It’s been a real nightmare commute for thousands of people lately, but officials aren’t letting that be an excuse for drivers (or cyclists) to thwart the laws by using the bus lane to get ahead in Metro Vancouver.
Hundreds of tickets were issued during a two-week crackdown in Surrey, Vancouver, Richmond, and Pitt Meadows last month, but despite that, many drivers are still breaking the law by becoming a bus lane bandit.
That’s according to a video shared on a popular Facebook group, Metro Vancouver Learns to Park and Drive, by Min Kuan when he was driving near Memorial South Park along East 41 Avenue recently and spotted two different drivers in the dedicated bus lane in just a short period of time.
“Driving on bus lane is not alright for the reason seen in this video. It happened on July 2, around 2pm. An inattentive driver might run over this boy as they don’t expect a cyclist (ie. not a bus) to travel on it AND against the flow of traffic,” he captioned the video.
Min Kuan/Facebook
Kuan said he was quite worked up over it and was concerned the cyclist travelling in the opposite direction would have been hit by the driver turning right into the bus lane. The cyclist is also not allowed to use the bus lane, and the whole thing just became a very close call. Thankfully, they weren’t hurt.
Kuan told Daily Hive that another driver was arguing that “it’s quite alright to drive in [the] dedicated bus lane as long as no one is using [it]” and that this bad driving is common practice, as multiple drivers can be seen in the lane just in that one stretch alone.
That didn’t go over well with Kuan, who argued that there are no exceptions to the rules on his Facebook post.
Another person online agreed, saying there needs to be more enforcement.
“There are a lot of people running the bus lane on hwy 99 before the tunnels during rush hour. Sight of any enforcement? ZERO.”
They aren’t the only ones complaining. In recent months, so many people have shared videos on social media that the Metro Vancouver Transit Police’s Targeted Mobile Enforcement Team launched its enforcement blitz.
The only long term solution for this is to follow cities like New York, DC, Oakland, etc, in using cameras on the bus to enforce bus lanes.
We’re calling on the province of BC to legalize Automated Bus Lane Enforcement. https://t.co/UdkRr3VqDG
— Movement: Metro Vancouver Transit Riders (@MovementYVR) July 2, 2024
“In response to complaints received from the public via social media and email, and from bus operators, TMET launched a project to focus on vehicles that were improperly using bus lanes to bypass traffic congestion. Four non-consecutive weekdays, over a two-week period, were selected based on intelligence gathered of when and where the problems were reported to be the most critical,” it wrote about its efforts.
In one day alone, 118 drivers were issued tickets in Vancouver for illegally travelling in the bus lane, and some were issued tickets for secondary offences like distracted driving. The total number of tickets issued was 344.
We heard you loud and clear, r/vancouver! You’re sick and tired of bus lane cheaters.
byu/TransitPoliceBC invancouver
Transit Police thanked the Reddit community in particular for bringing a lot of the bad areas to their attention following the blitz.
A spot one Redditor says is especially bad for bus lane rule-breakers. (Reddit)
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Folks chimed in to make sure that other spots were going to be added in the coming days.
“I see this happening so much on Hastings between Commercial and Nanaimo during rush hour (4:30-6:30). You’ll catch cheaters there no problem without fail,” one driver told officials in the sub-Reddit.
“There’s so many places to recommend in Vancouver I don’t know where to start. But definitely Hastings and 41st ave,” another added.
Transit Police issued a reminder about the rules as well.
“A “diamond” shape on a road sign, or on the road itself, means “reserved lane.” Sometimes that means it’s an HOV lane, but not always. Don’t mistake a bus lane for an HOV lane,” it explained.
Adding, “On signage, the icons to the right of the diamond will let you know what kind of vehicle is allowed in the lane. Information below will let you know when the restriction is in effect.”
And for those who might think they get the VIP treatment, your Tesla won’t get you ahead in this case.
“If you drive an electric vehicle, you are eligible to drive in SOME reserved lanes. Electric vehicles are NOT permitted in bus lanes,” Transit Police explained.
If you are caught doing this, you will be hit with a $109 ticket, but it doesn’t come with demerit points.
The #WVPD traffic team has been busy enforcing the bus lane leading to the Lions Gate Bridge. This is NOT an HOV lane, it’s a dedicated bus lane (motorcycles allowed). Driving in this lane, like these four cars? You can receive a $109 ticket under section 153 MVA -Use Bus Lane. pic.twitter.com/BRuuoI2VlD
— West Vancouver PD (@WestVanPolice) July 21, 2023
What spot do you see drivers doing this in Metro Vancouver? Let us know in the comments.