Motor Vehicle Act

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Motor Vehicle Act

The Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) contains the laws governing the use of the roads in B.C. The Bike Sense Manual highlights the sections of the MVA specific to cycling.

The BC Cycling Coalition and our partner groups have completed a review of the MVA and submitted a list of proposed improvements reflecting the best practices of progressive jurisdictions to BC Government officials. As part of a comprehensive Cycling Strategy for British Columbia that includes accelerated investment in cycling networks, cyclist and driver education and improved maintenance of cycling infrastructure and roads, the BC Cycling Coalition has made recommendations to the Province to update this legislation.

The purpose of the proposed improvements are to:

Provide greater clarity to all road users
Acknowledge the fundamental differences between bicycles and motor vehicles
Improve the safety of cyclists and other road users while improving the convenience and comfort of cycling
Reduce conflicts among cyclists, pedestrians and motorists
Provide better legal protection to cyclists and pedestrians in the event of collisions with motor vehicles
Enable police to further focus their enforcement efforts efficiently on infractions that are the most likely to result in collisions, injuries and fatalities
Conform with the practices taught in CAN-Bike, Streetwise and other bicycle safety courses.

These proposed changes include:

Change of name of the act, as it applies to all modes, not just motor vehicles
Specify minimum passing distance of 1.5m
Legal definitions of bicycle lanes and separated cycling facilities
Legalization of bicycle specific signals
Allowing riding two abreast
Removal or updated as near to the right clause
Enabling cities to create blanket speed limits less than 50 km/h
A default speed limit of 30 km/h on local streets
Increasing the penalty for dooring from $81 to $368 plus 3 demerit points

More information on the proposed changes here.

If you are interested in getting involved, please volunteer.

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Let the Premier and Ministers Know You Want a Safer Passing Law

Tell them about your close calls or crashes caused by drivers passing too closely. Let them know that a safer passing law and enforcement would would help protect your family and friends.

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John Horgan Premier M
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Claire Trevena Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure F
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Andrew Wilkinson Leader of the Opposition
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Adam Olsen
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Jordan Sturdy Opposition Critic for Transportation and Infrastructure
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Spencer Chandra Herbert Advisor on Active Transportation
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Mike Farnworth Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General
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Mike Morris Opposition Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General
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Mayors & Councillors Pass Motor Vehicle Act Improvements Resolution

Great news! Resolution B102: Updating the BC Motor Vehicle Act to Improve Safety for All Road Users passed at Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) conference. Thanks to the City of New Westminster for moving this resolution forward. While this is a very important step forward, much work still needs to be done to help ensure that the BC Government updates the Motor Vehicle Act to make our roads safer for people walking and cycling. Your donation will be a real help enabling us to reach more people and groups who support cycling and engage government officials. Please contribute today! Proposed changes to improve the safety and comfort of people cycling, walking and using a wheelchair include: Change of name of the act, as it applies to all modes, not just motor vehicles Specify minimum passing distance of 1.5m for people cycling, walking and using a wheelchair Legal definitions of bicycle lanes and separated cycling facilities to enable better enforcement against vehicles blocking bike lanes Legalization of bicycle specific signals Allowing riding two abreast Removal or updated as near to the right clause Enabling cities to create blanket speed limits less than 50 km/h A default speed limit of 30 km/h on local neighbourhood streets (no centre line) More information on the proposed changes here. Please write your mayor and council thanking them for supporting the changes to the Motor Vehicle Act. Share

Yes. Improve the Motor Vehicle Act!

BC Needs a Safer Passing Law to Protect People Cycling & Walking

Support a 1.5m Safer Passing Law. Make our roads safer for cycling and walking. Share your scary experiences with the Premier.

I'm Tired of Drivers Passing Too Closely!!

