Photo: Crispin Semmens, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
This guide covers the BC rules for sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcycles, large vehicles, school and transit buses, emergency and roadside vehicles, construction zones, trains and horses, from ICBC’s Learn to Drive Smart chapter 6. These rules turn up on the knowledge test and the Class 7 road test. The numbers learners most often need are in the first table.
BC sharing-the-road numbers
| Rule | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Passing a cyclist, pedestrian, mobility device user or horse rider | At least 1.0 m; at least 1.5 m where the limit is above 50 km/h; at least 0.5 m if they are on a sidewalk or protected cycle lane |
| Following a motorcycle | At least 3 seconds |
| Following a fire truck | At least 150 m back |
| Passing a stopped vehicle with flashing lights, limit 80 km/h or more | No faster than 70 km/h |
| Passing a stopped vehicle with flashing lights, limit under 80 km/h | No faster than 40 km/h |
| Yielding to a transit bus pulling out | On roads with limits of 60 km/h or lower |
| Stopping at a railway crossing | No closer than 5 m and no further than 15 m from the nearest rail |
| Stalled on a track | Get everyone out and at least 30 m away |
| Construction zones | Posted limits apply 24 hours a day; fines are double |
Pedestrians
You must yield to pedestrians:
- in marked crosswalks, if they are close to your half of the road
- at intersections, even with no marked crosswalk
- when you are turning
- when entering a road from a driveway or alley
Never pass a vehicle that is slowing or stopped at a crosswalk or intersection for a pedestrian: it is illegal, and the driver may be shielding someone you cannot see. Check a crosswalk is empty before entering, even on green. If a visually impaired person raises their white cane, stop and give them the right-of-way, without revving or honking. It is always the driver’s responsibility to avoid hitting a pedestrian.
Cyclists
- Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as drivers. Yield to them as you would to any vehicle.
- Shoulder check before opening your door, pulling away from the curb and moving right. Dooring is one of the most common causes of cyclist crashes.
- A cyclist may move toward the middle of the lane to avoid glass, potholes or a narrow lane, or to turn left.
- The passing gap is measured from the widest part of your car, usually the mirror, to the furthest part of the person or their equipment, such as handlebars. It is a minimum, not a target.
- You may cross a single or double yellow centre line to pass a vulnerable road user if it is safe. Signal first. If you cannot leave the full gap, stay back until you can.
- On a multi-lane road, change lanes rather than squeeze past.
- Do not honk unless warning them; it can cause a fall.
Motorcycles
- Never share a lane with a motorcycle; it needs the whole lane.
- Keep at least 3 seconds behind; motorcycles can stop very quickly.
- Look hard for oncoming motorcycles before turning left. Their speed is hard to judge.
- A rider in the left of the lane may just be making themselves visible, not turning.
Other cars and light trucks
Drivers of cars, vans and pickups can be as unpredictable as anyone else: tired, impatient, impaired, not looking ahead, or in a car with brake or signal lights that do not work. Watch their vehicle language, leave space, and use see-think-do around them as you would around a cyclist or a truck.
Large vehicles
- If you cannot see both of a truck’s mirrors, the driver cannot see you.
- Do not sit on the right of a truck that may turn right; you can be squeezed against the curb.
- After passing, wait until you see the truck’s headlights in your rear-view mirror before pulling back in.
- Uphill behind a truck, leave extra space; it may roll back.
- Trucks can slow with engine retarders without brake lights showing.
- On BC logging roads, use headlights and always yield to logging trucks.
School buses in BC
When a school bus has alternating flashing red lights at the top, you must stop whether you are approaching from the front or the rear. Vehicles in all lanes must stop. Do not move until the bus moves on or the driver turns off the lights and pulls in the stop sign. Flashing amber lights warn that the bus is about to stop. For other provinces’ rules see school bus stopping rules across Canada.
Transit buses
On roads with a limit of 60 km/h or lower, let a transit bus that is signalling and showing a yield-to-bus sign pull out from the curb lane or a stop. Change lanes if you can; otherwise slow down.
Emergency and roadside vehicles
Approaching with lights and siren
All traffic in both directions must pull over and stop, usually to the right (to the left if you are in the left lane of a divided highway or on a one-way street). Do not stop in an intersection. Exception: on a divided highway with the emergency vehicle on the other side of the median, you may not need to stop. Never drive over a fire hose.
Stopped with flashing lights
The rule covers any vehicle authorized to show flashing yellow, red, white or blue lights: police, fire, paramedics, tow trucks, highway maintenance and utility crews, commercial vehicle inspectors, conservation officers, land surveyors, animal control and garbage collectors. Slow to 70 km/h (limit 80 km/h or more) or 40 km/h (limit below 80 km/h), and move out of the nearest lane if safe. It does not apply when you are on the opposite side of a divided highway. Breaking it can bring a ticket and penalty points. Canada-wide comparison: slow down, move over laws.
Construction zones
- Obey traffic control persons and signs from start to end of the zone.
- Posted construction limits apply 24 hours a day; fines are doubled.
- Merge early for lane closures, avoid lane changes inside the zone and leave space around crews.
Trains
- Trains always have the right-of-way. Most need about 2 km to stop, and passenger trains in Canada travel at up to 160 km/h.
- Stop for lowered gates or flashing red lights, and wait for gates to rise fully.
- Watch for a second train behind the first.
- Do not stop on the tracks for a red light beyond the crossing; wait before it unless there is room.
- In a manual car, change down before crossing, never on the tracks.
- If stuck, get everyone 30 m away, then call the number on the back of the crossing sign, or 911.
Horses
Horses may be ridden on most public roads, and riders and carriage drivers have the same rights as motorists. Slow down, leave extra room when passing, avoid the horn, and stop if the rider is struggling to control the horse.
Common questions
What do flashing amber lights on a BC school bus mean?
The driver is preparing to stop. Slow down and be ready: once the red lights flash, every lane must stop, from the front or the rear.
How much space must I give a cyclist in BC?
At least 1.0 m, or 1.5 m where the limit is above 50 km/h.
How slow must I go past a tow truck with flashing lights?
70 km/h on roads posted 80 km/h or more; 40 km/h on roads posted below 80 km/h.
Do I have to let buses merge?
Yes, on roads posted 60 km/h or lower, when the bus is signalling and shows a yield-to-bus sign.
Are construction zone limits only for working hours?
No. When posted, they apply 24 hours a day.
Back to the full guide: Learning to drive in BC. Related: BC rules of the road, See-think-do, wildlife collisions in Canada.
Sources
- ICBC, “Learn to Drive Smart, chapter 6: Sharing the road” (icbc.com)
- ICBC, “Learn to Drive Smart, chapter 5: See-think-do” (icbc.com)
- ICBC, “Graduated licensing” (icbc.com)
- Government of British Columbia, “Vulnerable road users” (gov.bc.ca)