The province is updating the rules for drivers, who are now expected to keep more distance between their vehicles and cyclists.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, regulations require drivers to keep a metre distance from passing cyclists and other vulnerable road users as a precaution. If drivers are on highways with a posted speed limit above 50 km/h, they will need to keep a distance of 1.5 meters away.
Dude riding an e-bike in Vancouver. (TommyLeiSun/Shutterstock)
According to the province, vulnerable road users in BC include pedestrians or a person on a bike, a motorcycle, an animal or animal-driven vehicle, an electric kick scooter, an electric wheelchair, or a mobility scooter.
“These new regulations will keep people safer on our roads and encourage even more use of active transportation,” said the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Rob Fleming. “It’s another step in modernizing our rules to keep up with new technologies that are changing how people are getting around.”
The province also updated its e-bike framework by creating a new lower-powered class of e-bike.
“People 14 and older will be able to use a new class of e-bikes with age-appropriate safety precautions, including less power, lower maximum speeds, and motors that only operate with pedalling,” the province announced.
Additionally, operating a fully automated self-driving vehicle is prohibited unless provincially authorized.