Slow Down and Save Lives – 30 is the New 50

Motor vehicle speed reduction through road design, enforcement and eduction is a key component of the comprehensive Active Transportation Strategy that we are encouraging the Province to implement. We recommend: A default speed limit of 30 km/h on all residential streets Allowing municipalities to blanket speed limits under 50 km/h More funding for traffic calming Email the Premier regarding safer speedsFor people walking and cycling, motor vehicle speed is the major threat. Vision Zero – An ethical approach to safety and mobility, pioneered in Sweden, is a philosophy of road safety that eventually no one will be killed or seriously injured within the road transport system. They recommend a maximum speed of 30km/h at locations with possible conflict between pedestrians and cars which in many cities, would be pretty much all the streets. It acknowledges that people driving cars and walking will make mistakes and these mistakes should not result in people dying. The best way to do that is to lower speeds.Higher speeds both increases the likelihood of collisions and increase the severity of collisions. Safe Kids Canada states that regarding pedestrian safety: At speeds greater than 30-40 km/h, both drivers and pedestrians may be more likely to make mistakes in judging the time required to stop or cross the street safely.1 In addition, drivers are known to underestimate their speed.2 Reducing vehicle speed has proven to be effective in preventing crashes and reducing the severity of injuries.3 Even small reductions in vehicle speed can yield significant reductions in injury risk. It is estimated that a pedestrian struck by a car travelling at 50 km/hr is eight times more likely to be killed than someone hit at 30 km/h. As shown in the following graphs from The Impact of Lowered Speed Limits in Urban and Metropolitan Areas by J. Acher et al, the research is very compelling. In the BBC article, 20mph speed zones cut road injuries by 40%, study says, Dr Chris Grundy, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates that 20mph (32 km/h) zones in London would save 200 lives a year, increasing to 700 if the zones were extended. Not surprisingly, lower speeds also correspond to higher levels of cycling. Cities in Europe with 30 km/h speed limits have cycling mode shares from between 25% and 30% compared to 2% to 3% in British cities. The Copenhagenize 30 km/h Zones Work is worth a read.Strasbourg is lowering speeds throughout the city to 30km/h to improve safety of cyclists and pedestrians and as stated by the Mayor:The public roads no longer belong to automobiles alone. They must be reimagined to be redistributed in a fairer manner between all forms of transportation. The protection of the most vulnerable is thus reinforced in zones in which all users have access but in which the pedestrian is king.Barcelona has already had encouraging results by lowering speed limits to 30 km/hr on 300km of single lane roads. Their pilot project reduced injuries by 30%. They are now lowering speeds on all single lane streets to 30 km/hr. Thanks to Ryan Mijker for passing this example on.In BC, we still have a ways to go. Municipalities across the province have repeatedly requested that the Province allow them to set blanket speed limits below 50 km/h. Given the lack of provincial action, the only option left to cities is to place 30 km/h signs on every block of a street which can be expensive and time consuming. Fortunately, the City of Vancouver is in the process of doing exactly this on bikeways. As well, in December 2011, the City of Burnaby adopted the recommendation for the trial installation of 30 km/h speed limit signs along sections of existing bikeways in two neighbourhoods.Reducing vehicle speeds will also require traffic calming, education and enforcement but 30 km/h speed limits are the critical first step. It sends a clear message that people’s lives are more important than probably getting there a couple of minutes sooner. Emphasis on probably. A collision that is preventable by going slower may mean that they don’t arrive at all or at least delayed for hours at the scene.

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Be part of our work to make the rules of the road make sense for people cycling.

Help us build support for a safe passing distance law, riding side by side and other badly needed improvements.

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Cycling Priorities Poll

We would like to know what you think the top priority should be for the BC Cycling Coalition. The results will help gulde our activities over the coming year.

Please choose your top priority:

Improved maintenance and hazard removal on roads

Wider and better maintained shoulders on highways

More funding for bike paths and separate bike lanes in your community

Changes to the Motor Vehicle Act including safe passing distance law and being able to ride two abreast

