Right of Way

Right of way is given, not taken. Please read that again and think about what it means when applied to driving, cycling and walking. A sense of entitlement is not what you should have when you use our highways, regardless of your travel mode.

I am a transit operator in the Central Okanagan. Can you please tell me how best to direct my concerns that British Columbia might not be communicating clearly enough to drivers the contents of Section 169.1?

I received a very detailed e-mail this week from a lady who described walking beside Willingdon Road southbound, facing in North Saanich during the early morning darkness. She paused, looked both ways for traffic and continued to the point where Willingdon begins and Canora Road diverges to the northeast.

She stopped and checked for traffic again from the small island that is present between lanes. Finding none, she began to cross the single lane. At this point, a vehicle approached from the south began to accelerate and the driver switched from low to high beam headlights.

Question: Several weeks ago the media (including ICBC) reported over and over that cyclists have the "right of way". Whether it was the editing or just ICBC's position, there was no elaboration on what that exactly means.

I am tired of trying to make a left turn at an intersection and having the opposing traffic going around the other guy that is also trying to turn left. I can't seem to finish my turn till we run out of cars. I am talking about intersections without lights. I've asked the local sergeant but he's not sure what to do about it.

Recently I was on Highway 97 proceeding north and about to enter Westbank when a car exiting the connector highway, 97C, came abreast of me on my right. We were in a “dead heat,” as it were, with neither vehicle as much as a car’s length ahead of the other. I felt that I had the right of way and continued at the same speed. The other car merged after me, repeatedly sounding her horn.

The case of Chang v Alcuaz examines an intersection collision where the drivers approached each other at right angles. Both claim that they were facing a green light when they proceeded into the intersection. It is interesting to see how the judge determines which driver had actually faced a green traffic signal.

The case of Schurmann v Hoch arises from a collision that occurred at dusk in rainy weather. Mr. Schurmann was attempting to turn out of a parking lot onto the highway when he was struck by the vehicle Mr. Hoch (a GLP driver) was operating. Mr. Hoch had failed to turn on his headlights.

The other day I was following a bus. He put on his four way flashers and pulled completely off the road into a bus stop, so I proceeded to pass. When I was beside the bus, he pulled out and I had to swerve to avoid a collision. They do have a yield sign on the back of the bus, but don't they have to re-enter traffic yielding just like anyone else on the road?

I am guessing that most people see the code 3 operation of an emergency vehicle as something that would be exciting or thrilling. From my own experience I can say that this feeling quickly wears off and a sense of responsibility settles in. The lights and siren provide no protection for you or anyone else on the highways and the speeds involved expose us all to danger.