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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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.
Hugh Trenchard
Victoria BC