Between September 6, and October 1, 2014, the Medicine Hat Police Service has attended 7 injury collisions involving either pedestrians (4 collisions) or bicyclists (3 collisions). In one collision where a pedestrian was walking on a sidewalk, the driver of the motor vehicle was charged with an offence, but all other collisions were as a result of the pedestrian or cyclist crossing the roadway improperly. The laws outlining right of way for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians are found in the Use of Highway and Rules of the Road Regulation portion of the Traffic Safety Act. These rules include, but are not limited to the following: • A vehicle must yield to a pedestrian that is waiting to cross at a crosswalk when the pedestrian is indicating that they want to cross the roadway by extending their arm out and pointing to the opposite curb in the direction they want to cross. • Vehicles must also yield to pedestrians that are already in a crosswalk or that have the right of way indicated on a traffic signal (a walk sign on a traffic light). • A pedestrian who is crossing the roadway at any point other than within a crosswalk shall yield the right of way to vehicles on the roadway. • Pedestrians are required to use the sidewalk or pathway beside a road when practical, and are not allowed to walk on or be on the roadway. • A person who is operating a bicycle on a road is subject to all the duties of a person operating a motor vehicle. • A cyclist must operate as far to the right as practicable when riding on the roadway, and must follow all rules of the road with respect to turns, signaling turns, yielding and stopping. • When crossing roadways, cyclists must obey the same rules of the road as drivers such as stopping at stop signs, obeying yield signs etc. • Cyclists riding their bicycles in a crosswalk do not have the right of way over vehicles. • Cyclists may dismount their bicycles to cross the road within a crosswalk and then all the applicable rules for vehicles yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks (as outlined above) apply. • Nothing relieves a person driving a vehicle from the duty of exercising due care for the safety of pedestrians. • Nothing relieves a pedestrian from the duty of exercising due care for their own safety • A pedestrian shall not proceed onto a roadway or proceed along a roadway into the path of any vehicle that is so close that it is impractical for the driver of the vehicle to yield the right of way. Vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians all share the roadway, and all have an equal responsibility when it comes to their own safety as well as the safety of other users of the roadway. Drivers must be aware of their surroundings and stay alert to potential hazards, depending on where they are driving. For example, drivers should be more vigilant in looking for cyclists and pedestrians when in school and playground zones throughout the city. Pedestrians should wait to cross the road until they are sure that all drivers have seen them and are stopping for them. Making eye contact with drivers and ensuring drivers are at a complete stop before crossing the roadway will enhance their own safety…..pedestrians should not assume that just because they are at a crosswalk they have been seen by a driver. Cyclists must obey all the same rules of the road as a vehicle. When crossing the roadway cyclists must do so in the same manner a vehicle would. If the rider chooses to dismount and walk their bike across the road, they then must obey all the rules of the road that apply to pedestrians. Riding a bicycle within a crosswalk does not make a cyclist a pedestrian. When drivers, cyclists and pedestrians work together and look out for each other, everyone’s safety is enhanced. We all need to increase our efforts to create a safe travel environment by being aware of each other on the roadways. Please do your part!
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 20:13:03 +0000
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