COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT: Distance Between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists – Request for Signage

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE REPORT

Distance Between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists – Request for Signage

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report entitled “Distance between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists – Request for Signage” from the Director of Engineering dated February 3, 2021 be received for information.

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER’S COMMENTS:

I concur with the recommendation

PURPOSE OF REPORT:

To provide the Committee of the Whole with information regarding roadway signage dictating distancing between motor vehicles and cyclists.

BACKGROUND:

On September 08, 2020, the Town received a letter to Council outlining a resident’s request for “Distance between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists” signage to be installed along Town roadways (see Attachment A). Council determined that they did not have sufficient information and directed staff to conduct research and to provide recommendations.

PROJECT INFORMATION:

For the purpose of clarity and safety for motorists, cyclists and other human-powered modes of travel, there is a precedent that signage installed along the Town’s roadways is consistent with the following:

1. Recommendations from the Transportation Authority of Canada (TAC);
2. BC’s Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s (MOTI) “Catalogue of Traffic Signs;” and
3. BC’s Motor Vehicle Act

Within MOTI’s “Catalogue of Traffic Signs” there is no existing sign which dictates the distance between vehicles and cyclists. Further to this, the TAC has released two major publications (TAC Bikeway Traffic Control Guidelines 2nd Edition, 2012, and Safety Performance of Bicycle Infrastructure in Canada, 2020) regarding bicycle traffic control and bicycle infrastructure, neither of which refer to signage which determines spacing between cyclists and vehicles. Both MOTI and TAC include the “Share the Road” warning sign which is currently implemented on roadways within View Royal (see Attachment B).

In addition to currently installed signage, View Royal has implemented several TAC recommended cyclist safety measures which serve to increase distance between motorists and cyclists. These include:

• Bicycle lanes – constructed at a width of 1.5 metres and including painted fog lines.
• Bicycle pavement markings – Shared use lane markings, or “sharrows” have been painted across the Town to clarify sections where cyclists and motorists are sharing the road (see Attachment C).

While two Provinces have added mandatory spacing regulations to their respective Motor Vehicle Acts (MVA), British Columbia’s MVA does not include any reference to mandatory spacing between vehicles and cyclists sharing the roadway. On a Regional level, no other municipalities within the Greater Victoria Area have implemented cyclist-vehicle spacing signage along their roadways. Despite being a frequently recommended safety guideline to road users, 1-metre spacing is not the law.

OPTIONS:

That the Committee recommend that no further investigation occur with regard to installing “distance between motor vehicles and cyclists” signage along View Royal roadways.

That the Committee recommend further investigation of the costs and considerations of installing and enforcing “distance between motor vehicles and cyclists” signage along View Royal roadways.

ALTERNATE RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the Committee recommend investigation of the costs and implications of installing “Distance between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists Signage” throughout the Town of View Royal.

RECOMMENDATION:

THAT the report entitled “Distance between Motor Vehicles and Cyclists – Request for Signage” from the Director of Engineering dated February 3, 2021 be received for information.

SUBMITTED BY: J. Rosenberg, Director of Engineering

REVIEWED BY: K. Anema, Chief Administrative Officer