Education for motorists and cyclists

Cycling tourism

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Stephen Chessor commented 2019-08-15 17:11:14 -0700
Was the Idaho Stop considered? https://www.arkansasoutside.com/the-idaho-stop-becomes-the-arkansas-stop/
Dakota Steele commented 2018-01-14 14:46:46 -0800
The rights, convenience and comforts for cyclists have superseded the rights convenience and comforts
of many elderly and disabled people who need to use a car to access businesses in Victoria
- case in point, severely reduced parking and very awkward parking on streets with bicycle lanes
so that elderly and disabled people have great difficulty parking close to their destinations.
In my case I need to use a walker. I find great difficulty travelling for much longer than a city block
and in my experience easily finding parking closer than a city block is all but impossible since the
creation of Victoria’s bike lanes.
Also finding parking on those streets with bike lanes where I can safely get out of my car, get my walker
out of the car and easily get to the sidewalk from the raised bike lane protection barrier creates
many difficulties and dangers for me.
I feel the entire cycling path design and construction must have been done with little or no consultation or
consideration of the elderly and the disabled.
One day almost everyone will no longer be able to ride a bike and when that day comes
those selfsame people will no longer have easy access to downtown Victoria.
Sadly, I am one of those people and as such have not been to any business or government office in downtown
Victoria for well over ten months.
Simply put, I no longer go downtown in Victoria and as such I no longer frequent any business in downtown
Victoria where I used to spend thousands of dollars a year.
I grew up in Victoria going to John’s Place the Dutch Bakery, Russel Books, the Blue Fox and a myriad
of other unique businesses on Fort Street.
I am very sad no longer being able to go to those places.
Leesa Watt posted about this on Facebook 2017-08-29 16:24:29 -0700
I just signed!
@DrFeelgoodHD74 tweeted link to this page. 2017-08-26 13:53:01 -0700
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes. http://www.bccc.bc.ca/motor_vehicle_act?recruiter_id=22241
Reply · Retweet · Favorite
Debbie and Craig Reid posted about this on Facebook 2017-08-04 09:54:58 -0700
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
Neil Winkelmann posted about this on Facebook 2017-08-03 06:11:52 -0700
I am a keen and frequent BC cyclist. I feel that cyclists’ rights are severely restricted under the current laws. I support all the proposed changes.
James Wilkes commented 2017-02-06 14:04:05 -0800
One of the oldest mods applied to bicycles is a low displacement engine and those bicycles have always been treated as just a bicycle. Chances are a decent cyclist would win a top speed contest against a motorized bicycle.
CanAm commented 2017-02-06 13:17:13 -0800
The rules need to clearly define the status of bikes. vehicles or pedestrian. They cannot be both. If they ride on the road, they are vehicles; so they cannot use crosswalks, zoon through red lights, etc
Tim Gijzen posted about this on Facebook 2017-02-04 14:54:06 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
James Wilkes commented 2017-01-16 20:41:57 -0800
The rules have to change. The regulation changes mentioned here are only a first step. Other rules especially in the area of motorized or motor assisted bicycles. An engine of 50cc or less should be allowed. Many disabled people are condemned to a life of begging for rides or being cooped up in their homes. Electric scooters and the electric packages to upgrade bicycles are financially out of a disabled persons reach. We are either relegated to public transport or the three or four wheeled mobility scooters available to us thru the ministry of social services. Many disabled people find these forms of transport degrading but are made to put up with them because thats what’s legally left to them. Personally I don’t think these changes you propose go far enough. But they are a good first step so I will sign and back this important step in the right direction.
Samantha Nelson posted about this on Facebook 2017-01-02 16:54:43 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
Samantha Nelson posted about this on Facebook 2017-01-02 16:54:38 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
Tim Gijzen posted about this on Facebook 2017-01-02 09:00:24 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
Richard Campbell posted about this on Facebook 2017-01-02 01:22:15 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes.
@wrychrd tweeted link to this page. 2017-01-02 01:22:09 -0800
The rules of the road need updating to make cycling safer and reduce conflicts. Support Motor Vehicle Act changes. http://www.bccc.bc.ca/motor_vehicle_act?recruiter_id=2404
Reply · Retweet · Favorite
Marie Gaudreau posted about this on Facebook 2016-09-02 20:39:49 -0700
I just signed!
Hugh Trenchard commented 2015-07-10 18:51:06 -0700
It is fundamentally important that the MVA recognize basic differences in the physics involved in cycling versus those required for driving. Here are a few: 1. individual cyclists take up less physical space than motor vehicles, meaning they can both pass on the right and left of cars, and be passed on the right and left; this also implies that as long as it is safe to do so, there is no physical reason why cyclists should not advance at three-way stops ahead of vehicles, and be allowed rolling right-hand turns at stops as long as they stay as close to the right as is safe to do; 2. cyclists often require both hands to brake, and to accelerate from standing — this means it is not always practical to signal effectively; cyclists’ momentum on steep downhills, particularly in wet conditions, often makes it nearly impossible to stop, and rolling right hand turns should be allowed; 3. cyclists come in all ranges of abilities — some can only maintain 10km/h, while pro or quasi pro cyclists can frequently travel as fast as motor vehicles on city roads — motorists should be trained to recognize the differences in the speeds of cyclists; 4. cyclists travel in groups not only for social reasons but also for energy savings benefits of drafting; this means that cyclists frequently change positions from front to back — not only should cycling two-abreast should be allowed, particularly on rural and less-travelled arteries, but groups of cyclists within a group should be considered a single unit, like a semi-truck – the first cyclist is the head of the group and like the front bumper of the truck, and the last in the group is like the rear bumper — this consideration should apply when groups are proceeding through yellow lights. This also means there should be recognition for the fluid nature of cycling group; i.e. that when cyclists change positions they are sometimes more than two-abreast. Overall, the MVA must be very clear that the sheer realities of physics mean that the laws SHOULD NOT be the same for cyclists and motor vehicle. There is a common belief that the laws apply and ought to apply equally to cyclists and motorists — this is dangerous, and simply unfounded in light of the differences in physical realities between motor vehicles and cyclists.

Hugh Trenchard
Victoria BC
Liam Fox posted about this on Facebook 2015-06-04 20:59:14 -0700
Motor Vehicle Act
Thelma Ge commented 2015-06-04 12:54:29 -0700
When I was away cycle camping this past weekend, I attached quite a few people who wanted to ride bikes who had no idea of what the laws are, how bike lanes and cars work together, what does the green mean, etc. One lady said when she got her license over 20 years ago, bikes weren’t on the test and now they’re everywhere and she didn’t want to hit anybody and that the laws should be clearer for both drivers and people on bikes too.