Ad hoc cop talk (or, how VPD thinks I should ride a bicycle)
I just had a strange encounter with some Vancouver Police on my way in to work this morning.
I was riding my bike north on Kingsway, in the right-most lane. Just north of 12th, while I was riding on the dashed the margin between parked cars and the right-most lane, the car behind behind me slowed to give me an opportunity to change lanes. I signalled left, and safely made it into the left lane. I continued north, across Broadway, then stopped in with the queue of traffic waiting to turn left onto 7th.
At this point two Vancouver Police officers, riding motorcycles two abreast, pulled up to the right of me (in the through lane). I heard someone shouting "Hello! Hello!", and realized they were trying to get my attention. Looking over, one officer then shouted: "You're not a car. You have to stay as far right as possible. If you're making a turn, you have to do it within the block."
I only had time to respond with "Oh, yeah…?" and a baffled half-grin before the light changed and they peeled off ahead down Main. I continued on my way.
This exchange bothered me for several reasons.
- I don't believe I was doing anything illegal or unsafe. In fact, I was doing my best to integrate with traffic, as I always do; my movements were well-signed, obvious, and in keeping with regular traffic flow.
- I believe that these officers were themselves breaking the law by riding two abreast in one lane of traffic.
- If I were committing an infraction, I would have expected (and appreciated) lights or sirens and a proper traffic stop. Instead, the odd casual nature of this exchange seemed bizarre.
I shall do some research into the road regulations to see if I can validate the officer's advice. However I am skeptical that his admonishment, at least in this situation, amounted to little more than personal opinion – which seems rather unprofessional for the police.
April 13th, 2011 - 11:44
Just use the damned bike routes! They are there for a reason; they’re not far off the route you are describing you take.
April 13th, 2011 - 12:07
Bike routes are great for leisurely riding, and I do use them frequently. However, they’re not usually efficient for a regular commute (unless your endpoints happen to lie exactly on the bike route).
April 13th, 2011 - 12:39
I’d be pretty sure that two cops on horses shouldn’t ride two abreast… not sure about motorbikes though (I had the impression that laws of that nature varied from province/province, state/state, etc.).
I’d be curious about the regs on bike traffic too. I’d also like to find the regs that suggest that stop signs only sometimes apply at pedestrian-controlled traffic crossings.
April 13th, 2011 - 12:55
Hmm, looks like your cop-friend was right. See Section 59 in the CoV Street and Traffic Bylaws:
http://vancouver.ca/bylaws/2849c.pdf
Harsh!
April 13th, 2011 - 14:06
Interesting; thanks! I’m looking forward to spending some time later reading through the by-law in more detail.
In regard to section 59, I would be inclined to argue that in order to prepare for a left-hand turn from the left lane of a two-lane road, it is “impracticable to travel on [the right-hand] side”…
April 13th, 2011 - 15:50
Heh. Good point.
April 13th, 2011 - 15:51
I’ve wondered about that. There are a (very) few places where there is a space reserved in the left hand lane for bikes turning left, but most of the time if you are turning left you have to do exactly what you did. What was the option the cop was trying to tell you about? Not sure what turning “within the block” means.