Share the Road Campaign Information
The Share the Road campaign is intended to educate and bring awareness to people about how to prevent accidents, injuries, and deaths by sharing the road safely. Whether you are driving your car, SUV, truck, riding your bike, or walking you share the road with other vehicles and drivers.
Share the Road signs are designed not to specifically educate the public about sharing the road but instead act as a warning to drivers that they must share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.
Share the Road signs will be installed at key locations on the Prince George cycle, such as areas where bike lanes end, or there are no bike lanes. Also, signs will be placed in areas with a high number of cyclists and pedestrians.
Key messages of the Share the Road campaign are:
Share the road with pedestrians
- Stay out of crosswalks when waiting at intersections. Stopping in crosswalks forces pedestrians into traffic.
- Yield to pedestrians at crossings.
- Look for pedestrians when turning, especially on one-way streets. Vehicles travel in only one direction, but pedestrians cross both ways.
- Watch for pedestrians on roads that don't have sidewalks. They should be walking on the shoulder facing oncoming traffic.
- Watch for pedestrians when pulling into driveways, parking lots or any time you have to drive across a sidewalk.
- Do not pass vehicles that have stopped for pedestrians at a crosswalk.
- Be especially careful where children might be walking.
Share the road with cyclists
- Bicycles are defined as vehicles, so treat them as you would any other vehicle on the road. Cyclists generally ride in a bike lane, about one metre from the curb or parked cars.
- Cyclists can ride on either the paved road, or on paved or unpaved shoulders.
- Cyclists are not required to use bicycle lanes or pathways, and are allowed to cycle on city roads when there is not a marked bike lane.
- When passing a cyclist, leave a safe distance between your car and the bicycle. Provide extra space when passing when the road surface may be slippery.
- Be aware of bicycles when you honk your horn
Share the road with public transit
- Do not park in bus stops, even if it is just for a minute.
- Avoid driving in blind spots at the sides and immediate rear of the bus.
- The law requires drivers to yield to buses signaling to re-enter the traffic stream
- Make room for buses trying to change lanes. Buses generally travel in the right lane and will quickly return to it.