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Bicycle safety and the Motor Vehicle Act
With the warmer temperatures more cyclists are now on the road. It is also a good time to review some of the rules of the road with respect to riding a bicycle.
Basically a person operating a cycle on a roadway has the same rights and duties as a driver of a vehicle. Although there are certain sections under the Motor Vehicle Act specific to bicycles, for the most part the rules are the same.
Some of the common offences that cyclists commit are; riding without a helmet, riding on the sidewalk and not riding on the right side of the road.
There seems to be some confusion with respect to yielding to bicycles particularly at intersections and cross walks.
Unless the cyclist dismounts and walks they are considered a vehicle and should be treated as such. If there is a stop sign a cyclist must stop and yield to the cross traffic. If they get off the bike and walk, the vehicles must yield to them as they are now considered pedestrians.
For further information on bike safety: http://www.th.gov.bc.ca/BikeBC/links.html
Cpl. Chris Newel,
Kimberley RCMP
