Q&A - Right Turn Conflict With Motorcycle

Question: I was driving a Nissan Xterra (fairly large vehicle) south on Ziprick just past Costco in Kelowna. As I approached the three way intersection I observed there was a motorcycle near the center lane with his right turn indicator flashing. As he was in what appeared to me as the straight through lane I assumed he had left his turn signal on in error.

I pulled up on his right side to make my turn and he began to curse me out as he really did want to turn right.

I made the turn and he turned behind me and proceeded to glare and tailgate me until I turned again into the Superstore parking lot where he gave me the finger and continued on his way. I also ride motorcycle so this incident bothers me.

Was I way wrong?

The Incident Location

This is the location that the person is describing:

Turning at Intersections

When you want to turn right at an intersection, you must approach the turn as closely as possible to the right hand edge of the roadway.

165 (1) If the driver of a vehicle intends to turn it to the right at an intersection, the driver must cause it to approach the intersection and then make the turn as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway.

The bicycle lane does add a bit of a twist to the situation, but the line separating it from the other southbound traffic is broken so there is ample opportunity to move to the right before the intersection.

Making a Dangerous Assumption

Your assumption that the signal did not mean that the motorcycle was going to turn is a dangerous one. I could see the motorcyclist stop in the through lane, decide that he had missed his right turn and then try to make it regardless of the fact that he was not in the correct lane position.

I could also see a court apportioning some blame on you had a collision have taken place.

Make Eye Contact with the Motorcycle Rider

Perhaps the best thing for you to have done would be to have stopped prior to the marked stop line and then made eye contact with the motorcycle rider to see if he intended to go straight through or follow his signal. A couple of seconds pause here would have cost you nothing and probably would have left you shaking your head at the idiocy of the motorcycle rider rather than being entangled in a road rage incident.

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