This is the story of a left turning driver collision at the intersection of Columbia Street and Marine Drive in Vancouver, B.C. Qiang Li was traveling eastbound on Marine Drive attempting to turn left onto Columbia Street. He collided with a car driven by Jasvir Purewal traveling westbound on Marine Drive in the curb lane. Mr Li's vision was limited by other vehicles waiting in the intersection and he relied on a hand gesture given by Vita Sinclair who indicated to him that the curb lane used by Mr. Purewal was clear.
Readers in Port Alberni and Kelowna have written this week to comment on drivers who stop to turn left between intersections and are then involved in collisions with drivers overtaking from the rear. In Port Alberni this is occurring in a downtown business district with straight road and a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. The situation in Kelowna is a bit different as the speed limit is where this is reported to be happening is higher and the road is not straight. In both cases I would ask the left turning driver “What’s in your rear view mirror?”
When you turn right after stopping at an intersection, you are required to turn from a position close to the curb to a position close to the curb. Failing to do so properly could result in a side swipe collision if a vehicle is passing by in the left lane of the cross street. In the case of Matharu v Gill, Hardeep Matharu was travelling to work westbound on Nordell Way using the left hand lane. Balwant Gill had stopped at the sign on 88 Street and then turned right, after which the two vehicles collided. Each blamed the other for the collision, but Mr. Justice Butler found that Gill had turned wide and collided with Matharu.
In a T-shaped intersection with lights but no arrows, the through street is green both directions and the side street is red. A person is trying to turn left from the through street onto the side street. As well, another car is coming from the opposite direction wanting to turn right onto the same side street but has a yield sign in the turn lane.
Something that I am seeing more frequently when leaving the Superstore here in Courtenay, and I wonder if you are seeing it down your way. The link below shows the grey car in a left turning lane and when that driver receives the advanced left-turning signal, then turns onto Ryan Road heading toward the Island Hwy bypass. The lane to his right as you can see goes straight onto Sandwick Rd.
Several weeks ago I followed two cars, already in a left turning lane, thinking turning left was only prohibited Monday through Friday up to 6:00 PM. While in the lane could see that it was Monday to Saturday, and I was in this lane on a Saturday prior to 6:00 PM.
I often sit in a left hand turn controlled lane with 10 or more cars, all of us with our left turn indicators flashing away. We eventually drive through the left hand turn under the control of the left hand turn signal, still with our flashers clicking away.
so if I take a left turn onto say hastings which has three lanes I will obviously take right of center line or closest lane, other vehichle turning right does same thing and goes wide arc straight toward right of center bypassing the use of slow or center lane and we collide, whos fault?
I was given a u turn ticket under section 168 (b) (iv), on 104 avenue and 158 street in Surrey BC. You can get an idea of what this intersection looks like using google maps:
I wonder if someone could help me understand how this intersection should work:
In a T-shaped intersection with lights but no arrows, the through street is green both directions and the side street is red. A person is trying to turn left from the through street onto the side street. As well, another car is coming from the opposite direction wanting to turn right onto the same side street but has a yield sign in the turn lane.