Safe Riding - Lane Position
Wheel Life column - 06 May, 2000
by Todd Litman and Suzanne Kort - Victoria Transport Policy Institute

We LOVE getting fan mail, and so enjoyed a letter about our column by Rob Angus published in last Sunday's Islander. Angus reads our column every week, he says, just what every columnist loves to hear. He even called us "pro-bicycling," a real compliment.

Angus, however, criticizes our March 25 column for asserting, he claims, that "the place for cyclists is in the middle of the traffic lane, not to the side of the road." We never wrote such a thing. We actually wrote, "Local police have ticketed cyclists for 'blocking traffic' when they were simply riding legally and safely in the right-hand lane."

This raises the question as to where cyclists should ride in the roadway, a critical issue for cyclists and other road users to understand. Provincial traffic law is ambiguous. It states that "a person operating a cycle on a highway has the same rights and duties as a driver of a vehicle" and must "ride as near as practicable to the right side of the highway".

Note that the "rights and duties" section comes first, implying that it has the higher priority. The law clearly allows cyclists to use public roadways. This is an important point, because when motorists say they want cyclists to "ride to the right" they sometimes mean off the roadway altogether, on the shoulder or sidewalk. On major highways with adequate shoulders (such as parts of the Island Highway) it may be appropriate to cycle on the shoulder, but where if there is no paved shoulder or it is filled with parked cars, cyclists have as much right to use the traffic lane as any other vehicle.

The key word is "practicable" (a synonym for "practical"). Does this mean that cyclists must always ride on the right edge of the roadway? No, only when it is safe and PRACTICAL to do so. There are several situations in which the legal and safe place to cycle is away from the roadway edge:

• Where a pothole or parked car creates a hazard at the right edge of the traffic lane. Cyclists should always leave a sufficient clearance when passing a parallel parked car to avoid being hit if a door opens.
• When going straight through an intersection that has a right-turn-only lane, in which case use a lane designated for through traffic.
• When making a left turn, in which case cyclists should use a lane designated for left turns.
• When going as fast or faster than other traffic.

Exactly where to ride depends on the width of the right-hand traffic lane. Some roads have relatively wide right lanes (greater than 4 metres), which allow bicycles and motor vehicles to share the lane without conflict. But if the right-hand through lane is narrow (less than 4 metres), or if it is constricted by parallel parked cars or other hazards at the right edge, then it is appropriate to ride in traffic lane right wheel track (that is, where the right wheel of an automobile normally goes). In urban areas where there are frequent intersections and stop-and-go traffic it is particularly appropriate to ride in the traffic lane rather than in the gutter of the roadway, in order to be visible and predictable to other drivers.

Mr. Angus accuses us of being "anti-vehicular" for suggesting that cyclists may sometime use the traffic lane. He couldn't be more wrong. Our whole point is that cyclists are vehicles, with rights and responsibilities, and should follow the traffic rules that apply to any vehicle.

Since cyclists are often slower than motorized traffic it's important to be familiar with the rules that apply to slower vehicles, whether they are trucks, cars, horse-drawn wagons, farm equipment or bicycles: Stay to the right to allow other vehicles to pass, shift to the appropriate lane when proceeding through an intersection, and pull completely off the roadway at the first opportunity when delaying six or more vehicles behind.

Roadway traffic is a beautiful dance that relies on each vehicle being predictable and visible. Since bicycles are narrow and often slower than other traffic, it is important that cyclists understand how to follow the rules of the road to deal with these factors. However, it is too simplistic to simply say that cyclists should always ride to the right of traffic.

For more information on bicycle traffic riding skills we recommend "Bicycling Magazine's Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills," John Forester's "Effective Cycling," or taking a Can Bike II course (the Saanich Bike cops recently did!). Call instructor Ray Hall at 380-0172 for schedule information [Ed: or visit the Riding with Ray page on this website].

That's all the blathering nonsense from Wheel Life columnists for this week, Mr. Angus.

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Caption for illustration: Riding too far to the right makes cyclists vulnerable to roadside hazards and more difficult for drivers to see when entering the road from a driveway or sidestreet. Maintain sufficient clearance to avoid hitting an opening car door.