Cyclists and Emergency Vehicles

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.

He explained that fire trucks were responding code three to a call when they came upon a group of approximately fifteen cyclists. Traffic was very heavy due to the holiday weekend and despite lights flashing and sirens wailing, they did not stop. Consequently, motorists were prevented from pulling over as the cyclists were in the way.

Do bicycle riders have to follow the same road rules as motorists when it comes to being approached by emergency vehicles?

Rights and Duties of Cyclists

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 yield the right of way by moving to the nearest edge of the roadway clear of an intersection, and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed by.

Bike Lanes

If you are riding in a dedicated bike lane, you should still pull over as far as safely possible and stop. This makes your movements predictable for the emergency vehicle operator and other drivers, allowing a clear path for first responders to navigate.

It will also reduce your chances of being hit if a driver pulls into the bike lane to make room for emergency vehicles without checking to their right.

Issuing Tickets to Cyclists

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 at $109, but cyclists are not assessed penalty points by ICBC.

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