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.

Question: Hi I am a bike commuter and use the bike lanes often. I often encounter other types of people using the bike lane for various other activities, as well as people sometimes three of them on a motorized scooter. Please clarify, who is allowed to use the bicycle lanes in Kelowna?

I live beside a road where I can watch an "S" curve out of my window where visibility is limited due to vegetation on both sides. I don't have to watch for long before a see a driver who straightens out the S by driving more or less in a straight line through the corners.

A two way left turn lane is often found in larger towns and cities running down the center of multi-lane highway. It is easily identified by the combination solid and broken yellow line at both sides and the pair of opposing left pointing arrows painted on the road surface and displayed on black and white regulatory signs overhead.

The Motor Vehicle Act forbids opening your vehicle's door on the side next to moving traffic unless it is safe to do so. Ryan Toevs opened his driver's door to enter his truck and escape being side swiped by an approaching SUV driven by Michael Williams. Mr. Williams collided with his door and injured him. The case decides liability for the collision.

Mirror, signal, shoulder check, move. These are the four steps for a successful lane changes. Simple enough one would expect, until you watch what goes on around you in traffic today.

Our highways are not for the exclusive use of motor vehicles. Bicycles, pedestrians, equestrians and others may be expected to use their fair share of the highway as well. In fact, in some ways the shoulder of the road could be considered to be their domain and not that of the driver.

This case determines the liability for a right hook collision involving a vehicle and a cyclist at the intersection of Hollywood Road South and Highway 33 in Kelowna.

Here's another complaint from the DriveSmartBC Inbox: "Please speak to the situation that I call the "Invisible White Lines" on our highways as soon as we get some rain and whilst driving in the dark. Night visibility in winter is terrible.

We take the lines painted on our roads for granted today, but the first attempts at implementing them were met with resistance.  This short video on the history of lane markings is a study in the rapid effect of new technologies and the ability of a few people with a good idea to have a large impact.