This bike lane on Bowen Rd. near Labieux Rd. is separated from both pedestrian and traffic lanes with green paint, raised curbs and clear signage. However, it's been the site of a vehicle versus cyclist collision as recently as June 3. (Jordan Davidson/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Jordan Davidson

share the road

‘Cooperation, not a contest:’ Nanaimo drivers and cyclists must work together

Jun 15, 2022 | 10:48 AM

NANAIMO — An increase in bike lanes constructed in recent years along with more on the way is putting additional focus on sharing the road.

While new projects, including upgrades to Bowen Rd. and Metral Dr. created dedicated bike lane spaces, many spots in the region still share lanes with vehicle traffic, potentially putting drivers and bike riders in a dangerous situation.

Tim Schewe, a road safety advocate and head of DriveSmartBC.ca, said all modes of transportation should be working together, which isn’t always the case.

“I like to say driving is cooperation, not a contest. But if you watch around you in traffic there’s not a lot of cooperation and there’s a lot more contest.”

Even with dedicated spaces on updated projects, cyclists are not immune to accidents if vehicles and bikes aren’t sharing the space and visually communicating.

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An accident along the recently refurbished Bowen Rd. in early June involved a cyclist in a bike lane being hit by a turning vehicle.

Schewe, a 20-year veteran of the RCMP’s traffic division along with 10 years as a technical collision investigator, said bikes and vehicles have the same rights and responsibilities when on the road.

He also currently teaches road safety for seniors at Vancouver Island University.

The Motor Vehicle Act of BC along with local municipal rules govern how bikes and cars must co-exist on any given road.

“The driver of a car can’t drive on the shoulder, but if there is a passable paved shoulder, the cyclist is expected to use it.”

He said the majority of those rules are followed province-wide, such as cyclists having to dismount and walk their bikes through crosswalks.

But there are exceptions.

“There are what they call “elephant feet” crosswalks where they are marked with a solid line across the intersection, and on the outside of the solid lines that denote the crosswalk are a row of squares on each side. That set of squares along with the solid line, tells the cyclists they have permission to use the crosswalk.”

Nanaimo’s development of active transportation corridors, centred around the E&N Trail, over recent years is slowly separating, or at least providing dedicated space, for bicycles.

While sticking to designated bike lanes is safer for everyone involved, if a cyclist is on the road in the driving lane, they should be treated as a vehicle regardless of their speed.

“None of our roads say you have to do a certain speed except for a freeway, and on a freeway, the vehicle using it must be capable of going 60 kilometres an hour on level ground, but otherwise the speed limit is the maximum, not a minimum.”

Schewe admitted drivers can feel frustrated when they find themselves behind a cyclist moving at half their speed or slower, but cooperation and communication is important.

“A bicycle is slow, so that’s annoying. Drivers can’t do the speed limit and they have to slow down because it’s not safe to pass that cyclist. There’s a strong sense of entitlement (with drivers).”

But he said where it’s necessary for safety, the cyclist is entitled to take the vehicle lane if the shoulder is impassible or if they intend to make a left turn.

More details on safe and proper cycling in B.C. can be found here on their website.

A complete list of all the paths in Nanaimo and their usages can be found at their website.

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jordan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @JordanDHeyNow