Editor:
It is quite amazing that governments, particularly ours in B.C., continue to introduce legislation intended for a good reason yet fraught with un-thought of problems. Take the recent change requiring motorists to leave 1.5 metres when passing a cyclist on a highway. Of course, we should always be very aware of cyclists on our roads, they are no match for a moving vehicle. I have just measured the width of Highway 101 at the front of our house in Sechelt; it is exactly 136 inches from the fog line to the double yellow. Take away the 59 inches (1.5 metres) required space to pass a cyclist, there is only enough room for a 77 inch wide vehicle; Ford F-350 is 106 inches; the average SUV 78 inches; a Sprinter Van 92 inches and a Dodge Ram 103 inches to name a few.
While most cyclists are sensible on the road and ride as far away from the fog line as is safe, there are those who insist on riding close to the fog line. You may not cross a double yellow line in B.C. except to safely enter of leave a highway, so how, on long stretches of double yellow lines, can vehicles, particularly the wider ones, pass a cyclist without breaking the law? Will it be enforced on the Coast and how – too close to a cyclist or crossing a double yellow? Perhaps if you drive an F-350 or a Dodge Ram you could get two tickets at the same time.
P. Clayden
Sechelt
