Turns

A vehicle stopped near an intersection may not be parked. It may be waiting for a pedestrian, another vehicle or some other reason. Lee v. Cheuck, a British Columbia Small Claims Court decision, illustrates why that distinction can matter.

A Courtenay resident is upset with drivers who make left turns from the Island Highway onto Ryan Road and fail to enter the first available lane. He identifies this as a problem for drivers travelling in the opposite direction on the highway who want to turn right onto Ryan Road.

I never know what I am going to receive in my e-mail regarding this column. A while ago, I received a tongue-in-cheek request to settle a disagreement between a husband and wife about U-turns. Neither of them realized that there are actually very few places in British Columbia where a driver can legally make one.

Question: When turning right at an intersection with a bicycle lane, should you merge into the bike lane before turning or turn across it?

Question: When I want to turn right at a red light that has a "Right Turn Signal" sign, am I allowed to proceed when safe? Common online debates suggest you must wait for the green arrow at major intersections. Looking at SW Marine Drive and Cambie Street in Vancouver, the lack of a "No Right Turn on Red" sign leaves many drivers guessing. Here is the legal breakdown.

Making a wide right turn is a poor driving practice that can result in a collision. Right turns must be made as closely as is practicable to the right hand edge of the roadway. Swinging left immediately before the turn is contrary to your signal and can confuse drivers and cyclist following behind you.

Question: On my way home from dropping my daughter at school I make a left turn onto my street at an intersection and then need to turn left immediately again as my house is the 1st driveway. I do so over a single yellow line and am often getting honks etc.