering the marked left turn lane. Ms. Busink moved into the left turn lane when it began without looking to her left and struck Ms. Nguyen's vehicle.