Turns

Most drivers believe that if they are facing a green light at an intersection they have the absolute right of way to drive through without any need to consider stopping. A recent case in the B.C. Supreme Court on making left turns through stopped traffic illustrates that this is not a reasonable expectation.

The case of Topolewski v Blyschak arises from a collision between a commercial truck and a Honda Civic at the intersection of Mary Street and Hodgins Avenue in Chiliwack. Mr. Topolewski had driven his commercial truck northbound on Mary Street intending to make a right turn onto Hodgins Avenue.

Question: The intersection at Valley and Summit drive in Kelowna is a 2 way stop for drivers on the North and South side of Valley road. Does the car approaching from the South turning left have the right of way or does the car turning right approaching from the North?

A conversation that I had this week highlights a dangerous situation that is well worth discussing, vehicles making right turns across cycle lanes. Drivers may not understand the duties required of them as many of us are only starting to experience driving alongside cycle lanes.

The case of Stempowicz v Dobbs involves a collision at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Langford Parkway in Langford. Tienna Stempowicz was travelling northbound on Veterans Memorial Parkway  intending to turn left onto Langford Parkway.

A Courtenay resident is upset with drivers that turn left from the Island Highway onto Ryan Road and fail to enter the first available lane. He identifies this as a problem for drivers traveling in the opposite direction on the highway wanting to turn right onto Ryan Road. Who would be liable he wonders if the right turn vehicle failed to yield as directed by the sign and collided with a vehicle that had made the left turn into the curb lane instead of the lane next to the center line.

A driver from Rutland e-mailed with a concern regarding the intersection of Nickel Road and Highway 33. Highway 33 is five lanes wide with a two way left turn lane in the middle and Nickel Road is a two lane residential street. She regularly stops and waits to turn left off of Highway 33 onto Nickel Road and is horrified when through traffic on the highway stops to allow her to make the turn.

The case of White v Sidhu involves a collision at the intersection of 184th Street and 40th Avenue in Surrey. William White was driving his Dodge Ram northbound on 184th intending to turn left onto 40th. Amarjit Sidhu was driving her Honda Accord eastbound on 184th.

Part of Parachute Canada's Vision Zero Collection is an explanation of centerline hardening strategies that are intended to make intersections safer for pedestrians by reducing the turning radius for motor vehicles. The use of physical objects such as bollards, delineators or rubber curbs encourage drivers to make left turns at slower speeds.

A reader writes to me describing an intersection where collisions occur regularly, some resulting in fatalities. He has observed that the opposing left turn lanes in one direction don't line up directly across from each other but are offset by a few feet. The result is that through traffic in one direction is more obscured by standing vehicles than it is in the other. To complicate matters, one direction has a protected left turn signal and the other direction does not.