Advocacy & Safety - New Three Foot Law, nahhh, make it One Meter!

from Nova Scotia, the land of the North, Canada:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/11/16/ns-bicycle-rules.html

Quote:
"N.S. bicyclists to get wider berth on roads
One metre clearance between cars and bikes
Last Updated: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 | 8:51 AM AT
CBC News
Motorists are going to have to make more room for bicycle riders on roads in Nova Scotia.

The Department of Transportation is proposing to change the Motor Vehicle Act to make sure there is at least a metre between each vehicle passing a bicycle.

The push to get car drivers to share the roads began earlier this month with a private member's bill from Dartmouth East Liberal MLA Andrew Younger.

On Monday,Transportation Minister Bill Estabrooks announced he's' making changes to provincial legislation.

The new rules would require motorists to make room when they pass a cyclist in a bike lane, and also make it illegal to park in a bike lane.

Under the changes, bicyclists will have to ride single file and in the same direction as traffic...."



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/11/16/ns-bicycle-rules.html#ixzz15TT3S1aJ

I meter is simply Canadian for 1 yard, or three feet ;-)

Let's just be glad we're not measuring in rods or furlongs...

Under the changes, bicyclists will have to ride single file ...."

This will be an annoyance for both cyclists and motorists.

Canadians use metric? Stop the presses!

I meter is simply Canadian for 1 yard, or three feet ;-)

Let's just be glad we're not measuring in rods or furlongs...

Close, but not quite. One meter is defined as 100 centimeters. On the other hand, one yard contains 3 feet -> 36 inches -> roughly 91.4cm

We also use imperial/US measurements when convenient :)

Close, but not quite. One meter is defined as 100 centimeters. On the other hand, one yard contains 3 feet -> 36 inches -> roughly 91.4cm

We also use imperial/US measurements when convenient :)

Mathematically, it's not exactly the same... but close enough for most folks to equate 100 meters to 100 yards, or "a football field." Starting off in ROTC many years ago they taught us to estmiate distance with UTM maps by guessing how many football fields there were between you and the target ;-)

This will be an annoyance for both cyclists and motorists.

I'd rather ride two abreast with my friends and get passed at the two or more meters we usually see....

Take the lane. None of this 3ft. equality gibberish. It is just an invitation to be run off the road and, get away with it.

High five N.S.

this will be an annoyance for both cyclists and motorists.

why?

Legally, you can't drive two abreast, or ride motorcycles two abreast, so why bicycles? If we claim the right to the road and the same rights as other vehicles, it is our responsibility to follow the rules.

Legally, you can't drive two abreast, or ride motorcycles two abreast, so why bicycles?Have you looked at a bicycle lately? A car? Have you noticed anything different between the two?

If not, I'll cut to the chase -- the bicycle is smaller. Much smaller. A bicycle with rider is about 2 feet wide -- a car or truck is about six to eight feet wide. Two cyclists riding two feet apart from each other are about as narrow as a small car.

Permitting cyclists (and motorcyclists) to ride two abreast makes perfect sense given the differences between the cycles and the cars.

"Same rights, same rules" sounds good in theory, but considering that bicycles and cars are different, some minor differences in the laws makes sense -- unless you'd like to take your bicycle in for exhaust emissions tests yearly?

If the law doesn't let you ride two abreast, then I guess you should follow the law -- but an even better plan would be to obey the law for now, but work to have the law changed. Permitting two abreast riding benefits cyclists and motorists.

"Same rights, same rules" sounds good in theory, but considering that bicycles and cars are different, some minor differences in the laws makes sense -- unless you'd like to take your bicycle in for exhaust emissions tests yearly?

Well, you do have a tailpipe.

Legally, you can't drive two abreast, or ride motorcycles two abreast, so why bicycles? If we claim the right to the road and the same rights as other vehicles, it is our responsibility to follow the rules.

In North Carolina, motorcycles may be operated two abreast in a single lane, and there is no limitation on the number of bicycles that may be operated abreast in a single lane, except that the minimum passing distance between them might be applicable.

Canadians use metric? Stop the presses!Do they really? Check out the dimensions used in canadian hockey, canadian football and they do play some soccer.

Metric > Imperial

That's all.

Imperial > Metric

Fify

I meter is simply Canadian for 1 yard, or three feet ;-)

Let's just be glad we're not measuring in rods or furlongs...

Sometimes we measure in stubbies or by toque length. Traditions vary from province to province. Please enquire at a Tim Horton's for the appropriate measure.

Ontario will, hopefully, enact the 1 metre law too. Or 5 stubbies long.

Three feet or one meter. It's not enough but at least it helps.

The average road is 11 feet wide. the widest vehicles 7 feet wide. this leaves two feet and some metal on each side. Bike lanes are 3 feet wide. the cycle and rider two feet. This leaves only 6 inches and skin on each side of the cycle for clearance.

Bike lanes are 3 feet wide.Actually, the AASHTO suggested minimum is five feet, and I'm not aware of anybody who suggests smaller than four feet.

Any three foot wide ones are seriously sub-standard. I'm not saying they don't exist, but they would seem to be a minority.

This is the US. If you're in Canada, I dunno. (Fraser Valley could be Canada or Colorado.)

Any three foot wide ones are seriously sub-standard. I'm not saying they don't exist, but they would seem to be a minority.Not in Hawaii, almost all bike lanes are 3 feet wide. Some are only 2 feet wide at some points. I only know of one bike lane that has about a 30 yard section that is 5 feet wide. Honolulu just painted a 3 foot wide bike lane near my home this week that we cyclist were told would not be painted because of our objections to it (last parting shot of the out going / bike hating mayor). He ruined a perfectly good "wide outside lane" set up. And Hawaii has a mandatory use bike lane law.